Very disappointing, visually impressive, but all adds up to nothing

Rating: 6/10 (30 March 2010)

I had had high hopes for this film, with a cast including such stars as Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter; such treasures as Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen and Alan Rickman (not to mention a cameo by Christopher Lee); and directed by Tim Burton; this really looked like one to watch. When I saw the trailer, however I was a little apprehensive. It looked too... dark? Strange? Weird? I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
My fears were confirmed when watching the film. The performances were excellent, all of the performances. Depp and Bonham Carter were especially good, and Lucas provided brilliant comic relief. The characters were also really well written, I could really feel their emotion and knew their past without even fully being told. The Mad-Hatter was really well written, the tragic insane man who sometimes is even aware of his own insanity; the angry and highly frustrated Red Queen who felt unloved... I could go on. The problem lies in the story, it just doesn't go anywhere and I know it's taken from Lewis Carrol's books, but the film just felt badly put together, it was just a collection of bits, put back to back and in the end went no-where. The start was promising and the ending was good, but in the middle there was nothing. Also, it just felt wrong. Burton is known for his visionary genius, and rightly so. Batman, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and others not only have great stories, but look and feel brilliant. Alice just didn't look right, it was far too dark and not at all what I imagined, I still can't quite put my finger on it but it just didn't feel right. I much preferred the Disney original.