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March 16, 2010

Review: Alice in Wonderland movie

I got a chance to see the new 3D version of Alice in Wonderland yesterday, and I can understand why the critics were lukewarm about the movie, which is a sort of sequel to the Lewis Carroll tales. The grownup Alice takes a bit of getting used to, and the backstory -- whether she's going to marry a rich twit -- was so thin that it didn't provide any suspense at all. I wish her character was more developed; as it is, she doesn't really come alive until about half-way through the movie. Luckily, there are plenty of interesting, manic characters surrounding her, including Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. Add the animated Cheshire Cat, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and a talking bloodhound, and there's plenty to entertain you.

For another take on Alice, here's a look at a new version of the classic, illustrated by artist Camilla Rose Garcia. Alice and the other characters have a spindly, Goth-like feel, which may appeal to the same readers who like the reimagining of the Jane Austen novels.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 12:30 AM | | Comments (8)
        

Comments

Yes; Absolutely a Must see...

First; If you are the dad of a daughter, of any age, this is a Must See, Command Performance for you and her; Second; If you are the dad of a son, and would like to up the odds of becoming a father in law to a capable woman, and a reliable daughter in law; Again, A Must see...

The critics got it wrong; dead wrong. forget them. Clearly they're overfed buffoons...

If there is a concern; it is not as much with the movie as it is with the format... We (humans) are easily overwhelmed by a single sense; sight...and I'm afraid that the 3D version may numb the hearing and mind to an otherwise very compelling and well conceived story line and most importantly...important lessons.

Several people have told me that the movie is just okay, so I'm not going to rush out to see it. I know I won't see it in 3D - that leaves me woozy.

Kathy, if 3D movies assault your senses, this is a good one to stay away from. The battle scenes would definitely make you woozy.

mdg, I agree that Alice is a clever and courageous character when she takes charge. But she seemed to be sleep-walking through the early parts of the movie. She didn't even have the sense of wonder and humor that I remember from the books.

i totally disagree with critics on this movie. i personally thought it was amazing, everything that everybody says was wrong about it all made perfect sense. for instance the darkness of the movie was because they all lived in fear of the red queen so it was no more the perfect place she had visited as a little girl. secondly alice wasn't the same little girl we remember because she's older and her sense of wonder and everything impossible has most likely vanished like so many people in the real world. hence her saying she thought last time was a dream not a memory hence her thinking it was a dream again. i thought the movie and everything about it was amazing...just don't take your 5 year old to it because its not the same happy version.

This movie sucked BIG TIME! There were so many things wrong with this movie that we talked about how bad it sucked all the way home.

It's fascinating how people can disagree so...it seems to me that we humans are as different as our finger prints- probably why health care is in so much trouble (which it shouldn't b). americans are very anarchistic,
I found the movie "amazing" as the one poster says- found many imaginative things in it (the wild tea party, the feminist motive, the alice, the red queen- even the white, the semi realism of it- the michael jackson references-the mad hatter, the adorable animals-the whimsy, the zaniness, etc.-would imagine a 5 year old loving it.
The movie is a combo of the two books- and, if you read them and the wikipedia reference to them- they are, to a degree, recondite- not easy to make into a movie. I would say this is easily the best movie version so far- others are not as imaginative.

Yes, I agree that Johnny Depp's performance as the Mad Hatter was excellent in this movie.

Tim Burton is such a genius and I loved his adaptation of Alice in Wonderful nevertheless.

Could have been called Alice in Blunderland, Burton's latest is inferior to the childish Disney feature in nearly every way.

But the 3d effect & Johnny Depp superb performance is what makes this movie worth a watch ...

Definitely not one of Tim Burton's best !

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About the blogger
Dave Rosenthal came to The Baltimore Sun as a business reporter in 1987 and now is the Maryland Editor. He reads a wide range of books (but never as many as he'd like), usually alternating between non-fiction and fiction. Some all-time favorites: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole; Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery; and anything by Calvin Trillin or John McPhee. He belongs to a book club with a Jewish theme.
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