Comments on: review: Alice in Wonderland (3D) (2010)

By: Nicola-t

Nicola-t — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:00:18 +0000

Ah well Darren, I liked him!

I do agree Sean, it was just a bit blah. Like I said in the review, it just wasn’t magical.

Though I wouldn’t tar all Disney films with that brush – there are some great Disney films out there… they just aren’t recent. Mind you, I missed Princess & the Frog and by all accounts that was a harkening back to the old days – did anyone see it at all? Have I been misled about it?

By: Darren

Darren — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:53:43 +0000

I’m in the “too much Mad Hatter” camp too. Particularly with the whole reimagining him as a revolutionary schtick. I liked it better when he hosted tea parties.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:09:38 +0000

It all felt very conventional to me, with a definite dose of the Narnias/Golden Compass toward the end.
Burton has made a Disney kids movie. No shame in it, but no real enjoyment in it either.
Criminal waste of Anne Hathaway to boot.

By: Nicola-t

Nicola-t — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:14:50 +0000

Hmm… I would agree that there’s a scene or two where the Mad Hatter probably wasn’t needed but I think that only really comes across because the rest of the cast is used to sparingly. I do like Johnny Depp in that kind of role though and I really do think he could have done more for the story. As it was, i thought he was relegated to flouncing around…

You’re right about Matt Lucas, he was great and he should have been in it more as well, they all should have.

Actually now that you come to say it, were there two Dormouses or just the one?

Edward Scissorhands and Beetle Juice probably did entertain older kids I’m sure but they weren’t kids films in the way Alice is, Beetle Juice was a 15 cert after all… I do feel like Tim Burton decided to make a kiddie kids film and it’s a bit of a f u to his fans… maybe he’s just decided to go another way with his career, oh well.

By: Munir

Munir — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:09:44 +0000

Lack of Mad Hatter? Really? I thought there was too much. Too much Johnny Depp anyway. Like they were desperate to have another Jack Sparrow or Willy Wonka. That felt wrong.

Red Queen felt like a vanity project to put his girlfriend in it. The Knave was well played and interesting.

Matt Lucas from Little Britain as the Tweedles was an excellent casting choice.

Otherwise, yes, fully agree that none of the other characters had enough development.
Was there one Dormouse or two? There was one that swashbuckled and one at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Were they the same?
The Caterpillar seems to exist only to have Alan Rickman’s voice do a bit of voice acting.
Dodo we see once in the beginning, once at the croquet game as a caddy, then never again.

The 3D was never going to be good. It was filmed with standard 2D equipment, then Disney shoehorned the 3D into it in post-production to justify higher ticket prices after seeing what it did for Avatar’s opening weekend earnings. It worked.

I wasn’t expecting a necessarily dark movie, just a better one. Burton has done films that successfully catered to entertaining both adults and children: Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands.

You’re still right. The kids will love it.

Personally, I’d give this movie a 3/10.

By: Niall

Niall — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:42:03 +0000

I fully agree with everything that you said. I really wish someone would find out what happened to Tim Burton.