Or, as it should have been named, Alice In Underland. But that’s just my opinion.

I know that there has been some debate about whether or not it was a good idea for “them” to make this movie as a sequel that takes place years later, as opposed to sticking with the original story. Let me ask you this. What happens in the original version of the story? If you know the answer, then why the hell would you want to see it again? I think it was more interesting to add more characters and a less predictable ending than telling the same story for the 300th time.

I won’t bother with a synopsis. If you don’t know what happened in the original, then you are a movie/literary noob. So what the hell are you reading my blog for? Stop reading this immediately and start your film education. All you need is a video store rental card and a couple of hours a day. After a couple of years, you too could be a movie snob, looking down on those who think it’s a good idea to go see the same movie 4 times in theaters instead of diversifying and watching something that makes you have to use your brain. Ok, I’m done. Moving on…..

Tim Burton is my favorite film maker. I love him and all his movies. This one felt less like a Tim Burton movie and more like a Disney movie directed by Tim Burton. Which is exactly what it is and I knew and accepted that going in.

Sure his influences were in there. Very much so in the visuals department. I didn’t go see this in 3D. I went to the regular 2D version. My left eye does not allow me to see the 3D in movies and, quite frankly, his movies don’t need to be enhanced with it. They’re visually interesting enough. Had a different director been tasked with bringing this movie to life, the trees would’ve looked normal and there would’ve been a lot more pastels. Tim has a very distinct style. Gothic and dark are commonly used to describe his movies. But he also has a trademark: he uses spirals in everything. If you watch all of his movies as much as I have, and you’ve pulled a couple of marathons where you watch them back to back, you see them. I have his movie posters on my wall, and in all of them there are spirals. It’s his thing. So yes, visually, this was a Tim Burton movie.

I also think that if this movie had been done by someone else, the Mad Hatter would’ve been less mad and more idiotic. Why? Because if Tim Burton had not directed this movie, Johnny Depp would not have played him. I honestly believe that. Save for the scene at the end (which my Bestie Janice referred to as them jumping the shark) where the Hatter dances quite ridiculously, he played the role beautifully. He was crazy, but not in the slapstick, clumsy way. He was haunted by a traumatic experience and had reverted into himself in such a way that everything he said make no sense.

There is one part of the movie that I was surprised by. There’s a scene where Alice has to cross a body of water, and her bridge is comprised of decapitated heads. I’m impressed that Disney allowed this.

I liked it. I didn’t love it. I thought it was a little slow in parts and that the action should have moved along a little quicker. There wasn’t enough humor in it for me either. I only chuckled a couple of times. I get that it wasn’t supposed to be a comedy. However, I think that some of the characters, like the Tweedle twins and the March Hare, are supposed to be there for comic relief but that the writing fell short of providing them with that. I still enjoyed the movie a lot.

So my verdict is: This movie was interesting because Tim Burton directed it and Johnny Depp was in it. Am I biased? You’re damn right I am. I don’t care what either men do, I will love anything they take part in. I am a true, faithful fan. The row of movie posters on my walls from their collaborations is a testament to that.

I’d also like to add that the Red Queen’s castle is my dream house. Red everything with beautiful designs. My oh my.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 13th, 2010 at 6:44 pm and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.