By Justin Hogan
In Short: Very stylish but no substance.
MPAA Rating: PG. But don’t take kids who are subject to nightmares. This is Tim Burton we’re talking about.
Alice in Wonderland never looked this good. Tim Burton infuses the classic with beautiful visuals, Gothic grotesque and style. It’s just that Burton forgot to pack in a real story or a little more heart and soul, because the film is missing something.
The movie opens with Alice’s father presenting a risky, mad, yet genius trading idea to partners in his study. Alice walks in, awakened by dreams of vanishing cats and blue caterpillars. The father comforts Alice. He’s dead by the next scene. Without even the courtesy of an on-screen funeral. The movie and I got off on the wrong foot here, because this felt like a Reader’s Digest Condensed version of backstory. We continued to be at odds until Alice arrived in Wonderland. Back to the story, Alice and her mother are headed to an outdoor gala hosted by the father’s former business partner. Alice is grown up and soon to be betrothed to the partner’s annoying nitwit of a son. We move around the party a bit, learning that Burton needs to avoid “normal” scenes and that Alice is contrary and quirky. Mia Wasikowska plays the role of Alice with gravity but is a little understated compared to everyone else. Then again, maybe that’s a good thing. So, in the middle of nitwit’s proposal, Alice sees the rabbit, heads off into the woods and thankfully falls out of the intro and into Wonderland.
Excuse me, did I say Wonderland? In Burton’s world, it’s actually Underland. Alice was just mispronouncing it. It’s a world filled with grotesque characters, sparkling visuals and a bothersome story. The pieces aren’t bad. The Red Queen, who has a strikingly large forehead and a penchant for being evil, has enslaved much of Underland, driving out the White Queen, who always seems to be curtsying. Alice, we learn, is foretold to return, slay the Jabberwocky with the Vorpal Sword (snicker-snack) and return the White Queen to her throne. Trouble is, Alice doesn’t remember any of this and thinks she’s just dreaming. She struggles to find her place in Underland and “wake up.” So, the bits are there for a good fairy tale. It never seems to add up though. We move from one carefully crafted scene to another but they exist almost independently, without connections or cohesion.
On the other hand, the individual characters are nicely done. Burton comes a little too close to “quirky equals character!” mentality that sometimes grates on my nerves but toes the line. Johnny Depp brings his usual quirky yet solid performance to The Mad Hatter, who is fun to watch in every scene. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum are constantly arguing and kicking each other. Helena Bonham Carter’s portrayal of the Red Queen is properly arrogant and annoying. The Chesire Cat was a particular favorite of mine, because he seemed as mischievous and fickle as a cat, animated with great style. The scenes individually are mostly fun and amusing, though lightly so. Then we come to the final battle. A final battle? Is this Alice in Wonderland or Braveheart? The battle felt like a plot point created by committee. “No, you gotta have another action sequence right… here. It’s what all the good movies do.” On the other hand, it’s all very stylish. So there you have it. Style without substance. It’s good popcorn fodder if you don’t expect too much. Plus, Depp does a crazy dance that will certainly be a Youtube favorite, if it isn’t already.
