Title: Alice in Wonderland
Cast: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: U
Critic's Rating: * * * ½
Walt Disney’s epic fantasy adventure based on Lewis Carroll’s classic tales Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, with an imaginatively adapted screenplay by Linda Wolverton and directed by Tim Burton, in Imax 3D, is truly a feast for the eyes.
Here, the trip Alice (Mia Wasikowska) makes to Underland is her second one. She is 19 and being pressurised into getting engaged to her family’s chosen beau before her wild imagination gets the better of her and trips her into a rabbit hole, leading to an adventure bigger and far more complicated than even Carroll imagined.
Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the evil bulbous Red Queen are a natural fit for a story that is as eccentric as it is entertaining. Burton’s narrative is cleverly designed and teems with enchanting creatures, witty dialogues, terrific actors and a smartly orchestrated fantasy adventure that brings forth a feast of extraordinary, giant-sized 3D imagery and exquisite CGI that is at once beguiling and as close to intimate as technologically possible.
The tone is dark and grim, but the characters make the sparkle overflow. The design, effects, makeup, and technical skill are the best we have seen yet. Alice, the hunting dog Maynard, Twiddledee and Twiddledum, the Mad Hatter and, unquestionably, Bonhm Carter’s Red Queen are absolutely stand-out characters in the film.
Anne Hathaway as the White Princess, the Red Queen’s sister, appears inadequate and quite a misfit for the part. The tea party scene is quite bedazzling and the climax, though generic, is rousing enough to be a fitting finale for such an unparalleled experience!
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