Dvd
Alice in Wonderland
Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd) seems the perfect director to bring Lewis Carrol's trippy children's fantasy to life. A combination of live-action and computer animation is used to tell the story of a young girl named Alice (Australian newcomer Mia Wasikowska), who falls down a rabbit hole into a strange world full of strange characters.
Those characters include Johnny Depp (in his sixth collaboration with Burton) as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Little Britain's Matt Lucas as both Tweedledee and Tweedledum and Crispin Glover as Stayne – Knave of Hearts.
Starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Michael Sheen, Alan Rickman, Christopher Lee, Stephen Fry, Crispin Glover, Timothy Spall, Marton Csokas, Noah Taylor, Matt Lucas, Paul Whitehouse
Directed by Tim Burton ('Beetlejuice', 'Batman', 'Edward Scissorhands', 'Ed Wood', 'Mars Attacks', 'Sleepy Hollow', 'Big Fish', 'Sweeny Todd')
Written by Linda Woolverton (based on the novel by Lewis Carroll)
Festivals & Awards Winner of Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design at the 2011 Academy Awards.
Fantasy, Family, Adventure, Adaptation | 1hr 48mins | Rated (PG) | contains frightening fantasy scenes and violence | Origin: USA | Official Site »
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The Talk
8 votes / No comments
Flicks review
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3
Initial glimpses of this film had us worried about a CGI overload. Luckily, this proves irrelevant once immersed in Wonderland, which is so oddball and wacky that it bears little resemblance to photo-reality anyway. Although traces of recognisable Tim Burton style remain (the twisty foliage gives him away), he extends his visual vocabulary, drawing inspiration from sketches in the original publication.
Nothing is too scary for younger children (sans the disembodied heads floating in a castle moat), although the creepy look of strangely proportioned characters may unnerve some. This is, in fact, a more mature adventure – Alice is now about ten years older (it’s her second trip down the rabbit hole) and the theme touches on leaving childhood behind.
The film sags, however, when the plot's momentum falters. Mia Wasikowska’s Alice is an empathetic character, a perfect companion for this trip into lunacy, but her purpose in the story isn’t clear enough. Added to the mix are a forgetful performance from Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, and a gleefully tantrum-prone turn from Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen.
In the end, Burton’s Alice in Wonderland falls somewhere between an interesting, melancholic look at a faded wonderland and a more straightforward Disney blockbuster. The story, whilst awash with visual splendour, doesn’t have the guts to stray too far from formula, leaving the end product more style than substance (or, if the substance is there, it’s lost in a very beautiful wonderland).
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The people's reviews
19 reviews
Press Reviews
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Empire (UK)
3
Sadly Lewis lite and not without flaws but this is as Burtonesque as one could wish for, a real treat for fans of his twisted imagination and great British character actors.
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NZ Herald (Jacqueline Smith)
4
It's not just because of fancy 3D computer graphics that Tim Burton's Alice and Wonderland is the closest to what Lewis Carroll saw when he wrote the book. While no children's classic could be better suited to a storm of pop-out imagery - a puff of the Cheshire Cat's smoke in your face, dodge that hedgehog croquet ball - the effects enhance, rather than make, the film.
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The Hollywood Reporter
A fantastical romp that proves every bit as transporting as that movie about the blue people of Pandora, his "Alice" is more than just a gorgeous 3D sight to behold.
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Variety (USA)
For all its clever design, beguiling creatures and witty actors, the picture feels far more conventional than it should; it's a Disney film illustrated by Burton, rather than a Burton film that happens to be released by Disney.
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ViewAuckland.co.nz (Matt Turner)
3
The film is utterly gorgeous to look at and Burton ensures that every frame is packed with minute details that will presumably reward multiple viewings on DVD.
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