109 deadening minutes

Rating: 2/10 (4 March 2010)

Like many in my generation, I first came across Tim Burton after seeing his 1989 version of Batman. That was the highest grossing film of the year and it was the most profitable Batman movie until 2008's The Dark Knight. But the success was not just monetary. It was also a critical darling. What could we not love about it? a dark and gritty story, Jack Nicholson playing a mad man with a purple suit, Robert Wuhl as an ace reporter and a magnificent (If not exaggerated) Danny Elfman score.
Batman made Tim Burton a star director and it gave him power that he probably never imagined having. But the man could not handle so much power. Perhaps no other director is as polarizing as the creator of Edward Scissorhands (A darn good film). He commands the loyalty of legions of mall goths the world over but at the same time causes the irritation of pretty much anyone else.
I wont go as far as to call him a bad director but the movies he's had the most control over seem to be his worst. The Tim Burton style that was so well done in 1990 has run it's course in 2010.
I went to see this movie with very low expectations and while it was not an offensively bad movie, it was still a very tedious hour and 40 minutes. Everything that is wrong with a Burton film was back with a vengeance in "Alice in Wonderland". A very bad case of style over substance. And not very good style to boast.
The one thing I was looking forward to was Danny Elfman's score. If Hans Zimmer could make "Pearl Harbor" enjoyable then surely Elfman could do the same for "Alice" right? answer is no. Even the score was amazingly sub-par.
Seems like even Disney knew they had a stinker if they decided to release the movie on DVD after only 3 months. But don't get confused, not all is lost with this film. It has some very nice make-up, wardrobe, facial expressions, voice acting and visuals.
Everything else? just plain tedious. Oh and the 3D? non-factor. I recommend you buy and read a nice book instead of seeing this movie. Don't even rent it, wait until it's on HBO or network television. You'll thank me later.
I'm sure there's a market for this kind of junk but I am also pretty sure they are the Hot Topic crowd.