Movie Review: Alice In Wonderland

Directed by Tim Burton

Screenplay by Linda Wolverton

Duration 1hour, 50 minutes

My Wonderfully Majestic Opinion

When it comes to Tim Burton, I find myself constantly asking the same question, are Johnny Depp and Tim Burton in love?  With this 7^th film the dynamic duo has done together, I wonder if the two need to start seeing other people.  It doesn’t stop with Mr. Depp, as Burton’s wife, the wonderfully twisted Helena Bonham Carter, has been seen in no less than three of his films.  With that said, however, Alice in Wonderland is a surprisingly refreshing and adventurous film experience.

The story starts off as Alice attempts an escape from a party that “secretly” was a surprise engagement party helmed by the mother of a very bulbous, over the top, proper Englishman.  Chasing after a very familiar white rabbit, Alice stumbles into a very strange and very deep hole next to a twisted and demonic tree…the sign of a true Tim Burton film.  (Note: you know you are watching a Burton film if you see a twisted, leafless tree, or a Jack-O-Lantern.)  After landing head first into a small room, for those familiar with the story, we are shown a very familiar scene in which Alice grows and shrinks in a non stopping pattern, and transitioning into the normal introductions to the famous Wonderland inhabitants.  Having not read the book or seen the Disney film in such a long time, I had forgotten much of the context of the original story.  So I sat there for the first half hour of the film thinking I was watching Tim Burton’s interpretation of the famous Lewis Carroll novel, I soon discovered this was not the case.

As it turns out the film was not based on the original story at all.  Rather it was loosely based on Alice and her return to Wonderland as a 19 year old girl who had forgotten her previous adventure in Wonderland.  Alice has returned as this “chosen one” type of character who is destined to slay the Jabberwocky and over throw the Red Queen.  This unexpected twist for me was a very pleasing aspect which helped to dictate my attitude towards the film as a whole.  And as time flew by I discovered myself enjoying the film more than expected.

What I was impressed with the most was with the creative approach at the world of Wonderland.  Almost solely CG, the world and it’s inhabitants were exaggerations or had exaggerated features to help show a distinct difference from our world and theirs, keeping the separation of reality and fantasy quite clear.  I quite enjoyed seeing Depp with large, twisted eyeballs and Bonham Carter with an abnormally large head that was in no way proportional to her body.  Along with this, the animated aspect of the film very closely resembled the Disney approach, where many of the animal characters were quite quirky and obviously overdone, but still maintained a realistic undertone that helped keep a balanced look on screen.  It brought me back to the days of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, where cartoons and the real world mesh together as an acceptable and perfectly normal aspect of life.

The film of course was not without its flaws.  Being a Disney film, one will never escape the cheesy lines that has become a branded trademark of big, movie making corporations,

“This is Impossible” - Alice

“Only if you believe it to be.” - Hatter

And of course the horrendously predictable plot devices, such as the dog reuniting with his family, Alice earning the trust of the gigantic beast, the slaying of the Jabberwocky, made me want to take a huge and satisfying dump on the screen.  But to be honest, there was nothing terribly distracting about the film that resembled the experience I had seeing Avatar.

My Awe-Struck Conclusion

Tim Burton delivered a film of creative and good taste.  Yes it was very Tim Burtony, but it was a step forward rather than a step into a large, gaping mud hole festering with bacteria and dead animals.  No, Burton delivered a quality film that was enjoyable and fun to see. 

In The Moment Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Comic Book Movie News: Flash Gordon, Spider-Man 4 and Mortal Engines

Flash Gordon.  According to comicbookmovie.com, a remake of Flash Gordon is currently underway with two actors in mind to play the Earth football legend, Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation, Avatar) and Ryan Reynolds (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Green Lantern).  This is a tough call to make on my end of things, seeing as how the Flash Gordon everyone knows and loves is from the movie and classic cartoon serial.  Flash Gordon, in the 80's film, was a dumb, cheesy, over the top, All-American hero who had the vocabulary of a 6th grade middle school student.  So to have two actors that have shown top notch acting abilities in the running for Flash Gordon, I tilt my head wondering whose the best pick.

I lean more towards Sam Worthington since he has most of his movie commitments out of the way.  He's finished filming Clash of the Titans and only has a possible remake of Mad Max on his plate.  Ryan Reynolds is currently in the process of much anticipated Green Lantern Film, as well as having a contract with Marvel Entertainment To shoot a Deadpool film, which only means Marvel will be keeping Reynolds busy.  Sam Worthington seems to be the best viable option.

According to Hollywoodscoop.com, "Right now it's between Sam, Ryan Reynolds and one or two others for the lead role should the project actually get off the ground.  If Worthington gets the role, it would be quite a big deal as Flash is an all-American hero."

Spider-Man 4: Dunst Written Out Of 4^th Spidey Installment

It seems rumors are spreading that Kirsten Dunst will be written out of the 4th Spidey film, and Anne Hathaway will be taking over as the newest love interest in the web-crawlers life. The rumors of Dunst being taken out of the picture I tend to throw out as rumor.  I've read from other online sources that she has made a statement of her involvement with Spider-Man 4, it's simple this..."I'm In."

Now, if this rumor is true, and Ms. Dunst is actually OUT for film number 4, I will be very heartbroken.  I've always been a huge fan of Kirsten Dunst and her acting abilities, and having her play Mary Jane Watson was a dream come true for me.  Of course it did hurt me to know she is now apart of the Marvel Universe and has some connection to the evil that is Marvel Comics, but not everyone is perfect right?  So for all you haters who believe Kirsten Dunst isn't worthy of the role of MJ, you all can jump off the edge of the world and make more room for us fans of Kirsten Dunst.

With Black Cat only rumored as a possibility of being the next villain for Spider-Man, I tend to not believe the rumors of Anne Hathaway coming in as a replacement for Dunst.  I'm not even sure I like the idea of having Hathoway in a Spider-Man film to begin with!

Mortal Engines Adaptation Project

Peter Jackson is working on another "book to film" project.  This time, the story is not set in a fantasy world filled with wizards and hobbits and ruled by kings and queens, but set in a post apocalyptic society where cities have become huge, mobile machines that must consume each other in order to survive.  Written by Phillip Reeve, the books have won many awards including the Nestle Smarties book prize.  The series consists of four books and fits Peter Jackson's style of film making.

No word on when filming will begin, but according to theonering.net Peter Jackson HAS signed for the project and has certain actors and actresses in mind for the movie.  One thing I wonder about is, if the series consists of four novels, will Jackson make four separate films or are their other methods he will be approaching?

And just as a teaser.......Yes, this is real...not fan made. I'll probably go and see this.  However, this poster does remind me of a popular Kevin Costner poster....