Great film for Tim Burton / Johnny Depp fans

Rating: 5/10 (18 April 2010)

The first time I saw the trailer for this movie it was very foreboding to me... It was filled to the brim with CGI, and on the foreground was Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter who looks like a dragqueen (I'm sorry, but he really does). My expectations for this movie got very low from that moment on.
Now that I finally got to see it, I have to admit that its not all that bad. The story is consistent, Wonderland looks well-designed and they even added the Jabberwocky-poem in there which is awesome. However, I do feel that they overdid the CGI at some points. I know its a fantasy- film, but I think some nice imaginative puppetry would do the film so much more good.
Some characters seemed a little undeveloped to me, and the focus lies way too much on Johnny Depp's role in my opinion. I like Johnny Depp and I think he's a great actor, but I don't think he added anything really crucial to the film or anything and his acting almost seemed like a quick rehash of his Jack Sparrow role from The Pirates of the Caribean. The Cheshire cat was not mysterious at all, since it is very clear that he's a good guy from the beginning. The Cheshire cat's character would work so much better if he only gave Alice subtle clues and riddles. My final beef has got to be the design of the Jabberwock. The illustration by John Tenniel makes the Jabberwock look like a very creepy creature, so why did they turn him into a generic dragon?
Kids will not mind the complaints though, and I think they will have a blast with this movie as well as Tim Burton and Johnny Depp fans. In the end, thats what I think this movie is more marketed towards, and not Wonderland-fans.