Alice in Wonderland picks up when Alice is nineteen and back in the real world. Before you know it, the denizens of Wonderland bring her back so she can realize her destiny: to end the Red Queen’s rule.Overall, the movie was decent but suffered from a couple problems throughout the film that really brought down the quality of the movie.
The biggest problem was the pacing of the storyline. If you blink, you will probably miss something important. Events happen too quickly throughout. It just feels like there was enough content for two movies, but it was jammed into one.
Despite the pacing, the plot was very interesting, engrossing and a logical step for the franchise. I wouldn’t call the story “epic” but it was exciting and the final battle topped off the film nicely.
The other major problem with the movie was the 3-D. The 3-D in the movie was an afterthought done in post-production, unlike movies like Avatar and Up in which 3-D was a focus from the beginning. When the jabberwocky spews fire into the camera, the problem comes to the forefront. For the first time, a 3-D movie actually hurt my eyes. The color choice during that sequence didn’t help either. However, the rest of the visuals were stellar.
The world comes alive from the beginning and pulls the viewer in with wonderful cinematography and settings. Tim Burton’s personal aesthetic is on full display as the sequences share the same vibe as his previous movies.
The acting was hit and miss. Surprisingly, despite working with Burton several times previously, Johnny Depp (The Mad Hatter) just wasn’t on his A-game in this movie. He looked the part but his acting didn’t match the peculiar feeling of the other characters, especially when compared to the mannerisms of the Cheshire Cat.
Mila Wasikowska (Alice), on the other hand, did very well in her portrayal of teenage Alice. She managed the awkward teenager role without being over-the-top.
If you are a Burton fan, I don’t have to tell you to try the movie out and see if you like it, because you’ve seen it twice by now. For the rest of us, I’d say give it a shot, it’s alright except for the story pacing and when the jabberwocky burned out my retinas.
MPAA Rating: PG
Final Grade: B-
Next Issue: Clash of the Titans
