One of our favorite family activities is a night at the movies. And of course, as our daughter says, a movie isn't a movie without a bag of popcorn! Last night we took the kids to see the Disney Movie Alice in Wonderland. I have really been looking forward to seeing this movie, and I really did want to like it, but I left the theatre feeling sadly unfulfilled. As you can well imagine, this was a far cry from the Disney Alice in Wonderland cartoon my son and daughter watched as children, but then can you expect anything less than “DARK” from the movie director Tim Burton? The scenery was visually stunning, but amidst all of the intricate costumes, fairy tale makeup, and magical CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery), the story seemed lost in translation. I couldn’t understand three-fourths of the nonsensical mumbo-jumbo the characters said (especially Johnny Depp). And, the movie didn’t take advantage of being in 3-D as it could have--as much as the movie Avatar, (but hey, it is hard for any 3-D movie to be compared to Avatar!)On a positive note, I did find the CGI enlarged Mad Hatter’s eyes hypnotizing as well as the enlarged Red Queen’s head amusing. Johnny Depp’s visual appearance as the Mad Hatter stole the show, with Tim Burton’s wife (Helena Bonham Carter) playing the Red Queen running a close second.
I found myself not really caring what happened to Alice in this movie. I wasn’t drawn in by her character (played by Mia Wasikowska)—and echo the words said by a few different characters in the movie, “She isn’t the real Alice!”
Although the movie was a visual journey and fairly entertaining, I admit, the unclear development of the story and its limp conclusion left me unsatisfied. As the movie came to an end, I also wanted to yell the Red Queens infamous words (she said every time she didn’t like something), “Off with their heads!”
Video of the Mad Tea Party from Disney's movei Alice in Wonderland:
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Great Review, Elaine!
ReplyDeleteI think the blog idea is a great idea! Enjoy!
Blessings on your day!
T.
Jolly good, Elaine! I look forward to more wonderful posts! And if you have any thoughts on blogging, I'd love to hear them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Theresa and Patty for your kind remarks. I hope I don't disappoint you! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe finally went to see the movie (two months later) before it left the dollar theaters. I was a big fan of Alice in Wonderland when I was a kid, and this one was very different from that film. However, I am also a Tim Burton fan, and I tend to like Tim Burton "dark." I would suspect that is why I had a better experience with the show. This one bumped Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride to become my favorite Burton film.
ReplyDeleteLiz asked me today, and I have been trying to figure out why I like dark films like this. Liz thinks it's a bit of a paradox for me. However, I have been like that since I was a kid. Hmmm. Still trying to figure it out.
Either way, I still like to hear your perspective. I always prefer open. It gives me another perspective to consider. Thanks for posting
Thanks John for your input.
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