MOVIE REVIEW: Great expectations have been generated by Disney's eye-popping campaign for Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland.' Without question, the director's famed imagination factory is working at full capacity. However, it is disappointing that this eagerly awaited film ultimately feels a little too standard issue instead of being truly wonderful.
From the moment Disney announced it had engaged Tim Burton and Johnny Depp to lend their supreme talents for a new version of "Alice in Wonderland," legions of fans went mad over the possibilities. Burton was practically fated to interpret Lewis Carroll's whimsical childhood fantasia. Rife with absurdist imagery, clever wit and a mirror to universal themes that darken on a whim, each image revealed from the project spiked the level of anticipation higher. So, did Burton deliver a "Wonderland" for the 21st century?
Not exactly.
Despite its glittering cast led by Depp and an ethereal Mia Wasikowska, as well as an aesthetic that is richly implemented by some of Burton's loyal craftspeople, how is it that you can literally feel the strenuous effort to create something magical and surreal?
Based on Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass," screenwriter Linda Woolverton ("Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King") has adapted the iconic works to possess a uniquely modern context to Alice. No longer a child, she is on the cusp of womanhood at the age of 19. Facing the prospect of an suffocating adult reality, Alice runs away from a marriage proposal and falls straight down a rabbit hole that leads her back to Wonderland.
With themes of childhood imagination lost, this Alice is certain she is living a dream. Much to the dismay of old friends like the Mad Hatter (Depp), she refuses to acknowledge her own ties to this fantastically impossible world. With her old nemesis, Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), now ruling with an iron fist, Alice remains Wonderland's only hope in restoring the peaceful rule of White Queen (Anne Hathaway). But first, she must be true to herself and accept this wonderland as something that will forever remain a part of her life.
Burton has skillfully rendered worlds that have transported audiences into the heart of both darkness and light with striking emotion and vision. "Edward Scissorhands," "Beetlejuice" and "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" were subversive fairy tales that have never been duplicated. Yet, something has been amiss of late, particularly with his continued path of reinvention with "Planet of the Apes" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Has Burton lost his creative edge? Absolutely not, as proven by the magnificent screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd." Yet, the daring of his work is beginning to feel safe. It is like this great cinematic rebel has willingly settled into becoming a brand.
Also, compounding the frustration with "Alice in Wonderland" is the 3D aspect of it all. Whatever your thoughts are on "Avatar," James Cameron's greatest achievement was to completely immerse you in the world of Pandora, to feel that you have truly been transported out of this world. The greatest failing of "Alice in Wonderland" is that while you are witnessing beautiful imagery, it makes for a cool, detached experience. However, despite this fatal flaw, Burton does deliver on two crucial elements: several winning performances and a thrilling final act.
Raiding the best of Britain's acting talent, "Alice" scores with an ace voice cast led by Stephen Fry as the enigmatic but charming Cheshire Cat, Alan Rickman as the divinely arch Blue Caterpillar and, especially, Bonham-Carter's imperiously bobblehead of a Red Queen. Representing America, Hathaway exhibits a wonderfully deranged sweetness and does well in her first venture to Burtonland.
Yet, as the Mad Hatter, Depp continues to edge dangerously close to essaying stock caricatures and not full bodied performances. Wasikowska is up to the epic task of playing Alice. She handles the opening with comic relish. With her delicate, ivory skin framed with Raphaelite curls, she embodies the image of a grown Alice, but the tone of her performance meanders a bit during the middle section of the story. It is not until the epic finish when Wasikowska, like the film as a whole, truly catches fire. She becomes an wonderfully surprising creation, an empowered heroine that transcends her 19th century origins.
It is fair to say the Burton Age is responsible for such master fantasists as Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón, filmmakers who have offered their own nightmarish and emotionally resonant takes on childhood imagination with "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Given Burton's own start as a Mouse House artist, it is also fair to say a line has been drawn that leads to the Pixar dream team of Brad Bird ("Ratatouille," "The Iron Giant"), Peter Docter ("Up") and Andrew Stanton ("WALL-E").
Burton has managed to throw a tea party worth attending. Yet, it is hard not to ponder the possibilities that could have been realized if the film was crafted by the above-listed artists. Much like Alice herself, perhaps even a master filmmaker like Burton would do well to embark on a journey back to the wonderland of his artistic youth and be inspired again to create those fantastic, impossible worlds that challenge and entertain us all.
"Alice in Wonderland" opens today with midnight screenings at selected theaters citywide. L.A. moviegoers can click on Fandango for ticket and theater information, including Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D presentations.
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Venture through the looking glass for a peek into the making of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland."
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