When I think of Wonderland, I think of a place where the laws of physics cease to exist and strange creatures flit about. It's a place of, for lack of a better word, wonder. Realistically, wonder and a childlike sense of bemusement go hand in hand. Unfortunately, Tim Burton only does despair filled darkness, so what should be a place you look at quizzically, turns into a nightmarish landscape that you wince at. Now, you can't fault a director for bringing their vision to the screen, but there is a certain protocol when approaching a beloved classic, such as Alice in Wonderland. Much of the curiosity comes from the crazy scenery and odd creatures. Instead we get bleakness and viciousness.


The CGI work in Alice is undoubtedly top notch, first in it's class. Knowing that Burton had such tools at his disposal is frustrating, however, because there is so much that could've been done in the name of bringing Wonderland to life. Rather we get the bare minimum of what a world like Wonderland could provide. More emphasis is placed on creating a desolate looking landscape than there is on making Wonderland a place typically seen in people's dreams. Or even Lewis Carroll's vision of Wonderland. And, as is typically the case with Burton, more attention is placed on the actor (let's be honest...Johnny Depp) than the story.

If you're like me then you enjoy your quirky Depp characters in small doses, otherwise his shtick can get to be a bit overdone. Don't get me wrong, I loved his Jack Sparrow, for one film's worth of footage. And I enjoyed his whacked out take on Hunter S. Thompson, but again, it was just the right amount. For me, Depp's Mad Hatter started out as an enjoyable character, whose purpose was clear from the get go. Then, he continued to...be there. After a while it made less and less sense for the Mad Hatter to be involved in the story, and yet there he was. Depp's performance, by no means, declined in quality, but again, the Mad Hatter is a one note character, who shouldn't have been forced into the forefront. In my opinion, this was Burton trying to squeeze as much Depp as he can into the film, while meanwhile shortchanging his own wife, Helena Bonham Carter.

Between the bleakness, overdone Depp, and general lack of fun, this interpretation of Alice was a little difficult to get on board with.




Despite some of the "not so fatal" flaws, there is enjoyment to be found in Wonderland. While dark and lacking in wonder, it also is fairly action packed and comical. The CGI is some of the best to date and the interaction between live action and CGI characters has a flow seldom seen in films of this kind. Many of the moments shared between Depp and Mia Wasikowska, the title actress, are funny, but also packed with true emotion. And Wasikowska delivers in every sense of the word as she ranges back and forth between puerile awe and adult like sternness. While I did enjoy these aspects, they don't detract from the glaring imperfections.