A few parts are similar to the original movie by Disney, but they are adapted with true Burton style. For example, remember the old white rabbit? Well he is here again, but this time, instead of repeatedly shouting “I’m late, I’m late!” , in this new version, the white rabbit taps his wrist to Alice as he walks past, trying to say that Alice is late. This interesting adaptation is one of many that can be spotted throughout the movie. Also, there is another good one further on in the movie with the Queen playing golf or croquet with animals as the club and ball, just like in the old movie.
Evan thought the old Disney movie is severely outdated ( Dating back to 1951 ) , it is still an extraordinary movie, that even today can keep people entertained! This means that the old Disney version was brilliant so it would have taken someone amazing to transform that movie into an even better movie today, and I think that Tim Burton and Linda Woolverton have pulled it off!
The next scene is a fast forward when Alice is a fully grown young woman. Mia Wasikowska plays Alice from here on in the movie, and I have to say she does a superb job of it. Her face is just what you would picture if you thought of Alice and she fits the role perfectly in my opinion.
The story has a fabulous twist on it at the beginning, to transform the normal world to Wonder/Underland. It has a sprinkle of Burtons imagination in it, with a rabbit hole, and the shrink/growth scene.
Johnny Depp is the well-loved unique “Mad” Hatter. His similarly unique and large afro-kind ginger hair and his wacky coloured pupils make the Mad Hatter an amazing character. He has an extraordinary accent, which lurches erratically, and he has a very peculiar way of doing everything. For example, instead of going around the table at the beginning, he walks straight over it to the minute Alice. He then strangely hides her in a tea pot. Only the Mad Hatter would think of something that mad! I must say I also admire the way that Johnny Depp brings a unique quality to each character he plays in all his movies. His introduction to the movie is after the shrink/grow scene. He is sat at the tea-table from the previous Alice in Wonderland by Disney, but it seems to have gone through a lot since then , as it now sits in a derelict area which is more of a wasteland than anywhere you would host a tea party. Just as before in the Disney movie, the table has way too many seats for the people sat at it.
After falling through the hole Alice meets the Tweedle brothers who are also a uniquely fantastic pair. They aren’t as creepy as they were in the Disney movie. They bring a light hearted comedy feel to the movie and they add a bit of fun to some scenes.
‘Wonderland’ as Alice calls it (Originally named form her previous trips to Wonderland in the first Disney hit) is actually called Underland. Within Underland is an evil red Queen who maliciously rules over it, and loves screaming “OFF WITH THEIR HEAD!”. The cold hearted red queen is played by the famous Helena Bonham Carter. Her undersized body and drastically oversized head both signify what her character is like. Her massive head reflects her big-headed personality. She has an abnormal love for Hearts which doesn’t make sense since she is evil, but they are all the colour of blood so you can imagine why she likes them.
There are some odd moments between the Red Queen and the Mad Hatter, especially when she turns him from a prisoner to her personal hat maker. There aren’t many funny moments in this movie, but this is definitely compensated for with Burtons unique and extraordinary imagination. Proof of this is in the movie, as I believe Burton has portrayed himself as one of the characters. Guess who it is then…. Alice? Nope. The Red Queen? Nope…… It can be none other than the Mad Hatter himself. The reason I think this is because they are both special and original. I’m certain you will agree too.
You know what they say, sometimes Brothers and Sisters can be very different people and this is exactly how is pans out in this epic movie. The red queen’s sister, the white queen is just as you guessed, opposite to the evil queen. The red queen is sly as a Cheshire cat, whereas the white queen is as wise as the smoking caterpillar. The White Queen slightly symbolises Good and Purity with her lady like attitude and crystal clean white clothing. Also, her kingdom and palace give you a much more positive feeling than the evil Red Queen’s palace. The red queen has a very bright, vibrant palace and garden, whereas the white queen has a white palace and no real colours. This is odd, as you expect the white queens palace to have more lively colours, yet it doesn’t.
Toward the end of the movie, I must say that the fight scene between the Jabberwocky and Alice is pretty amazing and I am very confident you will fell the same. The contribution of the new 3D technology clearly presented in movies such as avatar has stepped up fight scenes a notch, and the ‘Jabberwocky’ scene is no exception.
Overall, I think that this movie is an absolutely amazing release from Tim Burton, and I think that Linda Woolverton’s unrivalled plot is a perfect match to go with Tim Burton’s wacky imagination and director skills. All in all, this is an unmissable and momentus movie, for both the younger generation, and those that still remember watching the old Alice in Wonderland when they were young. So, I strongly recommend that you head on down to the cinema NOW!!!
Review by Sohail Ali,