Welcome to Tim Burton's Wonderland...

Once upon time in England there lived a young girl named Alice, Alice Kingsley  now Alice wasn't  like most girls her age  she was a little impetuous and curious. Therefore, one day while roaming around the woods young Alice wanders off into the woods and there she sees a small white rabbit in a waistcoat with a pocket watch, Alice, curious about the strange creature follows him up the hill to an old tree where the rabbit mysteriously vanishes. Alice looks around  for him and during her search finds a  huge hole in the side of the tree, Alice leans in to see if the rabbit is inside  but somehow she falls down the rabbit hole and ends  up in  a mysterious and strange world called Underland. There she meets a host of   bizarre  characters such as The Mad Hatter,  The Cheshire Cat,   The Smoking Caterpillar,  The White Queen  her sister The Red Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum and many others. Alice has one of the greatest adventures of her childhood but it comes to end all too soon, when young Alice must return to the bleakness of reality and leave her newfound friends behind.  

Thirteen years pass and Alice, now nineteen is still has the imagination of a child and her aunt does not approve, Alice’s aunt wants her to give up her childish dreams that her father had and embrace the real world. Alice doesn't like this idea and doesn't like the fact that her Aunt always tries to pair her off with a man she doesn't love, or like for that  matter. So during a party Alice notices  a little white rabbit in a waist coat with a pocket watch, little does she know is that it's the same rabbit she saw last time. Alice   gives chase after the rabbit and it leads her to the same rabbit hole she fell down once before and as before Alice accidentally falls. Thus being her return to the magical world of Underland and once again becoming, “Alice in Wonderland".

Tim Burton's update of the classic Lewis Carroll tale "Alice in Wonderland" is an inspired work it embodies everything that makes Burton a master and what makes him a genius at the art of   dark fantasy.  While this  sequel ,or re Imagining, if you would like to call it, is a dark morbid fantasy film that while may lack the  wide eyed child  enthusiasm of the 1951 Walt Disney animated production it still keeps the adventure, the fun and the charm of the original production and book.  What I liked most about it was the dry sense of humor infused into this classic story, but also I like the fact that it does not try to be more than what it is; it does not try to be some audacious   fantasy film. Instead, it settles for an above average Burton film with a lighthearted side, while retaining the amazing visuals and stylish pace that is expected of Tim Burton. "Alice in Wonderland" may not impress everyone but for those who like some visually appealing dark fantasy films with a good-hearted   story to them. 

Mia Wasikowska delivers a very grand and stylish performance as the older Alice she is refined, beautiful, smart, resourceful, spunky and imaginative. But what I like the most about her is her  subtle approach  to the role of Alice Kingsley she doesn't go over the top or under average  she instead settles for a more  grounded and believable performance  that works despite  the  complications  of being a women taking on  the role of a heroine  Wasikowska pulls it off  just fine. Johnny Depp is what you call a chameleon he can tackle any role and take on any type of film and with this, his sixth collaboration with director Tim Burton is not one of their best but definitely one of the more mainstream and enjoyable. Depp is superb in this film, the way he portrays the Hatter is just astounding you would think he is actually the Mad Hatter. Depp is unconventional and it shows here he is the scene-stealer   and in almost every scene he takes home the gold, Depp is a must see in this dream production.   The rest of the cast  including: Crispin Glover, Anne Hathaway, Matt Lucas, Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, Stephen Fry and Helena Bonham Carter  all deliver great supporting performances   in a film that  has the feel of a drug induced hallucination but plays like an old time movie.

"Alice in Wonderland” may not appeal to every single fan of Tim Burton and the classic novel by Lewis Carroll, but it will amaze those who know nothing of the classic story. Tim Burton delivers a wild, trippy adventure that will charm and leave you with a feeling as if you just went a round with LSD. "Alice in Wonderland" is not one of the best of 2010 but it is one of the more inspired movies of the year and if you are forgiving, it will entertain.