Depending on which side of the fence you sit, Alice in Wonderland represents either the apex or the nadir of Burton’s uniquely styled product. Fans will surely relish the sumptuous design work while objectors will find lumps of twee sticking in their craw -make no mistake, Alice in Wonderland is a movie almost as curious as it’s heroine.
Given that Burton often makes his home in Belsize Park, it’s strange that he’s yet to rid himself of the twee American ideal of London -evidenced by an opening flight over foggy rooftops that constantly threaten to be interrupted by chirpy singing chimney sweeps. On the plus side it does demonstrate some impressively detailed animation work that acts as a plus and a minus throughout – it’s candy box bright and extremely well done, but unfortunately highlights Burton’s often awful dialogue and actors -particularly miss Bonham-Carter -struggling to emote.
The ‘real world’ characters come across as ridiculously mannered, their speech patterns filtered through a thousand BBC period dramas and emerging as something that fortunately has never issued from English lips but remains highly distracting, while the inhabitants of Wonderland strive for gaudy lunacy but seem strangely stilted, and aren’t well served by a storyline that begins as an interesting take on Lewis Carrol’s whimsical tour de force, but unfortunately swerves into production-line adventuresville halfway through and is weighed down by yet more cloying Disney values -in this case; it’s OK to be who you are.
It’s hardly Nietzsche, but to accuse Burton of missing out on weighty philosophical concepts misses the point. First and foremost, this IS a Disney movie, with all the itinerant bells and whistles that involves, and it’s also a children’s movie -and judged on those terms it’s a pretty good, if uneven one.
In the central role, Mia Wasikowska may be the bane of spellcheck but here she outshines the admittedly heavyweight cast around her. She’s just the right amount of pretty and – despite lacking an Alice band – manages to imbue the character with mannerisms taken directly from early edition line drawings of Alice. It’s a shame Burton can’t resist the temptation to pander to his teenage girl crowd by giving her a pair of stripy sock-gloves and an unnecessarily Gothic costume change half way through, but Wasikowska works gamely through these distractions and remains sweet and likeable throughout -if only the same could be said for the rest of the cast.
The main offenders here are Depp and Bonham-Carter, both nuanced and capable actors but unable to fill out their characters. Burton’s decision to cast Depp as a claymore-swinging hero is unnecessary in the extreme, and the actor’s choice of a Scottish brogue that quivers constantly between barely noticeable and completely incomprehensible -a problem that recurs throughout and often clouds seemingly important exposistion – doesn’t help. Depp is also unfortunately at that age where men begin to look like your maiden aunt which renders his burgeoning love affair with the teenage Alice creepy in the extreme.
Meanwhile Bonham-Carter struggles to imbue the villainous Red Queen with menace, her screeched cry of “off with their heads!” becoming annoying rather than amusing, although there are occasional moments when we glimpse a spoilt child beneath the dangerous facade and can’t help wish that more had been made of this. Elsewhere the voice cast are acceptable -Alan Rickman’s languorous drawl works well, while Barbara Windsor is thankfully given little time as an annoying Dormouse. Of those still semi-human, Crispin Glover does his usual excellent job as the Knave of Hearts, a perfect combination of oily sneer and cowardice, while Anne Hathaway’s Nigella lawson-inspired White Queen fits well in a largely unmemorable role.
Despite the factory-fit turn the plot takes, there are interesting touches here, the decision to factor in Carol’s other works adds depth and provides a genuinely scary villain in the Jabberwocky – a creature that may be a little too threatening for very young children – while the hints of his past relationship with The Vorpal Sword are fun and interesting.
Burton has apparently refused to allow this to be shown alongside earlier versions and it’s no wonder (excuse the pun), as they would clearly highlight the excess he insists on cloaking everything in -hinting that he may be a spent force staying resolutely in his comfort zone, but it’s when he discards his annoyingly Camden Goth sensibilities that things really come to life– witness the gentle laughs raised by Alice’s rabbit-like suitor in the opening scenes, or the sight of frog butlers guilty of stealing some important tarts from the queen. These moments are deftly done and hint at a far superior film waiting to be made.
Overall this is spectacular but poorly handled, perhaps too frightening for small children and too twee for adults, instead finding an uncomfortable middle ground that would benefit from some judicious editorial pruning, while Burton needs to take more risks with his storytelling and less with his characterization. An unbalanced film but nevertheless broadly enjoyable, this is fine fare for parents looking to pack the kids off for a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon, but falls well short of Alice’s previous incarnations classic status.
One Comment
best film of the year. def.