You've got a very important date

Rating: 7/10 (16 March 2010)

Alice returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen's reign of terror.
I haven't read the original book or have seen one single adaptation so I didn't know what to expect when walking into this film other than the fact that it has the trio who always stick together: Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter. By the end of the film, I was blown away by the imagery of the story, although not the story itself. I went to see this film in 3D, and I'm glad to say it was perfectly suitable for the film.
The use of this technology was similar to AVATAR in that it used the 3D to enhance the storytelling experience rather than throw things at the audience every five minutes. Another thing I enjoyed is the visual treat. Once Alice goes to Wonderland, we get to see a lot of jaw-dropping images that do not let up. It's, literally, one great imagery after another after another after another. You can tell the people working on this film worked their butts off for this and it really paid off. The story, however, didn't match to the high standards of the visuals. It was interesting in some ways but the film does meander a lot in the middle of the film. Still, by the end, I enjoyed it overall.
Another thing I enjoyed a lot is the characters, particularly Alice, the Red Queen and the Cheshire Cat. Most of the characters are really sweet. The performance by newcomer Mia Wasikowska is really good. There is this aura around her that lightens up the screen every time she's on. Johnny Depp is weird at first, but it's mostly kinda boring. I didn't find him interesting as much as the other colorful characters in here. However, I did love Helena Bonham Carter and her "Off with their heads!" line that seem to plague 90% of her dialogue. I also loved Anne Hathaway as well. Some may find her performance overreaching but I think it's appropriate to the weirdness of the film. And it's always great to see Crispin Glover in a weird role.
The voice work is as good as the live actors, if not better. Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit works really well along with the noticeable Alan Rickman voicing the Blue Caterpillar. Barbara Windsor gives us a cute and cuddly character as the Dormouse. Oh, and the more we say less about Paul Whitehouse as the March Hare, the better. I found his character to be disturbing to say the least.
The movie could have fallen to the "all style but no substance" category if it weren't for the great characters and the unique approach given by Tim Burton and his wonderful, yet odd, visual style. The film is humorous at times that I chuckled quite a bit throughout the film and heartfelt at times. Sure, some people would criticize the film for being uninteresting and underwhelming as compared to the visual style but I think it's good enough in my book. Watch the film in 3D or in IMAX 3D if you have the chance because it's really worth the money to bring yourself in a magical world filled with wonder.