Review of Alice in Wonderland (2010) by Jacob B — 19 Aug 2017

Tim Burton's take on the classic Lewis Carroll tale is more of a sequel to the animated movie from the 1951 set before Alice Through the Looking Glass than a movie that's faithful to the source material.

I also admit that although this film is the ultimate guilty pleasure of just about everyone except the YouTube assholes, it's still not Burton's best film to date. There is an unnecessary reliance on CGI although it's somehow less distracting than all the CGI in Attack of the Clones and it also feels like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings had a baby whom they gave up for adoption and was raised by Burton and the lady who wrote the screenplay.

Because naturally, everyone blames the director and/or the actors if they hate the movie. No one ever looks at the screenwriter twice. However, the film more than makes up in certain flaws present with its amazing visuals, Johnny Depp's show-stealing performance as the Mad Hatter, a few humorous moments and how it manages to bring back some of the trippy zaniness from the animated movie whilst still remaining, in a way, fun for those who either didn't see the cartoon or hated it.

So while this Alice in Wonderland movie may not cater to all tastes (especially for the more squeamish family members despite what the company name and MPAA rating might suggest), it still boasts enough of the vivid imagination of Tim Burton to be one of those types of movies that people hate but secretly love.