Don't waste your money

Rating: 2/10 (5 March 2010)

I will quote from a friend before elaborating further, as he sums this up perfectly. "The verdict on Alice It was okay. I think that it sent a much better message to children (especially young girls) than older Disney movies (if you wish upon a star— basically sit around, hope, and it will happen). Nevertheless, the graphics, which look awesome in the advertisements, just made me want to see Avatar again. And other than the red queen,the acting was bland and the characters didn't really drive the story. Johnny Depp is so interested in characterization he doesn't connect, in a human way, with anyone else. (And what's with those eyes? Yikes!) I felt like Burton just forced a lot of ideas together without making them feel like they grew out of each other. It's not quite as disappointing as the last Indiana Jones, but" Personally, I don't understand all the critics gushing over this movie. Have they all forgotten what a really good magical movie really looks like? It's basically Disney as usual with a few Burton twists, i.e. the Cheshire cat and the Red Queen's bizarre appearance, and other than that I nearly fell asleep. Given the ability of the actors that were signed, this was a fairly boring film. It tried soooo hard but somehow missed the mark. A little less CG effects and more attempts at film making and it would have been a better movie. After all, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T managed to be a classic with so very little, as did Freaks--two very different, but equally effective, black and white films. And let's not forget, of course, Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast with the great Jean Marais as the Beast. The scene where he carries in his arms Beauty, who has fainted, down his hallway and the candles held by human arms open out as he walks by is timeless cinema magic. Burton, you wish! Ah, what to do? Burton is everybody's darling these days but I just don't see it. I'd prefer he would do cartoons and animation. That he is brilliant at. But flesh and blood isn't his cup of tea. 2 stars out of 10, in my book. Don't waste your money!