Oh Alice, How Will You Find Your Way?

Rating: 9/10 (8 June 2010)

Directed by the most crazy minded and one my favourite directors of all time in Hollywood, Tim Burton and having Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, who are as crazy and innovative as Tim is, this is a magical concoction of the classic 'Alice In Wonderland' story. Can Johnny Depp and Tim Burton do any wrong? My answer is a thumping, thundering, resounding - NO. They are the most entertaining, innovative and their movies are just incredible and other worldly. My favourite actor ever is Johnny Depp, I love his portrayal of all his characters; he is a charismatic screen presence who just wows you most of the time. I had read the book when I was a kid and except for Alice falling down the rabbit hole, I didn't remember anything. This was a fun way to fall in love with the story all over again. Tim made Alice a grown woman to help the audience connect better with the story. The dark backgrounds, the hauntingly beautiful, melodious and stirring music by Danny Elfman (Alice's theme song is really enchanting), the cinematography all add to the excellent screenplay. The cgi effects don't seem cheesy, visually this film is a juicy treat which makes one wanna take a bite at that world. The film released here in theatres this Friday (! what were they thinking releasing it so late here? Maybe a summer treat!) and I couldn't get the tickets for 3D because of the mad rush, still it was excellent in 2D. For a Disney movie, this movie was quite dark and it had the Burton stamp of authority all over it. Some users have commented that this isn't the best Depp or Burton film they have watched. They can't make movies which will triumph over their best works all the time, alright? Give them a break, they give amazing movies. Enjoy them for it is and stop complaining.
Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) has been troubled by a strange recurring dream right through most of her life. Now, when she is nineteen, she attends a party with her mother when she is later told is actually her engagement party to wed Hamish Mascot, whose family owns her deceased father's trading firm. Unsure about everything she runs away and spots the rabbit in the coat in her dreams. She chases after it and accidentally falls down a rabbit hole. She gets trapped in a room and the only exit is too small, making Alice to drink some potions to shrink and escape. Upon entering the new magical world, she is greeted by the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), the Dormouse, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Matt Lucas), who question her identity as "the right Alice." They take her to Absolem (Alan Rickman), a blue caterpillar, who supposedly knows about everything. He decides she is "not hardly Alice." She is supposed to slay the dragon, Jabberwocky on the Frabjous Day using a Vorpal sword. The Red Queen, Iracebeth (Helena Bonham Carter) has conquered Underland by stealing the crown from her sister Mirana (Anne Hathaway), the White Queen. She is informed by the Knave of Hearts that Alice has returned to Underland, causing her to send a search team to find Alice. The wandering Alice bumps into the Cheshire Cat, who takes her to a tea party where she meets the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). Hatter is incredibly sure of himself and tells everyone she is "absolutely Alice", settling any doubt. Now everybody but Alice have decided that she is their Champion who is going to save Underland from the evil clutches of Iracebeth and bring peace and glory back to the land.
In the original Alice In Wonderland, Alice is a six-year-old girl, but in Tim Burton's bizarre vision she has become a grown nineteen-year-old woman on the threshhold of marriage. But Alice, even though more mature than before, cannot find her way through life and remains quite troubled over the prejudice against women, who are supposed to be all proper and respectful as society expects them to be. In its most basic form, this movie has a moral which tells us to be who we are and forge our own path in the world, not to be beaten down by others views of how you should conform to the society. Mia Wasikowska was good in her portrayal, quite memorable in my view. Mad Hatter is a guy whose emotions are on the surface and he cannot fake his feelings, Johnny was incredible in that role. Johnny Depp was awesome as always in these kinds of eccentric roles, but he needed to give the Hatter something more, something was nagging me all through his part. Helena stole the thunder in her hilarious and dark portrayal as the Red Queen - "Off with his head!" That will be a classic line. Anne Hathaway is also one of my favourites, she did a decent job as the White Queen. But the whiteness in her place was mesmerizing. The other cgi character I really liked is Absolem voiced by the amazing Alan Rickman. This is the man who sent shivers down my spine as Snape when I was younger and he is absolutely enchanting as the blue caterpillar. Michael Sheen's voice was unrecognizable as the White Rabbit, but Matt Lucas's double fat boys were hilarious. The Johnny Depp dance sequence in the climax was really disturbing, it was way over the top. It is a great movie which will be considered a classic, a few years down the line. I am in love with this movie, can't wait for the DVD.
9/10