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.

Ahead of the March 5th arrival of Tim Burton’s epic fantasy version of Alice in Wonderland, we’ve managed to dig up the first music video from the official soundtrack, featuring none other than kohl-eyed mad-as-a-hatter teen Avril Lavigne; the rest of the tracklist also worming it’s way out of Burton’s airtight rabbit hole today and actually contains some pretty good choones:

The tracklisting in full:

1. Alice (Underground) Performed by Avril Lavigne
2. The Poison Performed by The All-American Rejects
3. The Technicolor Phase Performed by Owl City (previously released)
4. Her Name Is Alice Performed by Shinedown
5. Painting Flowers Performed by All Time Low
6. Where’s My Angel Performed by Metro Station
7. Strange Performed by Tokio Hotel and Kerli
8. Follow Me Down Performed by 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch
9. Very Good Advice Performed by Robert Smith
10. In Transit Performed by Mark Hoppus with Pete Wentz
11. Welcome to Mystery Performed by Plain White T’s
12. Tea Party Performed by Kerli
13. The Lobster Quadrille Performed by Franz Ferdinand
14. Running Out of Time Performed by Motion City Soundtrack
15. Fell Down a Hole Performed by Wolfmother
16. White Rabbit Performed by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

In related news, check out our exclusive macro-pod (whatever that is) for all the latest news on the movie- and stay tuned for our full Alice in Wonderland review soon!

Terry Gilliam’s unique body of work is perhaps best viewed as the last bastion of pure imagination in a studio system increasingly ruled by bean-counters. Though not always successful, his films are always interesting, and even his failures – The Man Who Killed Don Quixote being a paramount example- contain more than enough to maintain that interest. Coupled with the untimely loss of leading man Heath Ledger, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus arrives groaning with a weight of expectation it struggles to meet.

This isn’t to say that it’s a bad film by any stretch, just one that is often wilfully obtuse and convoluted making it possibly too rich for the mainstream palate, but with it’s outbreaks of absurdist humour, overblown, pantomimic characters and the sumptuous and richly textured sets Gilliam is renowned for, it’s an incredibly complex and involving exercise in world creation that will surely reward repeated viewings.

Reuniting Gilliam with Screenwriter Charles McKeown, the film also treads lightly over themes the pair have consistently raised in earlier collaborations Brazil and particularly Baron Munchausen as we follow the roguish immortal Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and his daughter Valentina (a fresh-facedLily Cole) and the eponymous travelling imaginarium as Parnassus pursues his great love and tries to wheedle out of a deal with Tom Wait’s excellently cast devil which could cost Valentina her soul. In order to avoid this, Parnassus makes a further deal with Satan – whoever collects five souls first wins, a deal cast as they save charity boss Tony (Ledger), who they stumble upon as he tries to hang himself.

The action plays out in a particularly grim version of modern day London, despair rife in the streets as the city’s po-faced inhabitants work away their unimaginative lives. As the travelling band seek out five souls worthy of capture, they slowly return a sense of wonder and magic to a world that direly needs it, persuading their victims to step through a magical mirror into a world of their happiest imaginings-which here range from Chocolate Factories to upscale department stores.

As the film progresses, the sequences become ever-more ostentatious, Gilliam’s flair for arresting visuals unbound; Waits transforms into a gigantic serpent, violent Police squads sing and dance, huge heads form from the Earth itself, each meticulously detailed and framed with childlike wonder. It’s a feast for the eyes, but stumbles in the telling, the story itself jumbled, occasionally becoming merely an excuse for more ostentation.

Incredibly, Ledgers absence is actually used to enhance the story, played by various stellar cast members as he passes through the looking glass, his outer trappings stripped away to reveal a villainous core, played with vaudevillian glee by Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp and a surprisingly effective Jude Law. It’s an elegant and convincing solution to a potentially crippling problem, and one that allows each actor an equal share of the limelight – the end credits billing it as “A film from Heath Ledger and friends” – their performances enhancing and elaborating on the character.

For Ledger it’s a fine final bow, displaying an intense screen presence and an innate talent for comedy while still keeping an underlying smear of nastiness about him, his composite character is deeply realised and fascinating. Likewise, a special mention should go to Andrew Garfield. His Anton an amazingly realised study in jealousy and pride that’s testament to his versatility and inventiveness.

As a film, it’s something of an over-egged pudding. Occasionally grossly distorted by design, with rambling sequences that add little to the plot, but while it’s possible to feel that some judicious editing would benefit the enterprise, the result may well strip some of the character Gilliam has obviously worked so hard to realise. A shambling, wonderful and ultimately rewarding beast, it may not reap massive commercial returns, but will surely find a place in many viewer’s hearts as an exquisite, strangely loveable flight of atmospheric fancy, and a fine addition to Gilliam’s canon.

Michael Mann’s latest has some serious talent backing up a great story with so many sensationalist elements it’s amazing it’s remained so under-represented at the movies until now. This is the story of John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber, gangster and all-round bad egg who alternately terrorised and enthralled 30s America with his criminal exploits.

Like the man himself, what we get here is a curiously schizophrenic movie in both style and substance. Mann has gone for some fine, very detailed photography, Tommy-Guns bucking with nary a hint of motion-blur, adding a glacial edge to procedings that slightly dislocates the viewer. Unusually for the director, there’s an awful lot of handy-cam going on, with unusual angles that unfortunately combine with the slightly unreal aesthetic to give the whole a video game sheen. It’s exciting, sure, but it’s also extremely difficult to get emotionally involved.

Likewise, Bale and Depp seem like they’re in completely different films. Depp’s performance is forceful and full of glee, giving a powerful insight into the reasons a bloody killer like Dillinger became something of a folk hero – a modern Robin Hood at the time. His exploits are wild and often deplorable, but carried out with a panache that makes it hard not to admire and even support the man.

It’s tempting to call Bale’s performance dull, but it’s hard to tell if this is another example of the actor losing his way (as seen in several of his recent outings), or the perfect representation of a small, dull FBI man out of his depth, unable to cope with the fame and expectation bestowed upon him by successfully nabbing ‘Pretty boy’ Floyd, and making him subject to the whims of an obsessive J.Edgar Hoover; A heavily made-up and ridiculously accented Billy Crudup, who seems to be having almost as much fun as Depp.

This is however, very much Depp’s film, his performance recalling the slightly manic edge we first saw in Ed Wood, as Dillinger embraces the criminal lifestyle behind bars, Depp showcases the force of personality needed to create Dillinger gangs mark 1 & 2, flirting with disaster as well as the press, and creating an enduring mythology for himself in the process.

Playing out like a midwest version of ‘Heat’, Mann nevertheless manages to distance this from his earlier (and, it has to be said, superior) flick through extreme attention to detail and a willingness to reinvent his action directing, each scene tied up tighter than the morals of Prohibition era America.

A solid mix of drama and action, with some commendable performances. It may well divide audiences and critics. A strong character piece that would benefit from a tighter edit, but still has much to recommend it.

Confirmed goth, Tim Burton has long tried to craft a reputation for ghoulish, fantastical work, and seems to be succeeding in securing larger and larger budgets despite his movies only appealing to teenage girls with blue hair and socks on their hands.

While USA Today has called the concept art for his latest reimagining (read: no original material) Alice In Wonderland proof that Burton is ‘attuned to the fantastic’, the concept art released today is certainly pretty, but it seems like we’re in for another helping of style over substance.

All the usual suspects line up for the advance posters, Depp as the mad hatter, Big-Bonced Bonham Carter as the red queen and, natch, Christopher Lee lurking in the background.

On the plus side, there is relative newcomer Mia Wasikowska in the title role, although it’s hard to shake the feeling that a passing resemblance to Winona may have helped her audition along. Still, she’s been pretty solid in HBO’s Treatment, so here’s hoping she can keep the film grounded in reality and prevent too much kooky, ooky, Burtonization from sucking all the tension and drama out in favour of Chitty Bang Bang cutesyness.

Check out the full interactive images courtesy of USA Today.