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"She's not the same Alice"
That one line signifies all that is right and wrong with this new take on the Lewis Carroll classic. While we've had a number of remakes and continuations of old stories and series as of late, "Alice" is one that I've been anticipating for quite a while. The whimsy of Lewis Carroll with the quirky genius of Tim Burton? A match made in heaven.
And yet, sadly, "Alice" is a bit short of whimsy... and after the introduction of the characters and all involved... a bit short of quirk.
It all starts with the premise. The movie follows the story of an Alice who's come of age. At nineteen, still mourning the loss of her father, and faced with an impromptu marriage proposal that everyone expects her to accept, Alice is being forced to confront her looming adulthood head-on.
Intervention comes in the form of a familiar white rabbit scuttling through the bushes. You know the rest...
As the movie goes on, however, the whimsy and oddity that both Carroll and Burton are known for give way to a more serious theme. Even here, in Underland (young Alice could never get the name right), Alice is forced to confront responsibility and destiny.
Underland is a mash-up of Carroll's Wonderland and Looking-Glass worlds. The characters are more serious, though, and at times... too heavy. The Dormouse goes from being a frumpy little sleepyhead to being "it-girl"... the Mad Hatter becomes a tragic hero... and the Red Queen's neurosis and imagined execution orders become frighteningly real.
While some of the madcap logical twists of the books go missing, that's not to sa that Alice's narrative and plot are weak. It does have its problems. With the Compendium of days (revealed in Alice's first minutes in Underland), the movie reveals its ending at its very beginning. Which makes the ending as inexorable and unsurprising as a Lord of the Rings battle scene.
Still, it's fantastic to look at. Underland is lushly realized and character design is exceptional. Depp and company do a great job of becoming the characters. I especially love Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The one complaint I have is that you don't spend enough time with any one character or in any location to become intimate with them.
In the end, the biggest issue with Alice is that it feels more Gaiman/Tolkien than Burton/Carroll. It doesn't actually need the Alice backstory to work, which makes it feel like the trappings are merely tacked on instead of embedded in the movie.
Which is a real shame, because it's a reasonably good movie. But it's definitely neither a raven nor a writing desk. Carroll fans take a pass, you're not missing anything.
That one line signifies all that is right and wrong with this new take on the Lewis Carroll classic. While we've had a number of remakes and continuations of old stories and series as of late, "Alice" is one that I've been anticipating for quite a while. The whimsy of Lewis Carroll with the quirky genius of Tim Burton? A match made in heaven.
And yet, sadly, "Alice" is a bit short of whimsy... and after the introduction of the characters and all involved... a bit short of quirk.
It all starts with the premise. The movie follows the story of an Alice who's come of age. At nineteen, still mourning the loss of her father, and faced with an impromptu marriage proposal that everyone expects her to accept, Alice is being forced to confront her looming adulthood head-on.
Intervention comes in the form of a familiar white rabbit scuttling through the bushes. You know the rest...
As the movie goes on, however, the whimsy and oddity that both Carroll and Burton are known for give way to a more serious theme. Even here, in Underland (young Alice could never get the name right), Alice is forced to confront responsibility and destiny.
Underland is a mash-up of Carroll's Wonderland and Looking-Glass worlds. The characters are more serious, though, and at times... too heavy. The Dormouse goes from being a frumpy little sleepyhead to being "it-girl"... the Mad Hatter becomes a tragic hero... and the Red Queen's neurosis and imagined execution orders become frighteningly real.
While some of the madcap logical twists of the books go missing, that's not to sa that Alice's narrative and plot are weak. It does have its problems. With the Compendium of days (revealed in Alice's first minutes in Underland), the movie reveals its ending at its very beginning. Which makes the ending as inexorable and unsurprising as a Lord of the Rings battle scene.
Still, it's fantastic to look at. Underland is lushly realized and character design is exceptional. Depp and company do a great job of becoming the characters. I especially love Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The one complaint I have is that you don't spend enough time with any one character or in any location to become intimate with them.
In the end, the biggest issue with Alice is that it feels more Gaiman/Tolkien than Burton/Carroll. It doesn't actually need the Alice backstory to work, which makes it feel like the trappings are merely tacked on instead of embedded in the movie.
Which is a real shame, because it's a reasonably good movie. But it's definitely neither a raven nor a writing desk. Carroll fans take a pass, you're not missing anything.
