Review
Enjoyable, creative ‘Wonderland’ may be too graphic for children
March 12, 2010
Many viewers had such high expectations for this film that it either could never live up to them, or it had to because any other option was inconceivable. I didn’t really know what to expect, except that it would be a strange and interesting visual adventure. I was worried that it would be a little too strange, if anything.
I had the privilege to see the movie in IMAX 3D, so I got to experience the adventure from all angles. The visuals were stunning and brilliantly inventive, but if you don’t like lots of crazy CGI graphics, then this film is not for you. For anyone who enjoys the great stories of “Alice in Wonderland,” the digitally created wonderland is a treat.
For the most part, the classic characters such as the white rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Queen of Hearts, the Smoking Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and several others were adapted to CGI with respect to the original characters. I also really enjoyed the contrast with Alice’s reality, especially how there were real people in her life that shared the qualities of various characters from wonderland.
Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter were perfect as rivaling sister queens, the White Queen and Queen of Hearts, respectively. Alan Rickman was great in his small roll as the infamous smoking caterpillar. Johnny Depp was delightfully strange as the rambunctious Mad Hatter. Tweedledee and Tweedledum were delightfully hilarious. I even enjoyed the smaller characters such as the March Hare and the Doormouse.
There were only really two things that disturbed me about the film. First, the relationship between Alice and the Mad Hatter was very strange. At times it seemed like a normal friendship as it should be, but other times it seemed like a romance, and I was halfway expecting them to make out or something. I also didn’t like that Alice was completely oblivious and ignorant of the fact that she had been to Wonderland before as a young child. It made sense at the beginning, but I can’t imagine that it would take her that long to figure it out.
It was definitely an enjoyable and creative film, although some scenes were quite graphic for young children. It showed some darker aspects of Wonderland that have not been seen in versions targeted at children. It’s definitely worth seeing, especially on the big screen, for its visuals alone and the acting isn’t too bad either. If you’re up for an adventure, this is the movie for you.
Natalie Conrad is a junior journalism and marketing communications major and French minor. She enjoys running,reading, writing, playing guitar, and traveling.