First things first: Chances are I'll end up accidentally spoiling something so if you don't mind hearing about a movie before you see it, go ahead and read on. If it bothers you to know any details, stop reading and come back tomorrow for a new post.
Also. I am a Burton fan. I like his style. I am also a fan of several of the actors and actresses in the movie, before the movie came out. So I may be a bit biased although I pride myself on being fairly judgmental of people I like already. I was also expecting to like the movie, based on the previews and commercials. There. My biases are out in the open.
I absolutely adored the movie. I've always loved Wonderland, as it is in the books and it's twisted and strange and delightful. I liked Burton's take on it, and it took me a while to figure out what the inhabitants of the place were calling it. Basically though, Alice is 19 and returning to Wonderland, or rather, Underland. She calls it Wonderland, mostly because she's been dreaming of the place since she was 8 but never thought of it as a real place. She's forgotten all about it though and only remembers the barest of details. It was much more idyllic when she was there when she was a child. It's almost like a metaphor for growing up. You know how when you are young, everything seems so perfect and the world is magical and then you get older and you see the darker side of life. Alice is seeing the darker side of Wonderland. And the world.
She's at her engagement party and freaking out because she doesn't really want to marry this guy and he's totally not her type. She's an idealist and a feminist and he ...has digestive problems. And believes that she should be silent and not speak. She sees the rabbit a few times and is like hmmm white rabbit. And then he proposes and she's all-need a moment. And runs off after the rabbit.
You fall in love with Alice right off the bat. The little girl playing her as an 8 year old has enormous eyes and she's cute as a button and Mia Wasikowska is lovely. She's got that-I'm not ready to grow up so how can you be making me wear corsets and get engaged to this guy. She's knowledgeable without being old. Imaginative and not afraid to speak her mind. You aren't going to pull the wool over her eyes, and she wants more then marrying this guy. No wonder she is running after rabbits and falling down rabbit holes.
Wonderland has that classic Tim Burton feel. It's strange, it's odd, it's a bit off. It's how I've always imagined Wonderland. I feel like so many people call it Wonderland and assume it's supposed to be a marvelous playground for children. But I never imagined it as that way. I mean it's got the Jabberwocky. That doesn't sound pleasant. And then the Walrus and the Carpenter tell her a story about tricking baby oysters in order to eat them. The Queen of Hearts plans on cutting off Alice's head. But then I've read both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and this Alice is based on both. Wonderland was never supposed to be a beautiful place for children to aspire to visit, at least I never saw it that way. Would I like to visit it, yes, I would but not because it's fabulous. Because the strangest things exist there. But I wouldn't think it a safe place. Burton is the perfect person to invent a wonderland that is not safe and perfect. It's odd, it's confusing and it's dangerous.
Alice is here for a reason though. Even if she isn't happy about it and doesn't want anything to do with it. But her former friends need her and want her to do something about the Red Queen (She's not the Queen of Hearts. The Red and White Queens are from Through the Looking Glass, which has a bit of a Chess theme while the first book has the cards.) who is busy cutting people's heads off. They have combined a few elements of the Queen of Hearts into the Red Queen.
The Red Queen is played by my favorite, Helena Bonham Carter. And she's fabulous. She has a knack for being able to give a humanity to "bad" characters. There is a reason she acts this way. I love how she manages to give this person vulnerability. It's marvelous. Plus she's hilarious. There are such great moments such as "My Jabber-baby-wocky?" and the perfect deadpan factness she says "Off with his head." There is a reason she cuts off heads, and while that was for certain written into the script, you can almost sympathize with her and then you are like NO, I can't feel sorry for this woman who uses animals as furniture and cuts off everyone's heads. It's that kind of villain that I like best. You hate them and yet, you can see where they might need a hug. I love pure bad villains too, but it's rare that one works perfectly. This movie is too complicated for a perfectly bad villain. There are too many shades of grey in Underland.
But Alice has been decreed as the person who will finally get rid of the Red Queen which is why everyone keeps bothering her and the Red Queen keeps trying to find her to get rid of her, and the Mad Hatter puts his life on the line for her. Johnny Depp is also fabulous. He has a knack for playing people who are a little off. I'm sure if's a lot of fun to play the crazy. He's often a scene stealer but I think Helena has him beat. After all-Mad is included in his character's name and sometimes it's difficult to figure out what he is saying. He speaks in a lot of riddles and mumbles frequently while she is always clear even if you can't believe what she's saying. I think the close ups on his eyes were overdone though. They are a little disconcerting. In a...why does Alice believe him way. I kept expecting him to actually be working for the Red Queen. That would have been a twist!
And then you've got the white queen. I normally love Anne Hathaway. There is something weird about her character. I think it may be her gliding. I know Hathaway described her as a gliding vegan pacifist who may have taken her vows to not hurt people without wanting to. She's supposed to be the "good" queen and obviously up against the red queen she is desirable. But I had a hard time figuring out why the inhabitants of Wonderland liked her so much. Other than she didn't cut off people's heads. She seems the type of person who if you let run your country it will go to pot because she's too busy talking to the trees to boost their spirits to pay attention to actual problems. I was expecting to see her goodness more. I saw the unwanted pacifism for sure, but the rest of it didn't always come off as I was expecting. Of course, I was also stalking information online for months before the opening so I could have built her up a certain way. She wasn't what I expected. She was good though. Not as interesting as her onscreen sister, but still good.
There is a great cast of characters playing supporting roles. Each of them are highly interesting and well created. Down to the members of the red queen's court. I imagine Burton is a bit of a vision perfectionist. He wants things to look a certain way and until they do, he won't settle for anything less. But it really plays out in great performances and cohesive looks to things. At no point in the movie was I like...why does it look like that, that's weird. It doesn't fit. I never thought that at all.
This movie is a lot darker than one might expect. It's not a dream either. They don't play it off as one. Which I liked. I think that's such a cliche ending-and then the main character woke up and discovered it was all a dream. Alice for a long time is insistent it is a dream and then eventually she is like, this isn't a dream. They do have her explaining that she fell into a hole and hit her head. But I think that's more for the rest of them then for herself. She knows this isn't a dream. One day she might return, if she can remember the way.
it does change her though. She doesn't marry the insufferable Hamlisch. And while I thought her telling a bunch of people what she thought of them was a little contrived, because since when do adults care about the opinions of children-even if that child is supposed to be an adult? (Although at the time period it's set at 21 was probably the adult age, not 19.) I did like the ending though, after Wonderland, after saying no. The possibility that there is more. I like endings that are not definite. Could there be a sequel to the movie? Yes. But I doubt it. It's open ended enough to allow one but I don't think Burton needs to add anything to the story. It's complete on it's own. And you can imagine your own thoughts to it.
I want more movies that inspire the imagination. I don't think many people sit and imagine all that often. Not in the general public. Imagining was the best way for me to kill a few hours when I was a child. It's still the best way to kill a few hours. Why else would I be an actress?
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