I'm just going to go ahead and spit it out. I was disappointed in Alice In Wonderland. I'm disappointed in myself for being disappointed. I really wanted to like it. I love Johnny Depp. I love Crispin Glover. (Like, REALLY LOVE.) I adore Helena Bonham Carter. I have totally been into just about everything Tim Burton has done. (The exceptions are Cabin Boy and Planet of The Apes.) But something about the film just didn't come together for me. It was hard to develop any empathy for the characters and because that connection wasn't made the story didn't have any weight. It was hard to understand Johnny Depp, too. Everyone in the small group I went with felt the same way. I liked the lead actress, who played Alice, and feel that she didn't get lost in the shuffle of Big Names. I thought the intro was a little short and wish there had been more linking between the Real World and Underland. Allusions were made to Tweedledee and Tweedledum, for example, by two girls at the party. I wish that they had done more of that. The characters introduced at the party were very single minded and I wish they'd integrated them into Underland instead of just leaving them to meander about while the script played out. I don't think that the movie fell flat because of any wrong doing on the actors' part, though. It felt like the flaws were in the script. And who knows, perhaps there was lots of script we didn't get to see. But the movie didn't feel like it ran long. It's 109 minutes. At any rate, it felt like there were holes in the story telling and avenues that weren't explored. I enjoyed Helena Bonham Carters' performance of The Red Queen, and loved how intense Crispin Glover was as The Knave. I don't think that Anne Hathaway (as The White Queen) or Johnny Depp (as the Mad Hatter) were really allowed to shine in their respective roles. The White Queen is a caricature of someone held together by what they assume people expect of their appearance and performance, but (once again) no empathy is developed for her side because we don't get to know her at all. She appears in the last quarter of the movie and the allusions made to her throughout the rest of the film don't explain why she is preferable to the queen on the throne- at least for the common residents of Underland. And Johnny Depps' character is very narrow and seems a bit confused about his role in the story. He plays his part with a lot of enthusiasm and thought, but I don't think that the accents used sporadically or the lack of cohesion in his attitude towards his surroundings played out well. Both were deliberate on the part of the actor and director, but didn't come across as such.
The visual effects and characters were stunning, though. Completely brilliant in execution and design. My favorite completely CG character was the Cheshire Cat. When seeing previews over the past year I was rather put off by the fact he was blue, but was won over within seconds of his appearance. Voiced by Stephen Fry, the part was played to perfection. The clothing and attention to character detail was impressive. I imagine that the film will have lots of impact on style and fashion in the coming year. The costume design was amazing. Every character at the party was decked out in a very detailed outfit that matched its' mood, right down to the shoes and other accessories. Gloves, hats, tiny buttons... The fashion seemed to be spot on historically with elements that made it modern.
So, that's my opinion on the film. I'm bummed about it, as I'd been looking forward to it for months. TMS suggested that my expectations might've been too high, but I think I went in with an open mind. I was excited to see his version of it, what he did with the story. I didn't have any rigid expectations in mind, except for a good story. My visual expectations were certainly exceeded, and perhaps that was Mr. Burtons' intent. I do hope that storytelling isn't sacrificed for the sake of visuals as a common practice in the near and far future. Piranha 3-D is evidence for the opposition, though. Eeeeekkk!