Alice in Wonderland (Blu-ray Disc, 2010)

Regardless of how compelled you feel to believe that this film could very well be the best film Tim Burton & Johnny Depp have created/collaborated together on, there are more unexplainable holes in the plot that makes watching very dark & confusing. The feeling passed over just the same within me when I tried watching the remake Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. Much to my dismay, when you are at least partially familiar with the characters of a major fairy tale or children's film, it's very hard to reshape your mental perceptions about how things should really be told. Although this Alice in Wonderland is a continuing sequel & not a retelling of the original novels by Lewis Carroll, it soon becomes apparent that poor Alice may have been spending the last 12 years sniffing airplane glue. Of course, we are introduced to an Alice that is now 19 years old & pretty close to the passing of her father. She seems quite preoccupied & spaced out which is pretty evident. Feeling trapped into getting engaged to a young Lord that she cares nothing about, the pressure of the situation causes her to make an excuse & chase the white hare back down a big hole. Following this white rabbit back into this hole allows her to fall back down into Wonderland, a place she only vaguely remembers from childhood. There, she meets past familiar faces as the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the Blue Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), & eventually the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), who has been terrorizing the land with her harsh rule and beheading of heads. Alice finds out that her destiny is to end the Red Queen's rule by slaying the queen's dragon, Jabberwocky, as written in prophecy. Along the way she meets up with all sorts of colorful characters.

Here's the scoop on why, what, & how this film got made. Take the 2 Lewises & toss their works together like salad. 1 wrote a small but great children's book that still delights, surprises, & enchants. The other wrote a large, artistic series of children's books that features Christian sermons at us in the guise of adventure fantasy. The 1st author, Lewis Carroll, wrote Alice in Wonderland. The 2nd, CS Lewis, wrote the Narnia saga. When the light bulb came on in screenplay writer Linda Woolverton's brain, the new Alice in Wonderland was formed. She thought, "What if we turn Wonderland into Narnia? What if an older Alice revisits her dream world, now called Underland, & discovers a giant battle in progress between good and evil? We could have a Red Queen's army fighting a White Queen's, a Mad Hatter as saintly mediator, and a lot of Armageddon spectacle sure to bring in the youngsters & spawn a new game."

Thus Burton's new Hell is born. You will not believe the dreadfulness of Burton's new world Underland. The film takes your noble view of enchantment & throws is straight to hell in a breadbasket. Once down the hole, Alice, played with brave yet doomed grace by Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, discovers that her old chums all walk a darkened and gloomy land bearing Tolkienish or Lewisitic names. The dormouse is Mallymkun, the Cheshire cat Chessur, the caterpillar Absolem. Soon the throng is joined by dragons who seem to have come from Avatar. The tea party has 10 seconds to flatter us with incipient charm; its chaotic table & moth-eaten March Hare suggest a Samuel Beckett revamp before it too is sacrificed to sword, sorcery and showdown. Depp's Hatter showed promise but failed to deliver.

From the devilish mind of Tim Burton comes a fascinating take on the story of Alice in Wonderland.

Mia Wasikowska is Alice, only this take on Wonderland takes place 12 years in the future from the first time Alice visited Wonderland. Unsure of where she wants her life to go, Alice runs away from a gathering where she is supposed to become engaged. She follows the Rabbit to the Rabbit hole and falls down into Wonderland. From there the similarities of the story pretty much end. All the characters are the same, only it is years in the future and things in Wonderland have changed a lot.

Tim Burton can take a simple fairy tale and turn it into a dark and twisted place that is so fascinating you cannot take your eyes off the screen.
Johnny Depp gives a great performance as "the Hatter". The character he plays is far different than his character in Pirates of the Caribbean and it was a pleasure to watch him in this role.

Other cast members include: Alan Rickman, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, and Helena Bonham-Carte

There will be those who think this movie is too different than all the other Alice stories, and there will be those who think this is to Dark and evil. I suggest you watch it yourself and make your own decision.

I highly recommend this movie for anyone who loves a great story that captures your attention and holds it throughout the entire movie.

I would also suggest that Parents watch this movie before allowing younger children to watch it and use your own judgement in allowing them to watch it.

Get this one and add it to your collection, you will be glad you did.

If you admire the imaginative works of director Tim Burton, do not miss adding this Blu ray disc to your collection. Stunning visuals and sound plus a top notch cast make for engrossing entertainment. Johnny Depp is perfection as the Mad Hatter (just a trace of Willy Wonka!). The other roles are deftly cast (you have to check the end credits to find Alan Rickman and Christopher Lee! A great interpretation of a timeless classic. Walt would have been proud!

Depending on your mood and the genre of movies that you like this is a fun fit to appreciate the mind of Tim Burton, the outstanding acting abilities of some very fine actors, Johnny Depp, and Helen Bonham Carter. It is as visually spectacular and as colorful as any movie that I can think of. If you are a HD lover regardless of liking this genre, I recommend this movie for everyone that can appreciate the production value of a cast like this and cinematic technology.

Okay, Johnny Depp gets my wife all hot and bothered, but guys (including me) are allowed to like (his work) as well. Classic Tim Burton/Johnny Depp material. Even then, it is unique. The animation is wonderful.

Highly recommend this one.