Follow the White Rabbit

Rating: 8/10 (26 December 2012)

If there's anyone who could ably bring Lewis Carroll's vision of Alice in Wonderland to the silver screen, it'd certainly be Tim Burton. Of course, one would expect a director best known for injecting the macabre (in one form or another) into his films to do the same here. In that sense Burton doesn't disappoint, as his version of Wonderland contains rivers of blood that are filled with severed heads and potions that are comprised of detached digits.As gory as it sounds, much of this is done in a slightly more subtle manner than might be expected, and it nicely compliments the surreal nature of this somewhat abstract environment.
But let's back up for a minute. This isn't Alice in Wonderland as you and I know it. I'm not all that familiar with Through the Looking Glass, but—in my estimation—this movie exists as sort of a pseudo-sequel that finds Alice being summoned in order to slay the legendary Jabberwocky and, by doing so, free Wonderland of the tyranny it's suffered under the rule of the Red Queen. What's odd, though, is that Alice has absolutely no recollection of her previous adventure. The reason for her amnesia isn't clearly explained, but one can surmise that it's directly connected to what she's experienced in the "real world"— the one you and I are familiar with, and the locale that the film opens in. On her way to a shindig that's being hosted by English nobility, it's revealed that Alice is expected to accept a marriage proposal from a young man who's been groomed as a Lord. He's wealthy and well- respected, and everyone has informed the now twenty-something that it's only logical that she become a wife while her youthful beauty persists. She, of course, is skeptical of all this, and, upon being proposed to, darts from the scene. It's not long before she's tumbling down the mystical rabbit hole of lore, and the rest—as they say—is history.
What I particularly enjoyed about Burton's approach to Wonderland is the symbolism implicit in many of the characters. When we see Tweedledee and Tweedledum, for example, it's clear that they're meant to represent Faith and Fiona (two young ladies from the pre-rabbit-hole existence who implore Alice to accept Lord Ascot's proposal). There are several other manifestations in Wonderland that correlate with the angst Alice has experienced in her "other" life, and the connection is likely clear enough that children will be able to pick up on the underlying message (which, much to my dismay, is eventually spelled out for viewers). And that, of course, is that you have to choose your own path in life.
But really, people will see Alice in Wonderland for its decidedly unusual visuals. As previously mentioned, Burton manages to successfully blend his own taste for the twisted with the quirky universe that Carroll has crafted in his Wonderland series. There are talking frogs and bloodhounds, a caterpillar with a hookah (expertly voiced by Alan Rickman), and a demonic iteration of the Jabberwocky that's reminiscent of the dragon found in Sleeping Beauty. All in all, Wonderland is brought to life in exquisite detail.
I've heard complaints that the finale of the film is too Narnia-esque in its aspirations, but, from everything I experienced leading up to the battle that takes place on a giant chessboard, it felt every bit as epic as its scale implied (which actually isn't all that epic, but just epic enough). If anything was out of place in the movie, it was the shockingly stupid dance performed by the Mad Hatter (Depp) in the final minutes. It's not often that a five second shot is enough to ruin the tone of an entire movie, but this scene was so ridiculous that one could feel the entire theater cringe with embarrassment. Yes—it's that bad.
Bad-Elaine-Benes-dances aside, this is a wonderfully imaginative movie that's got just the right amount of subtext for the kiddies. There are times where it's likely too dark for especially sensitive viewers, but most of the children present at the screening I attended were giggling and marveling for the bulk of the 108 minute runtime. And that, in and of itself, is quite an accomplishment.