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ALICE IN WONDERLAND

With Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman

Written by Linda Wolverton (based on the books by Lewis Carroll)

Directed by Tim Burton

Part live-action dream, part digitally animated extravaganza, this modern production of this timeless tale could not have been molded better than in the hands of the master of big budget dark fantasy, Tim Burton. With two of his muses on set (Depp & wife Bonham Carter), last seen together in his rendition of the musical Sweeney Todd, he takes the best and strangest of Lewis Carroll's warped literary creation and gives it new life. Alice is being pushed into marriage with an upper class twit. After escaping the scenario she falls down a rabbit hole where she enters Wonderland - a place vaguely familiar from her childhood, with wildly imaginative, weird and wonderful creatures
and characters, including the Mad Hatter (Depp), the psycho big-headed Red Queen ruling with an iron fist (Bonham Carter), and her ousted sister, the White Queen (Hathaway), Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee (Lucas), and of course the Cheshire Cat and the Blue Caterpillar (voiced respectively by Fry and Rickman).
The good creatures of Wonderland had been waiting for Alice to return as it is foretold that she will slay the vicious Jabberwocky terrorizing all under command of the Red Queen. Depp is utterly freaky and Bonham Carter is fantastic, her digitally enlarged head a scream. Crispin Glover is always excellent, this time as the Red Queen's tall and creepy henchman Stayne.
With constantly advancing digital technology this movie is far beyond any previous takes on it, the expected detail and texture quite breath-taking. The newly resuscitated 3D spectacle (in both senses of the word!) got utilized to good effect - although I think if one watches too many 3D movies in succession, the effect may become less awe-inspiring... and also in this case, with all of the rich colours and contrasts, the 3D glasses tends to wash away a lot of that detail.
In whichever dimension you catch this one, it is bound to be a feast for the senses.

5 / B
- Paul Blom


0 1 2 3 4 5 6
- A - B - C



never let a review decide for you, but for those who need a rating, see the Flamedrop scale below
6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering
4 - Hot
3 - Smolder
2 - Room Temperature
1 - Fizzled
0 - Extinguished

A: Multi-Viewing Potential

B: Could Enjoy A 2nd Look

C: Once Should Suffice


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