You don't like this movie....Off with your head!

Rating: 9/10 (3 March 2011)

Tim Burton's classic adaptation of Lewis Carroll's masterpiece "Alice in Wonderland" is a wonder to behold, a miracle and above all, a very thrilling, hilarious and heartwarming family romp that has muchness, just like the book itself. In Burton's version of "Alice", the Alice that we all know and love is now growing up in the almost 19th century. She is 19 years old and played by the beautiful Australian Mia Wasikowska, (The future Jane Eyre). Facing a lot of reality after her father (Marton Csokas) died, she is stuck in the old British society that a young girl is supposed to get married to a heartless and rich jerk, in the case of that it's Hamish Ascot (Leo Bill). When she impulsively leaves her engagement to Hamish, she sneaks out and followed the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole and is back to her childhood dreamworld, Wonderland--or in another case, Underland, run by the vivid and seductive giant head (no, literally) Red Queen (Helena Bonhan Carter), whose famous catchphrase is "Off with his head", (This line is an utterly comic genius) and, along for the ride, her precious Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover), working as her bodyguard. And like the book itself, she runs into a very unfriendly tea party run by The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp, as usual, the characters he play are over the top, exquisite and underachieving) who provides her some plans on a journey to take back Wonderland with help from the White Queen (Anne Hathaway, pretty in white) and to defeat a dragon-like creature named the Jabberwocky. With the same characters you all know and love, a new re-imagining plot and luscious cinematography mixed with breathtaking special effects, this winner of 2 Academy Awards is a treat that is a little too violent for a PG rating(due to its spectacular battle at the end, and a few inserts of swords going through creature's eyes and decapitation), but with Tim Burton's unique imagination--and with Johnny Depp's Scottish accent--what else can you think about? The cast including Wasikowska as a very special Alice, Depp as a wacky Mad Hatter, Carter in Bellatrix Lestrange mode as the Red Queen, Hathaway in her beautiful gracefulness as the White Queen and Alan Rickman's smoking caterpillar is truly phenomenal. I have a sister who saw it twice and she was really impressed with this movie. Even though, I read the book, I was really imagining Wonderland as if Tim Burton must have done it. It's a real fun time for you and your kids and if you don't like it....then again, how about this...."Off with your head!"