Alice In Wonderland

[snwrist]

Went and saw this in 2-D. Fairly disappointing, though it had its moments. It was visually fantastic and some scenes were inspired. Johnny Depp was good, for the most part. A little of his character went along way, though...

...but the story was sorta empty, light and kiddie-ish. This was definitely a mishmash of Burton and Disney, with more of the latter. I would definitely have liked to see Burton go darker with this. I'd say it's worth seeing, but probably only once. 2 1/2 stars.

[NePatsFan]

Style over substance.

I admit that the story of Alice in Wonderland is a hard one to tell in a way that evokes some sort of sympathy or concern for Alice. It's nothing more than a girl who experiences one nutcase after another, and not much else happens. But this was still made terribly poorly. In a film where each scene is built to surprise and astonish, it was remarkably repetitive. Even Johnny Depp couldn't save this disaster which, by the way, looks like someone threw up a bag of skittles.

A giant pool of talent and each looked and acted more awkward than the next. No reason to go into the depths of this thing. Just know it was a disappointment. Tim Burton should just stick to producing animation or something.

[Lembit]

Fist off, I have no idea why Lina Wooverton wrote an awful script like that with a plain idiotic third act battle.

How can you say that it was Linda Woolverton´s fault? Like Terry Rossio puts it: "It's near impossible to tell whether the problem on a film is at the script level without being a part of the entire process. Even if you get a draft of the screenplay, you can't tell how much material is in there because the studio wanted it, the director asked for it, over the writer's own objections."

[Adam Isaac]

Probably would've been better on acid.

I was clock-watching during this, but I had no plans afterwards. Not a classic, but overall fairly watchable...the movie, I mean; not the clock.:D

[winter dreams]

That was my problem with the film. It was just disappointing. I'm not sure who to blame. Fist off, I have no idea why Lina Wooverton wrote an awful script like that

probably because that's the script Tim Burton and/or the studio wanted?

[Juno Styles]

was curious about seeing this film, after seeing these comments i'll wait.

[beerbeastredux]

Just awful.

Sure, it looked good. But they kept cutting away from Alice to focus on Depp and the Queen. Why? It's called ALICE in Wonderland.

Oh, and they gave the Mad hatter a sword. A sword. What? WHAAAAT?


:|


WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?

[NePatsFan]

Just awful.

Sure, it looked good. But they kept cutting away from Alice to focus on Depp and the Queen. Why? It's called ALICE in Wonderland.

Oh, and they gave the Mad hatter a sword. A sword. What? WHAAAAT?


:|


WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?

lol, I also kept thinking how out of place he was being a general of sorts in a sword battle....wtf

[beerbeastredux]

Yes, and in that respect, i commend the studio for knowing what kind of VAPID, sloppy picture it will take to make money :}

[Ravenlocks]

The look turned me off this film as soon as the posters started going up around town. It simply didn't look like Alice in Wonderland to me. IMHO, Tim Burton doesn't have the right style for Alice.

Of course, I also have the image of Alice I got from John Tenniel's illustrations in the book I had when I was little, and for me that will always be what Alice should look like.

It sounds like I'm not missing much by not seeing the film.

[hscope]

I usually like the films (and movies) that are roundly criticised on these boards, so I will definately catch this one.

[JKB]

Just to chuck it out there - I saw this and liked it. Didn't LOVE it, but liked it. If you expect much more than the characters from the original story/poem, you'll be frustrated. This is Lewis Carroll strained heavily through Tim Burton's own whims.

I'd say it qualifies as 'inspired by' the original, but not much more.

In a way, it was too much story/plot to be as good as the original Alice, and too little to be a great Hollywood film.

I agree with others, though, that it was borderline offensive to put a sword in the Hatter's hands. Very bizarre. Seemed way out of character, too.

[Richmond Weems]

I'm a big Jonny Depp fan--I've got a restraining order and everything-- but I wasn't totally against the movie until that ******* dance. My eyes bled for days afterwards.

I did like some of the characters, and I'm in love with the Red Queen's tremendous head (and probably in a sick, perverted way), but the movie was just...blah.

HH

[Geoff Alexander]

How can you say that it was Linda Woolverton´s fault? Like Terry Rossio puts it: "It's near impossible to tell whether the problem on a film is at the script level without being a part of the entire process. Even if you get a draft of the screenplay, you can't tell how much material is in there because the studio wanted it, the director asked for it, over the writer's own objections."

She's a woman. Duh.

[spacefarer]

Watched it in 3D - visually stunning but the story was a let-down.

grumf

[stuy]

Good movie. Enjoyed it.

[Ravenlocks]

Watched it in 3D - visually stunning but the story was a let-down.

grumf
That's because story no longer matters as long as the effects are nice.

At any rate, it sure seems that way. :(

[EricCartman]

Just to check, was it Johnny Depp or Madonna playing the Mad Hatter role?

[hscope]

Just to check, was it Johnny Depp or Madonna playing the Mad Hatter role?

Actually, it was Lady Gaga, but I understand the confusion.

[NePatsFan]

It was Elijah Wood.

[asjah8]

well, here i am again bucking the board-trends.

i liked this film. nay, i would say i loved this film.

i knew going in that this was a story about alice as an adult, and tim burton does 'strange and fascinating' really well; so the film was exactly what i expected to see.

the story added great depth to the mad hatter in my opinion and johnny depp worked it well. the m.h. came across as a conflicted and confused character whose madness is on the edge of destruction. tim burton and linda woolverton played on this little known aspect of the original fairytale and the political dichotomies that run through the story. they blew them up larger than life for the adult alice to confront with the knowledge of maturity.

if i had to hazard a guess, i think the theme of the film is "madness".

alice's father led us into awareness of madness when he told his daughter she was 'bonkers and a crazy loon, but all the best people really are." every character in the film was bonkers in their own way. the white queen with her pro-life stance but ambivalent death fetish; the caterpillar always one-step away from dissolving into something else; the red-queen desiring acceptance to the point she'll randomly kill for it; the red-queen's court wearing appendages to imitate illusions of insecurity, etc.

i respect what everyone is saying about the sword, and i think the perceptions are accurate for a remake of a child-alice. but, with the story of an adult alice, the m.h. holding the sword made sense to me within the storyline as it was presented. the m.h. came close to crossing the line of ultimate madness in the dressing room, and several times throughout the story others had to 'bring him back'. the last battle where he is holding the sword, the m.h. made the choice to throw it down and accept his madness as normal and not a violent by-product of his own self image.

the only part that i didn't like, that felt disconnected to me, was the pov switch when the tweedles were carted off to the red queen's fortress and alice was left behind. i felt like we should have seen the fortress for the first time with alice and not before. but, that's also when i realized this was a group story, not just alice's story.

[lordmanji]

really enjoyed it. everything was a bit kooky and so was the story but with such great visuals/characters/design etc, i was swept away.

[callingit]

inglorious basterdization.