Where can you start with a film like Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. I guess the best and most appropriate place to begin is to say that I definitely don't see this as being a movie for everyone. I think that Tim Burton's style of making films just doesn't sit well with everyone. But if you are one of those Burton fans then listen up! Alice in Wonderland has got to be some of Burton's best work yet. This film is odd yet playfully delightful every step of the way. If you take into account that this is more a continuation of the two original books I think it holds up very well. With nothing to directly compare it to it holds on it's own perfectly.There are three things I'd like to cover in this review. The first of which is the story. I thought that the story was very well rounded and a lot of fun. They tied the original stories into this new adaptation very well. It seemed like every time I was finding a bit of a hole in the story it was quickly cleared up.
The second thing is the characters. All of the characters that we are used to seeing or reading about from Alice in Wonderland whether it be Alice herself, the red or white queens, the Mad Hatter, March Hair, Door Mouse, or the white rabbit, every character is represented. The casting for these roles was definitely well suited to each character. Not once did it seem like any of the characters were out of place or saying something that put them outside that character.
Finally, and this is the best part of this movie, the animation and visual effects. The visual effects and animation in this movie I believe is reason enough to go out and see it. This was a feast for the eyes as each scene gave way to a new part of Burton's carefully constructed Wonderland. Lighting and color palettes set each scene for the correct mood and ambiance. The special effects in the battle scenes were some of my favorite parts.
To conclude, I think that this movie is definitely worth going out to the theater to see. Just for the visual effects alone. My girlfriend and I saw it in 2D instead of 3D because we noticed that the digital 3D seems to blur out the background as it is designed to focus in on the characters. The 2D version I believe is better suited for this movie because the backgrounds of this movie are so extravagant. Again, if you are not a fan of Tim Burton's film thus far, this is not the movie for you. It is full of little oddities that only Burton could think up. But for all you die hard Burton fans, like me, you will absolutely love this movie. Well done Disney and Tim Burton.
