Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Tim Burton is remarkable, a director with an incredible knack for outstanding visuals with an unique perspective.  He's one of my favorites.  Ever since Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice and Batman he's always impressed me.  Unfortunately his one weakness is that his visual genius sometimes overpowers the actually storytelling of the film, even pointing out how inferior a script it is he's working with.   This film is a prime example of this: a clever take on the Wonderland story (a sequel that is) that never really matches the amazing look of Burton's imagination.   What's even more strange is how much I enjoyed the performances of all the actors and yet still found the story ho-hum.   Mia Wasikowska is perfectly cast as the teenage Alice, Johnny Depp is in high-gear experimenting like the crazy actor he is and Helena Bonham Carter is devilishly good as the Queen of Harts.  I even liked Anne Hathaway's eerie and flighty take on the White Queen.  But none of this matters when the story bounces around without focus and ends like most modern fantasy stories do these days: an epic battle between good and evil.   If I were rating this film purely on its production design, special effects, visual dynamics I'd give it an A but the script just drags it all down.   That's not to say it's a bad film, I liked it, it's just that I really wish they would have developed the script more so it would match the inventive qualities of its exterior.   It depresses me in away when I think how really great this film could have been.  I hate missed opportunities. Grade: B.

Note on Frank Beddor and The Looking Glass Wars:  Most people are probably not aware but this film has many similarities to a series of novels by Frank Beddor.  My take on this is that this is completely coincidental.  I hope though in ten years a film version of Beddor's story is made.  I think could be a superior film. 

Spoiler:  The biggest problem with this film was the giant letdown when we finally get to see the Jabberwocky.   It's a dragon, that's all folks, in the wonderful world of Wonderland the best this team of visual masters could come up with was a dragon.  Boring.  I've read Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.   The Jabberwocky is mysterious and should embody fear itself.  It shouldn't look like typical dragon.  What about a giant rat with lizard qualities or a two-headed beast with worm like appendages, anything else would do.  I didn't mind that they dressed Alice in armor but come on, where's the suspense?   The minute I saw it was a dragon, I knew she'd slay it.  Gone was the threat to her life and the unlikely but possible sad ending.   What an cop out.