Despite a garden party scene that drags on far too long, a rabbit hole fall that seemed to go on forever, and the initial getting through the door with the eat me-drink me things, this movie plays all of its cards within the first ten minutes - to break into Dramatic Writing terms, the tease is too short because the movie assumes we are already invested in it: the viewers are assumed to already know the story of Alice in Wonderland and be fans of Tim Burton, so the movie doesn't feel like it has to intrigue us in any way, so it jumps the gun and tosses us into an overly long first act.
I really loved the effects in this movie. They weren't overdone and they had a delightful whimsicality about them, but the characters didn't have the same thing going. They were largely one-note, although it was clear everyone was having fun with their parts and the CG characters were great (I LOVED the Doormouse's cavalier attitude and the White Rabbit's tendency to hyperventilate - the March Hare annoyed me). I do have to give the girl who played Alice some credit, because her character had a lot of depth and was portrayed really sensitively, but I'm mixed over my feelings for Johnny Depp's Hatter-
While it was really nice to see the Hatter actually DOING things (Disclaimer: My memories of the original Alice in Wonderland animated film are VERY hazy), Depp seemed a bit all over the place. He's made a niche for himself playing very zany characters, but it would be nice to see something from him that didn't seem like a rehash of Willy Wonka.
Also, what is up with Alice/Hatter 'shipping? Like, in this movie it was kind of cute, because it's a) no longer statutory, and b) kind of reminded me of Dorothy/Scarecrow subtext from Wizard of Oz. But, I mean, the longer you think about it the more horrible it becomes. Like, has he always had a thing for her, because, you know, she was eight or nine last time she was there. It gives a whole new meaning to "Alice, why is it every time I see you you're either too large or too small?" But, I guess, all in all I did enjoy it, I just found it a bit odd that the closest thing the movie has to a romantic subplot is flirtation between Alice and Hatter, and poor Hatter gets his heart broken in the end. :( I felt bad for him!
The ending, though, was just a bit too "Click your heels three times and say there's no place like home" for me. Its only saving grace was that the wonderland actors weren't doubling for party guests, because that would be too much for me to buy. "And you were there, and you were there, and you, and you!"
Final conclusion, I did like this movie and have a good time, but I don't think it lives up to its hype. It has a rushed tease, an overly long first act, and its second act and conclusion were rushed and a bit out of tone. There were a couple of moments that really bugged me - namely the use of a "What about my wife and kids?" joke twice within two minutes, which shouldn't have happened - it was funny the first time, but the second time it fell flat because it had JUST been used - And unfortunately, the second time is the time it's important, because it introduces a plot point! Ugh, just sloppy proofing, I think - like I said, this movie plays all of its cards (pun intended) way too fast.
Okay. Let's sum it up.
Three and a half out of five. An imaginative film with lofty ambitions and great production values, but hiccups in the story that drag the rest down.
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