So disappointing

Rating: 5/10 (6 April 2010)

I have only ever written a couple of reviews, but people are so divided on this one that i felt compelled to voice my opinion on it.
I was so looking forward to this, Tim Burton, Disney, Alice in Wonderland, what a combo! I was counting down the days until it's release.
Unfortunately as soon as the film started I just kept waiting to be sucked in. I was on the outside of this film right up until the end, never included in the story, never involved. I wasn't routing for anyone, I couldn't relate to anyone. Each character had the ability to be fantastic (Stephen Fry as the Cheshire cat for example) but were just hugely underdeveloped and not used to their advantage.
Alice was hugely irritating in my opinion, not a great actress and very boring, I didn't care for her or what happened to her. The tea party scene annoyed me too, the 'madness' wasn't fun to watch, just left me confused and as if I was missing something. 'That's the point!' fans will say, but it still has to be enjoyable, relate-able, surely?
The white queen, very unlikeable, yet we were supposed to be on her side? I know everyone is meant to be crazy and off-the-wall but at least make her strong, kind, friendly? She seemed like a Lady Gaga impersonator on drugs.
The effects were not as good as Avatar, it was as though they didn't really use the 3D. The Cheshire cat could have been right up in our faces, the Jabberwocky could have really scared us, but it just stayed there in the screen. And what's with the disturbing sexual tension between Alice and the Mad Hatter? Obviously there were redeeming qualities, the high points were Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen of Hearts, the only scenes which amused and entertained me, and obviously Depp is great as always, although this definitely wasn't his best performance. I enjoyed the montage of scenes of Alice as a child, that added something that had previously lacked.
But still, at the end I was left thinking 'That's it?' Really disappointed, could have been so great! 5 out of 10.