Shenanigans & Tomfoolery

To be fair, I think it’s worth mentioning before I begin that I have never read Lewis Carroll’s novel and that I have only vague memories of Disney’s animated film from 1951. Still, I was interested in seeing this newest rendition of Alice in Wonderland mostly because of Tim Burton who, in spite of over a decade of mostly mediocre films, has a take on visuals that is unmistakably unique and quite fetching. More than any of the films he’s made in the last few years, I think Alice in Wonderland lends itself for Tim Burton to have a great level of self-indulgence and I was curious to see how that would turn out.

I suppose the first thing I should mention is that this is indubitably a Tim Burton film with all the tropes contained therein. We have a lead that is odd and unusual to the rest of his/her peers, we have a separate world that is unlike our own (or at least unlike the one our lead is used too), we have characters that could almost be scary but in the context of the movie are quite charming, we have a seemingly dark and gothic atmosphere that is somehow endearing in nature, etc. Needless to say, if you’ve never liked a Tim Burton film before this is not going to change your mind because this is a Tim Burton film through and through.

Fortunately, and as I hoped and suspected, the world of Alice in Wonderland has lent itself well to Burton’s strengths and the visual quality of the film is very enticing and a thrill to see. Tweedledee and Tweedledum are so enjoyable to watch despite their Addams Family look and the playing card soldiers with their metallic, armor-like design simply wowed me when they first appeared on the screen. The decision to make the Queen of Hearts’ head several times larger than normal is an interesting direction and one that leads to several comedy bits but the small touches in her design (like how the colored parts on her lips are in the shape of a hear, for example) is the kind of thing that sets this movie apart. Granted, you won’t find a lot of vibrant colors here and the darker palettes can be deceiving but the lightheartedness of the characters and the world are always apparent.

And the story? Well, it does its job mostly. We start with a younger Alice talking to her dad about a repeating dream she’s having and then skip forward a few years later to the movie’s framing sequence: a slightly unorthodox Alice about to be forced into marriage. Of course, she soon  follows the white rabbit into the hole to Wonderland and the story really begins. There’s a lot that’s introduced about Wonderland during that first act and it does seem like the movie shows all of its cards early on. As a result of this, the middle act is a bit slow and prodding as is the final act, if a bit less so. I know it’s a Disney movie but I thought it interesting how much the finale is like one of the Disney animated musicals with the lead taking on a big baddie while the comic relief characters take on the grunts in a more lighthearted fashion. Soon after that and we’re back in the real world with Alice now aware of what she wants to do with her life. It’s a solid story that drags a bit too much at times and, as I said, I have only a vague understanding of the original tale so I’m unable to make a direct comparison or talk specifically about cuts or additions to it.

Most interesting about the story though is that, from what I could gather, this is not a direct adaptation of the novel or the 1951 movie but something more along the lines of what Hook did with Peter Pan. The movie starts much like the original story does but we’re soon led to understand that Alice in embarking on a different path this time around and, much later on, we’re told that this in fact an older Alice than the one that first traveled to Wonderland. The Mad Hatter is given a larger role (no doubt because of Burton’s affection for Johnny Depp as an actor) and I might even go as far as saying that a romantic relationship between him and Alice is subtly hinted at. We’re told that Wonderland really exists and there’s even a small crossover between both worlds at the very end to verify this. Either that or Alice is just batshit crazy.

So yeah, the movie takes some liberties with the story and is a very different take on the novel but it’s a fairly enjoyable piece of entertainment nonetheless. Tim Burton digs deep into his old (his really old) bag of tricks and if you’re familiar with his movies you know what to expect. The story is competent enough that it never distracts even if it does drag at times but, ideally, you’ll just be going to see Burton’s take on these characters anyway. It’s a movie from a director that’s settled perhaps a bit too much inside his comfort zone but there are still some things in Alice in Wonderland that are worth watching.

I wouldn’t urge people to see it in theaters but if you get a chance to rent it or watch it on cable at some point by all means, go ahead and do so.