I forgot to mention that the music was excellently done too. Then again, Danny Elfman can't fail on that aspect.
BTW, did anyone else, after watching this movie, wanted a pet Bandersnatch?
Say it once! Say it twice! Take a chance and roll the dice! Ride with the moon in the dead of night!
Definitely wanted a pet Bandersnatch, and agree on pretty much all points, though I myself was never a huge Alice fan, so I don't think my expectations were quite as high. I did spend a lot of time trying to remember what year she was supposed to be in, but obviously that's a personal quirk.
I agree with this review a lot, the more I watched it the more I liked it like with "Monsters Vs Aliens". I didn't like the lead I thought she was just too boring of a protagonist (I know you're in a movie with Depp and Bonham Carter but at least try to be invested!) and Anne Hathaway was not too good either. The CGI and side characters were far more interesting to see. Ever notice that "The Red Queen is an evil tyrant and has to be overthrown!" is a cliche of re-imaginings of Ai WL? Seems like every one's doing it.
This needs to be seen in the context of the original Alice in Wonderland, or even just the Disney animated version. It is built on surreallism; the strange narrative reflects the strange inhabitants. The world itself is every bit as strange as the ones inhabiting it.
Burton tries to make sense of it in a way that kills anything special, you used the term Cliche Storm which I think it fair.
Every thing that makes Alice in Wonderland special, from the insanity and inaneness of the characters and narrative itself is stripped, instead you get a rag tag bunch of misfits made up of CGI and Johnny Depp.
The only thing they kept is the appearance of the original world which is the one thing reviews have consistantly given the credit for, outside of that, it could have been anything even a completely original world and could have worked without being recognizable. Burton did a great job of capturing the appearance of Wonderland but he missed the soul completely.
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Not Burton's best, but not as bad as people say
My opinion on Alice In Wonderland: Not the greatest, but still an enjoyable film to watch.
Story: Unfortunately, the story isn't that remarkable.
WonderlandUnderland has fallen under the rule of The Red Queen since Alice has been gone? Check. Alice is theChosenOne that can kill the feared Jabberwock? Check. Alice refuses to believe it, but finds that she can't fight fate? Check and mate (though that's not necessarily a bad thing - there's a reason why Cliche Storms become Cliche Storms, after all).Acting: Of course, Burton's usual suspects Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter is excellent as always (which is why I'm one of the few who don't mind Tim being their acting pimp — some variety would be nice, but Depp and Carter are great actors). I don't know what the last review was talking about with "changing the accents every other line" — the only times I noticed the change was when the Hatter was pissed, and I thought it was rather effective — and delightfully so. Our leading lady......err, not good, not bad. The problem is that she doesn't react to the fact that she's in an other freaking world with freaky creatures running amok! The combined Fridge Brilliance that she thinks it's all a dream and that she is a young woman in Victorian England does not help — which is why I cheered when she told off the upper-class pricks via Futterwacken (call it Eternal Sexual Freedom, I call it awesome). Anne Hathaway was very good as the White Queen. Her princess mannerisms being compensation for the fear of becoming evil is particularly intriguing. And Crispin Glover was good as Stayne "the Knave".
Voice Acting: Scores every target on this one. The only complaint is that the Jabberwock got so few lines (dammit, you've got CHRISTOPHER FUCKING LEE as the Jabberwock, use him!
Effects: Definately the crown jewel of the film, everything's being cheerfully eccentric. (Though I didn't like the design of the Jabberwork, too dragon-like. I actually thought he would be furry like the Bandersnatch for some reason.)
In summary, again, not Burton's best, yet still entertaining.