A slightly darker yet still enchanting Wonderland

Rating: 7/10 (20 March 2010)

I'm a huge fan of the original Disney cartoon, so I went into this movie not really knowing what to expect. What I got, was something that, truth be told, I really enjoyed. It was a wonderful adventure into 'Underland', Wonderland's bigger sister with darker undertones and a revamped sense of style.
Alice in Wonderland is in classic Tim Burton-esquire style... colourful, bright, beautfiully dark and memorable. The characters were well portrayed and brought back memories of the cartoon. Stand out performances included Helena Bonham-Carter, who to me stole the show with her rendition of the Red Queen (everytime she came on I was mesmerized with her facial expressions, manner of speaking etc), and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter who, although not seeming as mad as the cartoon version, still made the character seem a little crazy yet unexpectedly attractive. He gave the Hatter a lot more depth than expected, which makes you think twice about this seemingly shallow character.
Mia Wasikowska who played Alice did a good job, she portrayed Alice as how I think Tim Burton wanted her to - confused, in denial, and then in control. I enjoyed her performance. The CGI animals were also very well done, in particular the Cheshire Cat voiced by Stephen Fry (so fluffy you just wanted to reach out and pat him), and the Blue Caterpillar voiced by the brilliant Alan Rickman.
I saw this movie in 3D, but I don't think I would again. If you're going to see it in 3D... don't expect anything huge. This isn't an Avatar. In fact, I think I would've preferred to have seen this in 2D so I could appreciate the colours and brightness of the film.
I have never read the books, but from what I saw, I really enjoyed. My advice to people wanting to know whether to bother or not, is to go see it, and make up your OWN mind. I liked it, maybe you will too.