The film stars Burton-regular Johnny Depp, Disney-regular Anne Hathaway, a delightfully neurotic and entertaining Helena Bonham-Carter. Also, Crispin Glover (perhaps best known for his Letterman antics), Alan Rickman, and the refreshing poised and perky Mia Wasilkowska round out the cast.
The Story of Alice in Wonderland, Retold for 2010
The 3-D version of this film is very cool, to be sure, and the cast is unbelievably adept at bringing to life the creepy visions inside of Burton's head. But in its "sci-fi-ness," the film is not so much an adaptation as much as it is a weirdly creepy sequel to the original film. Somehow the underlying and timeless story remains distantly familiar but is often lost in Burton's usual onslaught of the bizarre.
On film opening, we find Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska), a 19-year-old Victorian-era debutante, caught up in all of the pomp and circumstance of a prearranged match-making garden party. She clearly feels out of place at the stuffy event, and, to make matters worse, she has a marriage proposal from a stuck up, dorky suitor to consider. On the spot for an answer, Alice takes off from the party on a solitary ramble through the English gardens, where she glimpses a pocket watch-clutching rabbit (voiced by Michael Sheen). She follows the hare to a nearby tree and quickly stumbles down its hole.
During the long fall (stocked with plenty of graphic eye-candy), the viewer experiences his first deja-vu moment, linking both original and new movies. The scene where Alice grows and shrinks after munching down on some strange edible is also familiar. But the convergence of stories generally ends here.
In the 2010 version, after talking with some flowers and nearly being eaten by the Red Queen's angry watchdog, Alice happens upon a thoroughly mad and undeniably orange Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). She then soon butts heads with the tyrannical and large-domed queen herself, Iracebeth (Helena Bonham Carter).
Later on, Alice meets the White Queen and is convinced to champion her cause. Thus drives the viewer to the crux of the story, where Alice must face both her internal and external fears.
Alice in Wonderland 2010 Themes and Meaning
It is hard to say whether the film was done in CGI or not, but it is nonetheless a visual treat, from Tweedledee and Tweedledum to the Cheshire Cat and the nightmarishly smoky Jabberwocky (Christopher Lee). Further, the set seems to seamlessly execute Burton's quirky and dark vision for the retelling.
Also, an older Alice gives the film a thematic air of female empowerment, especially once Alice finds her inner-mojo and kicks butt. Indeed, watching Alice and the Hatter happily bumble though Wonderland is entertaining, to be sure, but, overall, the film did not have enough pop to be considered a classic reinterpretation.
At times, it seemed somehow apprehensive and careful in its retelling of the original film, and it lacked the pop and wonder of Burton's other groundbreaking and majestic films - Beetlejuice, Big Fish, and the Nightmare Before Christmas. As a result, this retelling felt sort of restrained and oddly flat.
Alice In Wonderland 2010 Box Office Facts and Stats
Nevertheless, the Disney fantasy has essentially carried the 2010 box office on its back with the film, grossing, according to one site, $200 million in North America alone after less than two weeks into its release (the first 2010 to do so).
And thanks to Alice's commercial might, revenues ran about 9% ahead of the same period in 2009 – which, in and of itself, was a record year. Internationally, Alice has chugged on to more than $420m worldwide
Despite all of its Box Office power, this reviewer could not seem to rationalize the $12 admission fee shelled out to see the 3-D version in theaters. It would be better to rent Alice's once it comes to the local Redbox Rental.
***
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Jeremy Perkins - The author has a B.A in Journalism and Writing, an M.A. in Information Technology, and enjoys watercolor painting, sports, coding, hiking, ...
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