Saturday, 6 March 2010

FILM: Alice In Wonderland 3D (dir: Tim Burton, 2010)




"Do I amuse you?"
"No."

This is unexpected - Tim Burton's take on Alice In Wonderland is mostly unremarkable, even in 3D. Burton's unique vision and method often seems more in conflict with existing source material than when he creates his own worlds and characters, and Alice here is no exception. As you would expect, the design is often striking (the demonic red-playing-card soldiers are a nice touch), but there is nothing here to really surprise or delight. The heavily-CG landscapes seem at odds with Alice's frequent assertions that 'this is real', and the influence of The Lord Of The Rings bears strongly, especially in Alice's final confrontation with the Jabberwocky. Even the dialogue, which starts off with some wit in the opening real-world framing piece, becomes workmanlike as this sparkle is quickly lost once Alice falls down the rabbit hole. Helena Bonham Carter steals the show as the "bloody big-head" Red Queen, but Mia Wasikovska is a dull Alice and Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter feels surprisingly forced and weak. This latest version of Alice In Wonderland is no more than pleasant and, to a large extent, unengaging. This is an extremely soft Tim Burton film by his own standards, targeting a very young audience and - disappointingly -playing very safe.

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