Alice in Wonderland Review

Despite carrying the same name, this movie is in fact a sequel to the old Disney animated film. Alice in Wonderland was released by Disney and directed by Tim Burton. The film takes place when Alice is an adult and she returns to Wonderland to see what has happened to it since she was gone.

The Good

Cheshire Cat: I’ll start with the best thing about this movie, Tim Burton’s version of the Cheshire Cat. The cat is always a cool character and that is no different here. He plays a semi-active role in the film and is his usual mischievous self. The voice for him was perfect and he was probably the best looking animated character in the entire movie.

The CG: Some parts of the movie looked really good. Wonderland looked very different and it fit the usual weird Tim Burton style. The pure CG characters looked good, from the White Rabbit to the Red Queen’s knights. However, the look of the Red Queen was really off-putting and just looked wrong; for her small CG body and over sized head were completely out of place.

The Bad

Johnny Depp: It seems weird for me to call Johnny Depp bad in anything, but unfortunately he was bad in this film. Whether it’s the script getting in his way or just him being poorly casted, Depp just didn’t work out for me as the Mad Hatter. There were a couple moments where it felt like he had potential, but his character never managed to develop.

The Script: I don’t want to call the movie predictable, that’s kind of expected, but it’s hard to avoid doing so. From start to finish there was nothing surprising about the script, which would have been fine if it was actually written well. The few times the poorly casted actors looked like they could shine, the script would step in and give them something stupid to say.

The Ending: The ending was terrible. I won’t spoil it, but it was really poorly executed, and although it makes sense with what Alice went through, it just feels rushed. It was an unsatisfactory resolution to all the problems.

Conclusion

I really wanted Alice in Wonderland to be a great film. I like Tim Burton and I like Johnny Depp. I even enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but Alice just fell apart due to the poor script, casting, and ending. There was nothing notable to sway my verdict. The film just didn’t cut it. I can honestly say I liked Avatar a lot more than Alice in Wonderland. I’m glad I saw the movie, but I have no interest in ever seeing it again.

Alice in Wonderland Review by Derangel