Alice? Yes, passed conditionally

Rating: 7/10 (6 March 2010)

I had been waiting for this film since his first announcement in 2008, so it was natural that I expected a lot from Tim Burton and the remaining crew, after the wonderful Sweeney Todd and the insuperable Big Fish, which for me is the best Tim Burton work so far. Failing to mention that I was very disappointed in finding out my running-wild myopia doesn't allow me to see 3D films (I still have trouble with my sight, and I came back from cinema one hour ago), I think the visuals are a delight, surely worth of the definition "Wonderland": tortuous trees, garish flowers, Cheshire Cat and Blue Caterpillar better than Disney's, disproportionate queens and fantastic architectures, the crew couldn't do a better work, not to mention the costumes, the cinematography and the casting - although I didn't like the soundtrack and the score. Mia Wasikowska is a good breakthrough for the film, Anne Hathaway had a role that had a high risk of over-acting and ridiculousness, which she pulled off quite well, and Burton-darlings Depp and Bonham Carter were perfect as usual. But, but... there's something I didn't quite like. I often had the impression this was a film on commission, not generated by the filmmaker's own creativity and desire to produce a new work, and that's why "Alice" lacked a lot of the poetry present in so many Burton films, the mostly loved factor, I think, of his production. I couldn't feel any true inspiration here, and it was a kind of letdown, because, if only it featured a tiny bit of inspiration, it could be a masterpiece remembered in years. I'm afraid "Alice" will remain only a minor movie in Tim Burton's filmography, and it will be mainly quoted for its outer beauty. I'm sorry I'm giving a Tim Burton's film a 7, but I think this is the rightest vote, considering the reasons I previously tried to analyze.