Alice in Wonderland

Rating: 5/10 (14 March 2010)

Disney had already made an animated adaptation in 1951 of the classic literary nonsense book by Lewis Carroll, when it was announced director Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) was creating a new Disney live-action version, I was most excited. Basically nineteen-year-old Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) gets an unwanted marriage proposal from Hamish Ascot (Leo Bill), but she is distracted when she sees a mysterious White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) wearing a waistcoat with a pocket watch, following him she accidentally falls into a large rabbit hole. After shrinking and growing her through a locked door, she emerges in a forest in the world of "Underworld", greeted by the White Rabbit, the Dormouse (Dame Barbara Windsor), the Dodo Bird (Michael Gough), the Talking Flowers (Imelda Staunton), and Tweedledee and Tweedledum (both Matt Lucas). They argue over her identity as "the right Alice" who must slay the Jabberwocky (Sir Christopher Lee), the feared creature of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), and restore the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) to power, as foretold by Absolem the Caterpillar (Alan Rickman). They are ambushed by the Bandersnatch and a group of playing-card soldiers, led by the Stayne Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover), Tweedledum and Tweedledee are captured by the Red Queen's Jubjub bird, the Knave informs the Red Queen of Alice's presence, soldiers and Bayard the Bloodhound (Timothy Spall) are ordered to find her. Alice has been guided by the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) to the Mad Hatter (Golden Globe nominated Johnny Depp) and the March Hare (Paul Whitehouse), they also debate she is "the real Alice", before is forced to escape another ambush, she is found by Bayard, but Alice insists on helping the Hatter who is captured. Alice does to the palace, the Red Queen does not recognise her, she assumes she is a guest, there Alice learns of the Vorpal Sword, the only weapon capable of killing the Jabberwocky, she is eventually able to obtain it and escapes on the Bandersnatch who she befriends, she delivers the sword to the White Queen. The Cheshire Cat saves the Mad Hatter from execution, he calls for a rebellion against the Red Queen, the Jubjub bird attacks, but the resistance flee to the White Queen's castle, there Alice finally remembers being in Underland when she was a child, she called it "Wonderland", former caterpillar Absolem advises her to fight the Jabberwocky. On the appointed day, the armies of the Red and White Queens gather on a chessboard-like battlefield, Alice has gathered courage to fight the Jabberwocky, they fight among the ruins, until she finally jumps on the spiral staircase onto the Jabberwocky's neck and beheads it. The battle ends, the White Queen sends the Red Queen and the Knave into exile, the Mad Hatter celebrate with a dance, and the White Queen gives Alice a vial of the Jabberwocky's purple blood, its power will bring her whatever she wishes. In the end Alice decides to return to everyday world, back in England she becomes apprentice to Lord Ascot (Tim Pigott-Smith) with the idea of establishing oceanic trade routes to Hong Kong, she sets sail on her father's ship the Wonder, and Alice recognises a light- blue butterfly passing as Absolem. Also starring The Lord of the Rings' Marton Csokas as Charles Kingsleigh, Birdman's Lindsay Duncan as Helen Kingsleigh, Jim Carter as the Executioner, Vicious's Frances de la Tour as Aunt Imogene, Jemma Powell as Margaret Kingsleigh and Geraldine James as Lady Ascot. Depp with his colourful makeup and bonkers personality, and Carter as the villain with her big head and fiery temper are the best characters, among the many other weird and wonderful creatures, and Wasikowska is a good choice as the curious teenager finding her way in the Wonderland. The tone of the film I agree is a little wavering and uneven at times, but it is a magical journey, all the familiar characters brought together, with visionary backgrounds, all created by superb computer animation, the dark re-imagining of the stories are well done, I am glad I watched it again to get a better opinion, it is a good fantasy adventure. It won the Oscars for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design, and it was nominated for Best Visual Effects, it won the BAFTAs for Best Costume Design and Best Make Up/Hair, and it was nominated the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for Danny Elfman, Best Special Visual Effects and Best Production Design, and it was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Original Score. Worth watching!