Not so Wonderful

Rating: 4/10 (7 March 2010)

I saw this movies last night and was really excited to see it. As usual we sat through the obligatory 15-20 minutes of previews and finally the lights went low and the film started. I will try to give a full review and anything that resembles a spoiler is not intended.
The first 10-20 minutes left me confused exactly where it was going. Once I realized, I couldn't wait for Alice to find her way to the rabbit-hole and start her adventure, even that seemed to drag on, although it probably wasn't very long into the movie, it felt it was.
My excitement quickly turned to boredom. The Red Queen played by Bonham-Carter was entertaining for the first few minutes, but I found her constant shrieking to be more of an annoyance. Almost soon as Alice enters Underland (Wonderland to a younger Alice) you are introduced to every character, leaving nothing to surprise. None of the characters are ever fully explained in any sense that you understand their importance to the story. Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee are mildly entertaining, but their bickering grows thin and quickly.
Chesire Cat, a Character that was so well done in the Animated classic is just weird when you first meet him, and not weird in a way that makes you like him. He has a very short role initially and again leaves you guessing who or what he is.
Then comes Depp as the Mad-Hatter. A huge disappointment to me. His first scene show him walking towards Alice across the top of the table and his actions, tone, hand movements etc look Jack Sparrow-ish. His outfit and makeup reminded me more of a circus clown that someone who would be "mad". Nothing mad about his character at all. Besides some nonsensical verbiage, and a absolutely stupid dance, I think the only thing mad about him is how we have been duped into thinking that this version of Depp would be any better than what we have already seen in prior films.
Hathaway's White Queen is sad looking. She flits around with her hands held high, in a another imitation of Sparrow and her white makeup, matched with really dark lips make her look as dead as her performance. I couldn't get over how weird her really black bushy eyebrows looked standing out against her pale white face. Again very clown-ish.
Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska is a star in this film, but she always seemed lost in who she is and exactly why she is there. She has no purpose and the film, which is built around her stumbles around looking for the same purpose as Alice does the same. She seems to be a bright actress with a possible future, but her role in this film could have been filled by any other 19-ish blond girl with wavy hair. The voice she finds towards the end, reminds me of the Alice in the animated version, and wish it was there throughout the film.
The 1951 Disney Animated version showcased a trippy version down the rabbit hole that held both surprises and kept us entertained. Characters were built and explored. I expected the same of this version, especially knowing that Tim Burton, a director known for his weird sense of reality, would display. I expected vibrant colors and got drab gray's. I expected a weird fascinating trip, and instead got a chance to stay home and watch the TV.
A Final note, the Score, by Danny Elfman. Usually I like Danny's stuff. he has done so many great scores and some very memorable music. I felt like the music here was a rehash of the score from Charley and the Chocolate Factory, another Burton Film.