Alice in Wonderland

[Peter Moretti]

I have to admit I found the movie a little cliche. We've seen the classic hero/heroine returns to do-good theme before, so the basic premise seemed like a retread in that regard.

 

That being said I actually liked the characters. I thought the Queen of Hearts was the best character in the film; an arrogant self-centered witch (though it took a while to get used to the "big head" thing).

 

The big-battle at the end seemed pretty formulaic, but I guess the audience was expecting a big brawl at the end. As an exploration of Caroll's work, yeah, the film doesn't do a whole lot there. It's your standard fantasy actioner.

 

Did anybody else feel that Depp's part in this film was over sold? I mean, the Hatter's important, but it's not like he's the main focus of the whole film or anything.

 

Just watched it in 2D on DVD. I agree with almost everything you say. Helena Bonham Carter is excellent. I actually did like the battle at the end. I also liked the contrast between the White Queen (who is a titular leader) and Alice who is truly heroic.

 

I have to say that visually, I found the film to reek digital. It was sharp, hard and annoying--w/o a hint of grain. The colors were jarring beyond what I felt the designers intended. I also found the items green screened in in post to add depth looked off, as did much of the perspective and focus depth. My brain just kept on telling me, "Something is wrong." Afterward, I felt like I consumed two boxes of Dots and Slurpee... kinda ill.