An In depth look

Rating: 10/10 (6 March 2010)

Sitting in the theatre Friday I had prepared for the worst.I had allowed myself to have such high expectations their was no way that even Tim Burton could have meet them. I enjoy Burton's Films mainly because to me they are like curling up with a twisted children's book like Mary Poppins or The wonderful Wizard of Oz.His movies I describe as a living piece of art ripped from the very pages and brought to life deliciously. of these type of tales. Don't believe me? go borrow some of these books from your local library.When Burton does do a movie from a published source he tends to choose only the key elements of the story to bring to life, he mixes it with his own vision of the story and come up with an acceptable take.For Instance Sleepy Hollow. a few alterations and out of it came a deliciously dark tale that was visually stunning and well plotted.Story changing doesn't bother me so much, In fact I feel that if a movie is good enough it will encourage viewers to actually go find the book and read it. In this day in age that's an impressive feat. The lights darkened and the film started and I was once again swept away to Wonderland. The story was solid, well put together and well acted. The story takes an unsure 19 year old woman who after a fanciful journey learns to take control of her own life and to stand up for what she believes in during a period when women didn't have control. Each battle she overcomes in Wonderland is one she had within herself.I think a lot of people are missing that, which makes no sense to me since this story has been told 100's of time over the past century.As Alice goes through Wonderland Tim makes sure that all the key points from both of Lewis Carroll's books are in place. He introduces the characters to Alice who is clearly on a return visit.The colorful array of characters go from the Mad Hatter and the March hare to the Catepilar and Cheshire cat. All the familiars as well as some of the lesser known characters of the White Queen and the Jabborwocki. I was so afraid that Alice In Wonderland would only be about the Mad Hatter, just because of the Depp Factor, but fortunatly Tim remembered the movie was about Alice and her coming of age story.Johnny Depp does exceedingly well in this role compared to the gay pirate routine or the border line pedophile Willy Wonka. The Mad Hatter has depth despite his madness. Anne Hathaway does a brilliant job as the air headed white queen.. a relief from the 1985 mini series depiction of the same character. The Tweedles are awesome' and the Cheshire cat you want to take home with you.Tim's Wife even outdoes herself as the Red Queen. Delightful. Visually is everything you ever wanted Wonderland to be. I do believe that Tim Burton has not used castles in his films since Faerie Tale Theatre's Aladdin.Both Castles are directly from your imagination. Anything and Everything you could want out of an alice in wonderland movie is here and present. now the 3d aspect, not a necessity for enjoyment but definitely icing on the cake. The movie will hold its own in 2-d. Leaving the theatre I felt like it was money worth spent. I went to the theatre to see a work of art tribute for a 100 year old classic done by a very talented director. I got what I hoped for. A good solid story, great acting, stunning visuals and most importantly a desire to see it again.Your enjoyment of the film does depend on your outlook i suppose and what you hope to see. I hope the experience is as equally wonderful for you as it was for me.