An epic new twist on an old classic

Rating: 8/10 (8 December 2017)

Summary: An epic new twist on an old classic *** This review may contain spoilers ***
"Alice in Wonderland" is about a young lady that falls down a hole and has a grand adventure. Although the theme of the film stays true to being character focused, Tim Burton's version differs from Walt Disney's version in the way that Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska, does not fall asleep and dream while reading a book. She has adventures, she mistakes for dreams, throughout her life to groom her for Frabjous Day. On Frabjous day, Alice is to battle the Jabberwocky and kill it to stop the Red Queen. The Hatter, played by Johnny Depp, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, played by Matt Lucas, White Queen, played by Anne Hathaway, and White Rabbit, played by Michael Sheen, all help Alice along the way.
Alice in Wonderland is a character focus themed film as Alice is the focal point of the plot. She arrives just in time to save the day! The clothing they used for Alice sets her apart from the rest of the characters, as appropriate since she is not from there. The armor Alice wore was vastly different than all of the other guards, making her stand out from the rest in a heroic way. This use of costuming further accents the theme being focused on Alice.
The camera angles used in the Jabberwocky battle scene, coupled with the choreography of Alice's battle movements, making it an epic fight and accents her as being the hero. The upward angles used as she walks down the stairs after killing the Jabberwocky make her look tall and champion like. She fights with smooth well thought out movements. The close up of her when she rolls out of the way of the Jabberwocky's foot after being knocked down added to the shot and excitement.
The computer-generated characters were well-done. The make-up and costumes were incredible. The attention to detail, from the tearing, and loosening of Alice's clothing, all the way to the fine details of the fur on the rabbits, dogs, mice, and horses were excellent for the year this film was produced. The background music was great throughout, and they really did a great job with the sound effects. In the final battle scene between Alice and the Jabberwocky, Alice cuts off its head, killing it with the vorpal sword. As the head rolls down the stairs of the crumbled tower, you can hear a squish- squish. The subtle use of the squish sound effect really added to the scene.
This character focused film is an epic new twist on an old classic!