Beautifully done yet it runs into a big cliché

Rating: 7/10 (25 March 2010)

I watched the old "Alice In Wonderland" cartoon when I was a kid and I found it both weird and scary. Every single creature Alice encountered, it seemed to either taunt her or intended to due her harm. Heck, even the part when Alice broke down and cried, I sobbed along with her.
Though a traumatic event in my childhood, I couldn't resist the temptation of Johnny Depp teaming up with Tim Burton once again for their take on the frightening, bizarre, and disturbing tale of "Alice in Wonderland".
Now I expected this movie to be a remake of the 1950s cartoon, but instead it is a sequel. Alice, now 19, is forced into a marriage by her mother but as fate would have it, she sees a white rabbit with a ticking clock and chases after him into an endless hole, which then follows into another series of unfortunate events, somewhat like before, but yet with a totally different plot. This time, Alice has a purpose in Wonderland, to conquer the Red Queen and her fierce servant, the Jabberwocky.
The cast for this movie is impeccable. Beneath the top hat and make up, Johnny Depp, probably one of the most versatile acts of our time, is simply brilliant as The Mad Hatter. Helena Bonham Carter, as the Red Queen is likewise irresistible. Her figure, demeanor, (and with the help of the wonderful make up design) makes her into her character. I can't help but smile as she shouts, "Off his head!"
Mia Wasikowska as Alice and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen are also decent in their roles, (I particularly love Hathaway's stark contrast from the Red Queen as a loving, yet somewhat quirky character), but the real geniuses are Depp and Carter and the remarkable voice talents of Michael Sheen (the White Rabbit), Alan Rickman (the Caterpillar), and Stephen Fry (the Cheshire Cat) to name a few.
The visual effects, costumes, and set designs are all beautiful, and there's some pretty cinematography by Dariusz Wolski. His work somewhat reminds me of Andrew Lesnie's mesmerizing work for "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" in that it is colorful but at the same time a bit desaturated, which helps add the dark mood that looms in Wonderland. His work is very noticeable in the locations of the Red and White Queen's castlesone brightly illuminated, the other, dark and haunted. Danny Elfman's score adds another layer of darkness, mystery, and beauty to the film, though at times it seemed a bit bombastic.
Despite all of this greatness to the film, it runs into a problem. Like most fantasy films nowadays, it all leads to a big battle sequence, which we have seen in almost every other movie. It has almost become a cliché that all fantasy epics most end in a big battle sequence. And on top of that, the movie feels rushed. The movie's pace is excellent; I was interested in it from start to finish, but 1 hour and 40 minutes seems a little short to cover all the details that are contained in the movie's story.
Nevertheless, this treat by Tim Burton is a good film, thought not for the whole family, due to some surprising grisly images that should have made the rating at least a PG-13. The atmosphere on top of that isn't child oriented either. This then makes me wonder what was the audience Tim Burton was aiming for. It's certainly not a kid's movie, but it's not necessarily a movie that most adults would go see. Then again, the whole Alice in Wonderland concept really isn't a child's story either. I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm glad I got a chance to see this movie.
***/****