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Heroine. LSD. Cocaine.
Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” provokes obscure realities, odd entities and otherworldly imagery in much the same way as these recreational drugs. But is that a good thing?
The film, loosely based on Charles Dodgson’s (pseudonym Lewis Carroll) 1860s children-focused novel, is a fast-paced, almost rushed, visual romp from the boring Victorian Era English society to the highly irregular, yet vaguely familiar Wonderland.
The detail-saturated, 108-minute film can and should only be seen in “Disney Digital 3D” for an experience less like cinema and more like a Magic Kingdom attraction. Bandersnatches snap at you, evil card henchmen stab at you and unruly Hares throw tea cups at you, all to create the illusion that you yourself are present in the action.
The main exposition finds our sickly-looking, socially-rebellious protagonist, Alice, played aptly by unknown Mia Wasikowska, 19 and unhappy in her predetermined Victorian life. She and her mother are attending an outdoor gala event where Alice’s pre-arranged surprise proposal is about to take place. After seeing visions of a white rabbit, she finally succumbs to her curiosity, leaves her undesired suitor on one knee and without an answer, tumbles down the famous rabbit hole.
Once in “Underland” (as the natives call it), the rebel-like locals come to the consensus that our girl is the “wrong Alice” after she feigns the idea of slaying the dreaded Jabberwock. Its death would bring an end to the reign of the tyrannical Red Queen, played by Helena Bonham Carter. What follows is a series of events in which familiar favorite characters, revamped under Burton’s direction, are introduced, each helping Alice to gain enough confidence to fulfill the prophecy.
Burton took great measures to ensure that the zany, bizarre nature of Underland remained the central focus by digitally enhancing each of the actors’ appearances. The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) has unusually large eyeballs, the Red Queen (Carter) has a massive cranium, and Stayne, the Knave of Hearts played by Crispin Glover, is merely a normal head atop a lanky, flat card body.
Aside from the aesthetically awe-inspiring appearances, the film boasts poignant performances from both Carter and Depp. Carter brings the evil and ignorant queen archetype to life while Depp succeeds in breaking free from Willy Wonka-esque, Jack Sparrow-like expectations for his character. The Hatter, a partial schizophrenic who at times sounds Scottish or constipated, overshadows a lackluster performance from Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, the most boring character in the film.
The film stays true to the central elements of the original story: an ordinary girl adapting to the demands of an irrational world. Of course there is a moral lesson learned at the end of the day, in traditional Disney fashion.
Yet the film marks a new Disney tradition: a more mature visual journey to a once-forgotten realm, in which the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy began and where Tron Legacy (December 2010) will hopefully continue.
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