Alice in Wonderland (2010) [3D]

This review contains minor plot spoilers.

Apparently there was a lot of hype surrounding this one. I thankfully avoided most of it, due to my disdain for mainstream media, but I came into the film not expecting anything. Perhaps I should be thankful.

I'll try not to complain too much about how it departs from the books' universe, since this is more of a continuation than an adaptation.

Story

The plot takes place some years after Disney's first Alice in Wonderland film. Although Alice in this movie dismisses this one as a dream, she soon comes to remember that it was in fact a memory, and Wonderland is real. Okay then.

The Red Queen/Queen of Hearts has assumed control over Wonder/Underland for no given reason, although it's assumed that with the power of the Jabberwocky, she somehow managed to conquer all the living creatures in the world. Along her twisted journey Alice encounters an array of far too many characters some of which should not have as major a role as they do, and they eventually defeat the Queen in a somewhat epic but all too predictable battle.

Characters

Alice herself is not particularly appealing. She comes across as a strange but plain girl born into aristocracy, and that the only person who ever understood her was her late father. Although I'm sure the actress did a nice job, the character just doesn't affect me.

The Mad Hatter has far too large a role in the film and should have been replaced by the Cheshire Cat in most of his scenes. We know that Tim Burton has a raging hard-on for Depp and Carter but he just doesn't fit in this movie. He looks like he's trying all too hard and just comes across as desperate. It doesn't help that most of the film's merchandise centres around either him or the Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter).

The Cheshire Cat is the best character in the film, and is voiced by the ever-awesome Stephen Fry. Although most of the time he says nothing, whenever he does speak it is chilling.

The Red Queen/Queen of Hearts is just annoying.

The Jabberwocky has a total of two lines in the film and is voiced by Christopher Lee. I wish he wasn't in this film because the Jabberwocky is just tacked on. The entire segment of the plot devoted to the Jabberwocky poem is, quite frankly, ridiculous. I understand that it was mentioned in one of the other Alice books but the Wonderland universe is just so rich and interesting that it would have been better to go with a different plot rather than the generic 'Alice must save the world from the evil dragon and the queen with a legendary sword'.

It's kinda strange that most of the cast appear to be pretty famous celebrities and a number of their voices are instantly recognisable. But hey, it's a Tim Burton film, so it's kind of expected.

Visuals and Cinematography

The world of Wonderland looks fantastic and has a strange, twisted feel to it, although it's not as interesting and twisted as it should be. 9 was darker than this film. I know that this is a Disney film, but it could have been so much better. Look at WALL-E, for example. That's how you make a dark Disney film.

Whatever was done with Helena Bonham Carter's head is quite interesting and doesn't come across as Uncanny that much. I'm not sure whether I like it or not.

I wasn't a fan of the Jabberwocky characters, they looked generic and plain.

Soundtrack

I enjoyed the soundtrack, although it didn't really stick out for me.

Overall

Not worth the hype. I left not disappointed, as I had no expectations, but the film didn't really hit me either. It was just...okay.

5/10