Where is it playing?: Santa Maria 10, Movies Lompoc, Hi-Way
What's it rated?: PG
What's it worth?: $8.00
(Brent)
What's it worth?: $8.00
(Roberta)
This is Tim Burton’s take on Lewis Carroll’s oft-filmed literary classic, which takes a sort-of sequel approach to the story. 19-year-old Alice Kingsley (Mia Wasikowska) has had a recurring nightmare ever since she was a little girl: She falls and finds herself in a strange world full of strange creatures. When a stuffy lord asks for her hand in marriage, she flees the constraints of Victorian-era British society to follow a mysterious white rabbit in a tailcoat and winds up falling down a certain rabbithole into Wonderland. With Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. Showing in 3D and 2D formats.
Brent: After much consideration, we decided to judge the film purely on its artistic merits by seeing it in 2D, rather than being bedazzled by the visual trickery of 3D—okay, the 3D version sold out much earlier than we expected. (We’re still wondering when we’re going to get a 3D IMAX theater somewhere in this area—how about in the Town Center mall?) Once in Wonderland, the movie settles into the archetypal fantasy plotline: an ordinary person comes to a magical land and discovers she is the Chosen One who must claim the magical sword, slay the monster, and save the kingdom (all within a matter of days). The thing is, adding any sort of conventional plot to this story makes it feel like the wild, bewildering, nightmarish nonsense of the source material is being tied down with logic. The characters are still delightfully mad, but the movie itself is fairly sane. (Who would have thought the hand-drawn Disney version from the 1950s would be more true to the book’s lunacy than the version directed by Tim Burton?)
Roberta: I thought they had to do that, because they didn’t want it to be just the same Alice in Wonderland. By adding the quest, the filmmakers added a little level to it. I also thought maybe because Burton is known for doing such weird stuff, and Alice in Wonderland is weird, he made this movie less weird just to be weird (and I mean “weird” in a good way).
Brent: You know, you may just have a point there. Reader, just apply some Wonderland logic to Mom’s statement and it will become clear. The film does at least tie in the plotline to Carroll’s Wonderland via the “Jabberwocky” poem from Through the Looking Glass.
Roberta: The girl who played Alice was wonderful. When things were happening to her, she showed curiosity, yet she was strong. She was quirky, and I really enjoyed watching her in the role. She was a good choice.
Brent: An air of gloom and doom hangs over Wonderland as Alice flees card soldiers and a monster called the Frumious Bandersnatch. The Red Queen is the cause of all this misery, but ironically, it’s when we arrive at her palace that Wonderland starts being fun.
Roberta: The queen had such an attitude. She’s the kind of villain where she’s mean and you love to hate her, and yet it’s kinda humorous.
Brent: Great character and performance. It’s funny and almost tragic how she just can’t understand why none of her subjects like her. As the Knave of Hearts, Crispin Glover manages to make a heart-shaped eyepatch look threatening. To think, this is Marty McFly’s sweet, nerdy dad from Back to the Future! You called that one, Mom. I would never have recognized him.
Roberta: I loved the interplay between the two of them, how she kinda flirted and he kinda rejected her.
Brent: The White Queen was my favorite. She had this airy, Glinda-the-Good-Witch-like way of moving about. She’s also one example of the film’s brilliantly distinctive make-up work, with her combo of white-blonde hair and dark red lipstick. When I saw Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries, I had no idea she would one day turn into this splendid
of a queen.
Roberta: Of course, Johnny Depp steals the show as the Mad Hatter. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I almost think this is his best role.
Brent: REALLY? His BEST ROLE?
Roberta: Well, that and Sweeney Todd, Gilbert Grape, Edward Scissorhands ... well, I guess I like him in everything.
Brent: What about in Finding Neverland?
Roberta: Well ... almost everything.
Brent: There’s the mischievous, merry, maniacal side of the Hatter we all expect, but there’s also a melancholy side, and a militant side, and a mad (as in angry) side. Did I mention he also has a fascination with the letter “M?” Depp was definitely good, and his kinship with Alice was interesting, but I wasn’t quite as attached to the character as the filmmakers seemed to expect (still reserving final judgment until I see it again). This movie automatically earned points with me simply by having so many splendid British-accented voices. Alan Rickman (Judge Turpin to Burton fans, Professor Snape to Harry Potter fans)
is perfectly cast as the wise but condescending caterpillar.
(“Of course not, stupid girl!”) The Cheshire Cat had a strange, yet smooth voice. It went wonderfully with that endless griiiiiiiiiiin on his face.
Roberta: Tweedledee and Tweedledum—the expressions on their faces, they had a lot of personality and charm. They were both great.
Brent: You know it was one actor playing both parts, right?
Roberta: Well, no wonder they had such a great rapport. The special effects were great. Very creative. Do you think the 3D would really be that much better? I do.
Brent: Yeah. (Sighs heavily) Ah, well. While the CGI looks dazzling (especially the creatures), I can’t help but wonder what the film would have been like if it had used some stop-motion animation, like last year’s Coraline. That film actually had more of an Alice in Wonderland feel than this one. Still, it’s worth another trip down the rabbit hole into Burton’s imagination.
Brent M. Parker is a writer, artist, and aspiring animated filmmaker. Roberta Slutske is his proud mother who taught him everything he knows. Contact them at mail@santamariasun.com.
