Great visuals, not so good when it comes to the story

Rating: 7/10 (24 March 2010)

Much of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland's original beauty was found in its courageous imagination and unpredictable tone. Adaptations of the novel never seem to fully get a grip of the text because of the fact it's so bizarre. It was with no surprise, then, that back in 2008 I didn't feel any excitement to hear Disney was making another adaptation of the much beloved story. That was until I heard that it wasn't going to be an adaptation, but a sequel, and furthermore the sequel was going to be helmed by one filmmaker that is used frequently to define the words strange and unpredictable: Tim Burton.
So it was the thought in my mind, and should be of every viewer when walking into the cinema with their 3-D glasses in hand, that I would not judge the film on its faithfulness to the source material, but rather on its own merit to use Carroll's novel as inspiration. And what inspiration Burton harnessed to bring an outstanding 3-D visual experience. Wonderland, or Underland as it is officially referred to, is both haunting and stunning with live-action footage being expertly blended with animation. Audiences will become completely immersed in Burton's imagining of Wonderland which will, unfortunately, give viewers the opportunity to realise that Woolverton's script hasn't hit the perfect note that her previous works have.
The film is set years after Alice's original trip to Wonderland joining a 19 year old Alice who is expected to wed a snobbish young lord. Within the first hour Alice has found her way back to Wonderland introducing viewers to her destiny, to defeat the dreaded Jabberwocky, and to Depp's brilliantly portrayed Hatter along with a handful of other outstanding performances. The script is both engaging and funny, with Bonham Carter's Red Queen comically bellowing "Off with his head!" Well, it's engaging up until the point Alice finds herself in the Red Queen's castle, which is where the film appears to loose most of its momentum as it seems to just anticipate the final act where Alice will face off the mighty Jabberwocky.
It picks up a little at the end when we finally see Alice's personal journey of self-fulfilment accomplished, but the brilliant battle sequence which sees her doing so doesn't leave a lasting impression which seems to be a consequence of its build up. My advice is if you to watch a film in the coming weeks, go see either Shutter Island or Kick-Ass. If not, see Burton's new spectacle which will be remembered for its visuals and performances but sadly not for its story.