ALICE IN WONDERLAND
RYAN: It feels like a jolly holiday for we just saw Tim Burton’s new 3D Alice in Wonderland.
CAROLINE: A jolly holiday for you maybe. I’m not a huge fan of children’s movies, as you know. While I liked this, I didn’t as much as you.
RYAN: Well it’s not a children’s movie along the lines of Alvin and the Chipmunks, for heaven’s sake. It’s got that Tim Burton dark edge. Alice is 19-years-old and there are themes of romance, subtext, etc..
CAROLINE: Honey it’s Disney and it’s rated PG. Breathe.
RYAN: [laughs’ Okay. This is the thing. This movie is truly the best marriage between the gloomy spirit of Tim Burton and the sweet innocence of Disney.
CAROLINE: You know you’re watching a Tim Burton movie, when right away the operatic singing voices come in. I liked it. It’s fantastical and cool. Early on the 3D was really good. And I liked the overall magic of it. I did lose a little interest after the first hour though.
RYAN: My expectations were incredibly high going in. I was so excited to see this that I actually felt nervous as the lights dimmed and the movie began. But it surpassed my expectations. It went from being what I hoped would be one of my favorite movies of the year to one of my favorite movies ever.
CAROLINE: I cannot say such things. I was actually underwhelmed by the girl who played Alice – Mia Wasikowska. She’s on the cover of Vanity Fair’s Young Hollywood issue and I expected more from her; she had no range of emotion.
RYAN: I didn’t see that. I thought she was good. She reminded me of an older version of the girl from The Golden Compass. I must say though, part of why I loved this so much is because it made me think of The Wizard of Oz a lot.
CAROLINE: How so?
RYAN: Well it’s book-ended by “reality” with character foreshadowing. And Alice opens a door to a more colorful place like Dorothy did. The Mad Hatter’s role is much more central, kinda like the Scarecrow in Oz.
CAROLINE: It’s fun to figure out who’s doing the voices. There are lots of British actors as the characters in Wonderland. And then of course there’s Johnny Depp, who is by no means the star of the film. His make-up was out of control. And he was fine but there are definitely better things to like about this movie.
RYAN: Oh I loved Johnny’s make-up and I liked him much more in this than in, let’s say, Willy Wonka, where he actually outright irritated me. His Hatter does have shades of Edward Scissorhands and Sweeney Todd but also some very original aspects. But aside from him, I really love the story in this film. It’s both a sequel to and a re-imagining of the original all at once. How many movies can accomplish that brilliantly?
CAROLINE: Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway are the two queens; the good and evil, which is also sort of Wizard of Oz reminiscent.
RYAN: Right.
CAROLINE: I know you love Anne Hathaway. She was fine in this. Her features were very apparent due to the make-up.
RYAN: I actually liked Helena’s performance better in this movie. She has a bigger role and was much quirkier. Anne didn’t have as much to do which is sad cause I do love her s’much. I absolutely adored the White Rabbit, March Hare, the Caterpillar… oh! And the Cheshire Cat! Phenom!
— BOTTOM LINE —
CAROLINE: It’s a very imaginative movie; great for kids. It’s a little scary – the Jabberwocky. And I know I’m a curmudgeon when it comes to children’s movies, so even though I didn’t love it, I think it’s very cool and I like Tim Burton. Therefore, I recommend it.
RYAN: If you’re at all young at heart like me, or if you love good fantasy/sci fi, c’mon… this movie is fantastic. It’s amazing how it draws upon the original Disney animated classic, updates it, gives it a plot with higher stakes. I almost felt like I was leaning into the screen during this movie. I felt more awake or something.
CAROLINE: Now you’re just getting corny.
RYAN: Okay. I effing loved this movie. I’m gonna see it again today in IMAX 3D. Who’s comin’ with me?
— RATING —
