Went to the movies today, something I hadn't done in over 3 months (for me, that's a big deal). The last one I saw was this piece of crap movie called Couples Retreat, which if you're single, isn't recommended! You're probably wondering - or perhaps just a tad curious- which movie I went to see this time. I chose Alice In Wonderland by the amazingly talented, though a bit eccentric director Tim Burton.
I'll be honest with you, I had high hopes for this movie! Alice is a fantastic story and a real treat for one's imagination. This combined with Burton's overall weirdness and sense of stilistic beauty should have led to a wonderful tale about an adolescent Alice returning to Wonderland. Sadly, this was not the version that was projected onto that big white screen.
The thing that bugged me the most was the fact that for the entire first 40 minutes of the movie, you had absolutely no idea what was going on (especially if you're not familiar with the original Lewis Carroll story). Burton keeps throwing names at you in the same way that a kid keeps on throwing rocks in a lake. It's annoying and it causes a lot of confusion - or ripples, to stay within the metaphor.
"Jabberwocky, Vorpal Sword, Uilleam the Dodo, Mallymkun, Absolem, Bandersnatch, Frabjous Day"
No, I have not gone mad and I am not inventing random words. This is the wonderous world of Wonderland! Now if you can explain all these words, then I salute you and I apologize for what I said about Alice, but I'm sure most of you will be stunned by the sheer waterfall of names that comes at you. It would have made everything so much easier if the crazy - stoned out of his mind - Caterpillar had some sort of "previously on ..." written on his fabled know-it-all calendar.
Another thing, now I'm as much a Johnny Depp fan as the next, but I seriously doubt that the Mad Hatter got that much attention in Carroll's original story, nor did he actually need all the extra screen time in the movie. He's a terrific and talented actor, no doubt. But the persona that Depp portrayed here, really didn't differ much from his other characters, like Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands or even Sweeney Todd. His portrayal of the Mad Hatter felt more like an amalgamation than a true stand-alone character. It's understandable that Depp can get lost in his sea of inspiration and feel overwhelmed with his gift of bringing a character to life, but in my humble opinion, he could have tried to do things a little differently than just the usual weird eye movement, stuttering tongue and the overall feminine walk.
But I must give props to Anne Hathaway in her role as the White Queen and Helena Bonham Carter as her sister in Red. Though it must be said that Helena's role was a given, anyone whose head gets enlarged three sizes becomes instantly funny and comical, but it takes effort to assume the attitude of the White Queen. Anna Hathaway possessed a much more delicate facial palatte with which she expressed the exquisiteness of the Queen beautifully. Even the way she walked, or should I say glided across the floor was enthralling to see. Sadly, she only appears after an hour of seeing Depp doing his ordinary - and tedious - acting and watching Helena's head move around like a bobble head.
Still Helena managed to rise above her enormous head - which is an accomplishment on its own - and inject some of her own twistedness into the Red Queen. I doubt I would have made it through the movie without these two.
Usually, I'm quite forgiving and accepting when it comes to bad movies, but I really, really expected something better from such a prominent director. And they say M. Night Shyamalan isn't a good director? Well, at least Night's stories are executed near perfection, so maybe the two can collaborate in the future. Who knows, maybe two wrongs can make a right?
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