Alice in Wonderland: A mini review
In: Entertainment | Qatar | Reviews
10 Mar 2010
Movie: Alice in Wonderland
Personal Rating: 7.5 out of 10 (because it’s just fun to watch it in 3D)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, Matt Lucas, Helena Bonham Carter
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis:
The year is 1855. Since she was nine years old, Alice Kingsley has had the most peculiar dreams in which rabbits talk and cats disappear into thin air. Grown up and out of place in a world of formality, the 19-year-old Alice sees a waist-coated white rabbit who pulls her down to a subterranean otherworld. The Wonderland of her childhood is in reality Underland, a place filled with all she had dreamed of and much more.
Mini Review (NO SPOILERS):
We just came back from the Villagio Imax Cinema to watch Tim Burton’s re-imagining of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”. Don’t expect it to be the book to movie adaptation as we are talking about the dark humored Tim Burton. And if you read the synopsis above, this movie is about Alice going down the rabbit hole for the 2nd time; much older than her first time in “Underland”. The beginning is a bit boring as there was this need for Burton to elaborate more on Alice and her world above Wonderland. I think that this was rather useless and didn’t add much to her character.
The real start of the movie for me was when Alice fell into the hole. The effects were great and convincing. It isn’t your Avatar type of effect nor as mesmerizing. It actually is the opposite as it was gloomy and dark. In terms of the 3D characters, the movement of the animals were believable. The only thing which was off for me was the movement of the Knave of Hearts. Though obvious that his body was made longer than normal, his movements were a bit jerky.
Helena Bonham Carter and Johhny Depp were again at their A class acting. Everyone was laughing the first time the Red Queen is introduced. Alice (Mia Wasikowska) wasn’t overbearing and grows into her character. The “Fatboys”, Twiddle Dee and Dum were scene stealers as they were quite scary yet funny.
Children (4-8yrs) might get bored and lost in the story but seeing the characters pop in and out might sustain their interest. Plot-wise, it’s not the most engaging. Again, comparing Avatar 3D and Alice, Avatar immerses you in its world while in Alice, you become a mere observer. Still, as a whole, it is one not to miss for its entertainment value. I’m giving it a 7.5 out of 10 just because it’s fun to watch it in 3D and I would have expected more from Tim Burton in terms of the plot and the story-telling.
By the way, I still believe the IMAX in Villagio sucks and I’m planning not to watch in IMAX anymore. The screen is so small with probably just 1/4 bigger than your usual screen. For 55 Rials a seat, it is a rip-off! And the audio…I can get better dynamics in my bedroom than what they have installed in that cinema.
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