Jordan Laughlin – Junior Editor
Most people know about the original Disney movie Alice in Wonderland. The movie is freckled with fantasy and coded life stories. Tim Burton takes this story one step further and enthralls people with his adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s tale.
People’s favorite characters including the hookah-smoking caterpillar (Alan Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), and Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas) are back in Wonderland along with 19-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska), as she returns to defeat The Red Queen’s Dragon, to make peace in Wonderland once again. Helen Bonham-Carter’s, at time humorous, adaptation of the Red Queen is enjoyable, especially when she is on the warpath.
Wasikowska’s character fears that she will be married off to live a life she does not care to live. When she leaves after the awkward proposal, she falls down a hole and lands in the mystical land where she faces not only the Queen, but also the evil Jabberwocky is set free.
Wasikowska was not the first Alice who came to my mind, but after watching the film, she did a great job with her character, but really made it her own. However, the real star of the show was Johnny Depp, who played the Mad Hatter. After seeing Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and several of his other roles, I was excited to learn that he was going to be taking on this character. Everyone knew that he was going to give an amazing performance, and, to me, he definitely delivered.
Additional stars who bring the unbelievable to life include Anne Hathaway, who portrays the White Queen, and Crispin Glover who is the Knave of Hearts
While some people think the movies is bland, pointless, weak and forgettable, I find it was enjoyable. Most thought it was going to be like the original Alice in Wonderland, when in fact it was completely different. The movie took on elements from another of the other Alice book, Through the Looking Glass, however.
While some may have been disappointed with some of Burton’s previous movies, this one is solid, and maybe one of his best. Whether one gets to see it in 3-D or regular film, the movie is an exciting adventure.
