Alice in Wonderland

4 Stars

Alice is remade as a modern enticing film for all ages.

Rating: PG
Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Michael Sheen

What’s the story?
Alice (Wasikowska) is nearly 20 years old and unsure of her role in life. After fleeing an unwanted marriage proposal, Alice falls down a familiar rabbit hole into Underland. Despite having visited this curious world nearly 10 years ago, Alice mistakes her new adventure to be another dream. Meanwhile, believing Alice to be “The Alice,” the Mad Hatter (Depp) tells her the story of the Red Queen’s (Bonham Carter) bloody reign and how Alice is the only one who can slay the Jabberwock, restoring the White Queen (Hathaway) to power. Before long, Alice finds herself embarking on her second adventure of a lifetime.

Why see it?
Tim Burton creates a movie sequel to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass with a storyline that flows flawlessly. Burton manages to bring in themes pertaining to gender stereotypes and society’s standards of beauty in this modern take on a classic, while still managing to maintain a whimsical Disney-like quality to the movie. And of course, we all want to see Johnny Depp perform a “futterwacken” (you’ll just have to see the movie yourself to find out what I mean.)

Problems?
Anyone looking for more of a classic retelling of the story will be disappointed, and should look towards other versions, such as Disney’s 1951 animation, for a more fulfilling experience. The 3-D effects in this movie are poor compared to other movies, considering the blurriness of some scenes. Many theatres only offer the film in 3-D, which may cause headaches or nausea for some people.

All in all:
No heads need to be cut off over this movie.