Lacks excitement

Rating: 5/10 (6 March 2010)

There is really only one thing wrong with this movie. If this were a minor thing, I would have given it 10 stars anyway. Unfortunately, it isn't minor at all: it's the story.
I guess the root of the problem is in the original story by Caroll. A classic, to be sure, and a delight to read, but it lacks a strong plot. It is ultimately just an erratic sequence of amusing events. And of course that's the whole point. The randomness is what people enjoy about Alice in Wonderland.
Tim Burton's movie, however, tries to insert a plot through the introduction of an ultimate goal for Alice which is revealed quite early on. But a true plot never emerges. Sure, Alice has to run away several times and makes a narrow escape once, but there is never any real tension; any "rising action" or conflict. At the same time, because of the time constraints a movie inevitably faces, there is very little occasion for the humour and wit found in the books. What results is a tepid middle-road which is not quite adventure, not quite fantasy, not quite "literary nonsense". Not really boring either, but certainly not very exciting. With, as a semi-climax, a battle of which the outcome is known in advance.
A lot is made up for by the visual spectacle and the all-star cast, although the lack of a good script gives them and their characters little opportunity to shine. There are a few laughs to be had and all in all it's pretty good fun to watch. And perhaps a lot of the disappointment comes from the expectations set so high by the director, the original and the promising names of Depp, Fry, Rickman, etc. Still, Alice in Wonderland is not what it could have been, not what it should have been.