Just got back from "Alice in Wonderland" my Review

[JCMach1]

First off, it should have been called "Tim Burton in Underland"... It has much more to do with his ego and imagination than anything Lewis Carroll ever wrote.

Given those parameters, at the end of the day, it was just MEH. I also would give Tim Burton the advice of STAYING AWAY FROM REMAKES. I am still getting the bad taste of his Planet of the Apes out of my mouth.

Here are a few of the reasons I disliked it:

-The world (mise an scene) seemed more Burton than Wonderland. Also, there was surprisingly little of it. He missed an opportunity to over the top. Instead Wonderland looks like a live action version of the Corpse Bride.
-The film was made in 2D and then switched to 3D and it suffers. 3D was just annoying in this movie. It added nothing to the story or depth... just a few bucks to the ticket price and a shorter trip to pirated DVD. Mainly just fluffy and floating stuff... i.e. nothing much to look at.
-Uggh, Burton turns Wonderland into a binary us vs. them world (Red Queen vs. White Queen). Part of the greatness of the original story was you are never quite sure where to stand. The lunacy that drives the piece doesn't allow for a binary view of the world. Burton falls flat with this.
-The final fight scene (the supposed climax) is just a rehashed fight scene we have seen in a million fantasy movies... with Alice in armor with a vorpal blade nonetheless. Wonderland isn't freakin' Narnia!
-Depp is a good actor, but the Mad Hatter as a weird combination of Sweeney Todd/Willy Wonka/Edward Scissorhands just doesn't quite cut it. Sorry, but LET THE HATTER BE MAD. Instead we have an emotional caricature... not a real character. We really don't need the attraction thing between Alice and hatter... YUCK!
-Finally there should have been, yes, MORE LUNACY. This film was relatively tame... not really any jokes and not much fun at all.

Wow, I dislike it even more after writing all of that!

[kimmerspixelated]

1. Thanks for your first look at this movie I can't wait to see.

Since I haven't seen it yet, I can't really comment, but I don't think it was ever meant to be anything like the original in the movie or the story. This is ANOTHER story based on the original idea of AIW. It is a ten years after imagining. Just wanted to clear that up!

It's a Burton movie. It's supposed to be odd and different!

[JCMach1]

10. I really wanted to see it as well... I like odd and different... if anything

it should have been MORE odd and different.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Thanks for the review.

There's nothing worth seeing playing around here, and I guess I can add this one to the list. :-(

[Mike 03]

3. Thank you for your review.

It might be called Mise en scène, but I know what you are talking about.

The composition was not all that great in SWEENY TODD either. Or some other of his films.

Does anybody know if Tim Burton storyboards?

[JCMach1]

11. typo was late at night...

:)

[alphafemale]

4. Question. Did you like "Big Fish?"

I loved it. but lots of people hated it.

I like most Tim Burton work but I did find Sweeney Todd unwatchable.

[JCMach1]

8. Yes, one of Burton's best...

[dysfunctional press]

5. we went to the midnite showing on thursday night...(12:01am friday)

and were sorely disappointed.

also- the 3d aspect was also disappointing...it wasn't 'digital' 3d, and the glasses- even at the imax- were the old kind with one green lens and one red one.

[pokerfan]

6. How to make a tim burton movie

http://tv.gawker.com/5485724/how-to-make-a-tim-burton-movie

[Tripper11]

7. I agree with your review 100%

Nothing special at all. And it's funny because the "How to make a Tim Burton" movie link that pokerfan dropped in this thread, I had seen it before and during the whole movie it kept creeping into my consciousness and I was thinking about all the other Tim Burton movies, and how alike they all are.
Yes, I was entertained, but no, it wasn't great by any stretch.

[JCMach1]

9. Disclaimer: I have a love/hate relationship with Burton as a director

He has made some films that are good and that I have really enjoyed: Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, Nightmare Before Christmas, Sweeney Todd

Some okay movies: Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride

And some of the worst movies I have ever seen: Batman, Mars Attacks, Planet of the Apes