Director
Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd,
Corpse Bride) teams up with Disney
scribe Linda Woolverton (The Lion King,
Homeward Bound) in a visual
tour-de-force telling of the classic story, which combines elements of
the two Lewis Carroll allegories, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and
its sequel, "Through the Looking Glass," injected into what is
ostensibly a semi-sequel to the story. But, as with many Tim Burton
features, the visuals are the best part in what turns out to be a
muddled storyline that tosses madcap characters in front of the screen
with little rooting interest in them or their plights.
Burton continues his more recent tradition of taking the imaginative
works of others and putting his own creative stamp on them, which has
drawn him both criticism and praise for the end results. Art
design take the forefront, and darkly comical characters inhabit
the story underneath, making Alice very much a typical Burton
film, regardless of its source material.
Mia Wasikowska (Defiance, Amelia) stars as
Alice Kingsley, in her late teens, on the verge of possible acceptance of
a marriage proposal, deciding spontaneously to follow the trail of a party-crashing
White Rabbit (voiced by Michael Sheen,
Frost/Nixon), leading her to fall down a large and deep hole.
Where she emerges is a place called Underland, where anthropomorphic animals
and some rather odd humans reside -- a land she is convinced that is merely
another one of her fanciful dreams. The land is threatened by the
powerful Red Queen (Carter,
Terminator: Salvation), whose vanity about her rather large head makes her take
no pity about those who lose theirs when they cause her displeasure. A
fabled scroll foretells a woman named Alice saving the land from the Queen's
main trump card, a dragon-beast called Jabberwocky, but Alice may not be the
same as the one of prophecy to restore the goodly sister White Queen
(Hathaway, Get Smart) back in
control, or so most assert. But only most, as the Mad Hatter (Depp,
POTC: At World's End), who
seems to know Alice from a previous visit that she can't remember, is sure
this is the Alice of legend, and assists her in a quest to find the weapon
to slay the Jabberwocky while eluding the following minions of the Red
Queen.
At the heart of this telling of Alice is a young
woman who, through the guidance of her mostly absent, adventurous father,
continuously bucks the system of what's expected to make her own decisions
in life -- whether good or bad, they are hers to make. A relative
unknown, Mia Wasikowska, does a fine job in the lead role, translating that
wide-eyed enthusiasm for starring in a major motion picture to that same
exuberance and fascination to the equally mesmerizing surroundings of
Underland, which Alice has dubbed 'Wonderland.' And, as the only
normal character, our ability to identify with her is a main ingredient to
the story's success, so credit is given to her selection. If there is
a downside, it's the way her role is written, as we never really sense much
palpable transformation between the naive Alice who falls down the hole and the
sword-wielding warrior at the end, except in their attire. The only
thing resolved in her mind is that she prefers her father's thirst for
adventure to her mother's way of living up to societal expectations.
However, even with attention to Alice's casting,
this is really the sort of film built for the zany character actors that
frequently are at the forefront of a Burton film to dominate. Burton
scenery-chewing regulars Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham
Carter as the Red Queen are the most memorable, and while they don't perform in any manner we
aren't already accustomed to seeing from them, they do enliven their
characterizations with the requisite comic appeal to keep them from being
distancing to the viewer, even if the reasons for their behavior aren't always
clearly defined.
Crispin Glover (Beowulf,
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle) offers his Knave of Hearts character, the Queen's
right hand man, with the angular creepiness he so often personifies.
The animated characters are equally recognizable talents, though these
characterizations aren't as dominant, even if they are ever present.
A dazzling treat for the eyes, Tim Burton's Alice in
Wonderland merits a viewing for some stunningly realized escapist
entertainment, albeit with the downside of Burton's penchant for making the
characters' external appeal more defined than anything they might have going
on inside their minds or hearts. It's a fresh enough take, and
interestingly presented, and yet it never compels the viewer to excitement
the way Burton labors to do. In a modern cinematic landscape
where CGI worlds full of anthropomorphic creatures dominate, the majesty and
imaginative appeal of Alice's adventures seem too familiar, and dare I say,
mundane. In short, it's akin to Chronicles of Narnia with better
visuals.
These days, it takes more than just fanciful, well-rendered creatures
to make us feel the fantastic nature of them, especially when they are
introduced with so little fanfare. It's arresting visually while it
plays, but it's a rare occurrence when there's any genuine wonder brought to
Wonderland.
