Saturday, March 20, 2010

Alice in Wonderland (Movie Review)

Alice in Wonderland
2010

Alice is at an outdoor party, and becomes distracted by a rabbit wearing a suit, who she follows down the hole to Wonderland. However, Alice does not remember her visit to Wonderland as a child, and those around her become convinced that she is "the wrong Alice," while Alice believes that she is in a dream. Alice reignites her friendship with the Mad Hatter, and reluctantly becomes drawn into the rivalry between the Red and White Queen.

I have to admit, I'm not sure if I've ever seen the original Alice in Wonderland, and when I tried reading the book a few years ago, I got stuck on the part where she drinks the from the bottle that says "Drink Me," so I was almost completely ignorant going into the movie, having little knowledge of the original story.

 I saw the movie in 3-D, and I almost wish I hadn't. This may sound silly, but I spent a large part of the movie trying to figure out what was in 3-D and what wasn't, which means that I didn't become particularly invested in the story. For the most part I thought the movie was just ok... I was expecting something weird, as one would from the combination of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, and the movie was definitely what you would expect in that regard.

I did enjoy any scene featuring the chesire cat - I'm not quite sure why but he was definitely the highlight of the movie for me. I also thought that Helena Bonham Carter did a great job as the Red Queen. My friend that I saw the movie with absolutely hated Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, but I was more amused than bothered by her acting. Then again, I was also cracking up during the big fight scene, so go figure.

One thing the movie did was make me want to try reading the book again. I'm not quite sure what happened to the copy I was reading a while back, but I feel like now that I know more about the story and characters, I might be more motivated to keep reading. Overall, I'd say this is a movie to rent rather than see in the theaters, and definitely not worth it for the 3-D.

9 comments:

  1. My Dad is taking my 5 year old tomorrow. I really wanted to see it too, but to be honest a few hours peace is far more tempting! I never think 3D movies are worth it, as like you say you end up looking for bits popping out rather than concentrating on the movie itself!

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  2. I agree with you, this movie didn't live up to all the hype that surrounded it. The plot felt too fast and I wasn't engaged in the movie at all! It's worth a see though, but I recommend renting it too.

    Emidy
    from Une Parole

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  3. I haven't seen the movie. Don't know if I'll bother. The book was simply too special. Couldn't bare it if the directors didn't do it justice.

    Good review :)

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  4. Haven't seen the movie but maybe I'll just wait to see it on DVD. After all, it's not like Johnny Depp is looking good here!

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  5. I've not read the book either and that's funny! I've never been interested in Alice in Wonderland, and I'm not keen on watching the movie either, even for Johnny Depp. Maybe someday, by chance......

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  6. Thanks for reviewing this movie! My whole family wants to see it, and I am the odd one out. I am glad my thought have been confirmed. I will stick with the Disney version :)

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  7. I haven't seen the original, and I hope to see this one at some point, but I'll probably wait until it comes on the movie channels.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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  8. I watched this over the weekend and I must say that I actually liked it. It was really different from what I was expecting it to be. I didn't realize that the story line was basically going to be a continuation to the original Disney movie/book. I found myself laughing a lot during this movie and I thought the effects were pretty neat. Oh...and as a child, I never liked Alice in Wonderland because I was always creep out by the storyline. I'm glad this version wasn't too creepy though, even though the makeup was crazy.

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