Deeply, deeply disappointing

Rating: 3/10 (19 March 2010)

As a long-term fan of Burton's work, I was greatly looking forward to seeing this film. Even his lesser movies usually have much to commend them and stand out from most of the dross on offer in cinemas. But this was truly awful. The one positive angle was the look. I found the use of 3D largely superfluous but the overall aesthetic was stunning and provided some great scenes. Sadly the sheer awfulness of the plot wiped out any credit built up by the visuals. To put one's own Wonderland narrative in place of Lewis Carroll's is clearly a risky strategy. It didn't pay off but I guess I could admire the courage to try. But to turn the whole thing into a quest culminating in a battle (in the style of Narnia/LOTR) was simply folly and wholly at odds with the spirit of Wonderland. Actually, the worst aspect for me was sandwiching the fantasy scenes between a 'real-life' storyline that saw Alice reject an obnoxious suitor and head off to become some kind of instant business guru. The whole "Let's reposition Alice as a woman with 21st century values" ending was so mind-numbingly embarrassing that I hung my head in despair. The authors should hang their heads in shame.