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Tim Burton takes his act into the 3-D realm with his latest offering "Alice in Wonderland." And, as usual, his cohort Johnny Depp is with him. This is not a retelling of the same "Alice" story that we have seen before. Instead of remaking a previous version of the film or drawing directly from the book Burton opts to re-imagine the story while, at the same time, presenting it as a sequel. The film is set 13 years after Alice first encounters the white rabbit and follows him down the hole. She has no recollection of the events that took place during her first trip.
Upon going back to Wonderland she is told that it is her responsibility to release its citizens from the bondage of the Red Queen, played by Helena Bonham Carter. At the start of her journey she and the creatures who call Wonderland home are skeptical that she is the real Alice, with the only one truly having faith in her being the Mad Hatter, Johnny Depp. As the movie unfolds Alice proves herself time and again by completing various acts of heroism and unwavering friendship.
This is nothing that has not been put to film before, yet somehow it is entertaining and feels new. You could equate this with a person getting a makeover. Give them a wardrobe update and a new hairstyle and, even though they are the same person, they look completely different. The heart is still there but the outside dressing has changed. That is what Burton and company accomplished with “Alice."
The locations and color schemes are vibrant and unique and the characters are wildly entertaining. Tweedledum and Tweedledee steal almost every scene they are in. Thackery Earwicket, the March Hare, is crazy, neurotic and loveable at the same time. However, none come close to Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter who switches back and forth from an American accent to a Scottish one for no apparent reason. Oh, and his futterwacken dance at the end is worth the price of admission. The audience gave him a hand afterwards. The rest of the performances were well done and eccentric enough to keep not only my attention, but the attentions of the people I went with.
The only drawback to the film is the 3-D. This film was originally filmed in 2-D and then converted over to 3-D. So, if you are expecting to get the same awe-inspiring feeling that you did during “Avatar” you will be disappointed. In fact, I believe wearing the 3-D glasses took away from the film because they muted the color schemes.
In closing, “Alice in Wonderland” is a vibrant, entertaining, fresh take on the original story. The films look and characters are sure the keep the viewer’s attention. While I definitely recommend going to see it, I just don’t think it is worth paying the extra money to see in 3-D.
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