You'll Never Want To Come Out Of The Rabbit Hole

Rating: 8/10 (5 March 2010)

"You're absolutely Alice, I'd know you anywhere."
Whether you love him or hate him, you have to admit Tim Burton is a visual genius. His films always have enough wild artistic imagination to keep audiences satisfied, and sometimes he can actually tell a decent story when he puts his mind to it. It wasn't a surprise when it was announced he would tackle Alice In Wonderland because the project always had his name written all over it. Now that it has finally arrived, audiences are eager to drift away into another world and leave reality behind them. Does Burton's latest effort give audiences the wild ride they are expecting?
Absolutely.
Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland is an incredible work of art that captures you from the first second the film starts until the very second the credits end. Once you enter the theater, you surrender yourself to Burton's fantasy universe. If you're fortunate enough to see the film in IMAX 3-D, you'll be blown away by the expansive presentation and depth the film gives to the viewer. This is one of the best IMAX 3-D presentations I've come across in a long time. The film uses up the entire IMAX screen throughout the course of the presentation, so we're not subject to the 'switching' of aspect ratios during the movie. The images are crystal clear and sometimes feel like they're right in front of you. The audio was just mind-blowing and it really presented the soundtrack well, especially since some of the music in this film is incredibly well done. Trust me, it never disappoints. Now, if you're seeing the film in a conventional theater in Digital 3-D, you should still have a great time. Hell, even if you saw it without the 3-D, the visuals are sure to take your breathe away. You'll forget your in the movie theater, and you'll feel as if you're along with Alice for the ride.
Don't worry though: the visuals aren't the only good thing about this film. The performances are spot on. Johnny Depp was perfectly cast as the Mad Hatter. His performance should stick with audiences for quite some time. Depp brings such a wide emotional range to the character that audiences will surely feel his humor, sadness, happiness, and his down right creepy chaotic state of mind. Mia Wasikowska was also perfectly cast as Alice. Burton made the right move by choosing someone who isn't insanely popular, but talented enough to bring the innocence of Alice to life. Wasikowska does an incredible job of developing the character from an unsure depressed teen, to a confident and optimistic adult. Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway also did a great job playing the Red Queen and White Queen respectively. Even Alan Rickman does a great job with his brief cameo appearances as the Caterpillar.
Now, while the film was insanely fun and felt like a genuine adventure, it does have one flaw worth noting. This flaw, which may not come as a surprise to many, is the story line. I was optimistic with the story, especially since this film focuses on Alice's return to Wonderland. But something about it was just off. It was a little corny at times and at other moments it wasn't completely coherent. The story also doesn't do justice to Carter's Red Queen character: she's so viciously evil, yet her main opponent is just her sister, The White Queen, who lives on the opposite side of a huge valley. By the third act, you go back and fourth between these two castles so much that you feel you want to explore other parts of Wonderland, but you don't get to. I feel as if they should have abandoned The White Queen, and just focused on rebelling against the sinister Red Queen. Finally, the story suggests everything is destined in some way...which doesn't leave much for the imagination.
The overall product, however, was great. Without a doubt, audiences will have a fun time being sucked into Burton's twisted world. As movie-goers, we always ask for a film that will take us on a crazy adventure, and this film does just that. Even though there are some weak plot points, the film does such an incredible job of capturing the viewer that you can forgive Burton for his poor story choices. For the last two hours I was in Wonderland with Alice, meeting some crazy-ass characters. By the time I got out of the theater, I forgot it was 2:00 AM in the morning. When I drove away from the IMAX cinema, I wanted nothing more than to jump down the rabbit hole for a second run.