As an indirect sequel to the original animated Alice in Wonderland, this Tim Burton re-imagining unsurprisingly takes a darker turn than its predecessor. From the moment Alice tumbles into what comes to be known as Underland, the movie beats the idea of slaying the Jabberwocky into the audience. A few more characters from Through the Looking Glass make appearances but that's where the similarities end.
Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter is a caricature with little depth, although the costume design was fabulous. Mia Wasikowska plays Alice as if she's made out of cardboard, but the pale makeup and washed out colors don't help. There's only so much funky theatricality that Tim Burton can get away with before every turns unforgivably weird. Anne Hathaway was window dressing as the White Queen, but Helena Bonham Carter picked up the slack as the Red Queen. She had the best lines in the movie aside from Depp reciting "Jabberwocky".
This version of Alice and Wonderland could have been a better experience if only the writing would have allowed for characters and a story with more depth than a kiddie pond.
Rating: ♥♥
