I just saw the film, and I loved it! I enjoyed it more than I expected. Maybe it was because word on this movie was so mixed my expectations were very low, but I truly enjoyed this film from beginning to end.
Most people are complaining about how this isn't really a sequel to the origin al books, and how it got some things "wrong". First off, I didn't come to the movie expecting a very loyal adaptation of the original books. I knew beforehand that this would be a sequel to the stories, which would mean that it would take many liberties with the original stories. So what if the White and Red Queen are sisters? So what if Wonderland is called Underland? So what if the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts were merged into one character? SO WHAT?
I know I know that there are many hardcore Alice fans out there that expected a loyal interpretation of the Alice universe. But to me, the film set out to create its own version of the story, characters and universe, one where an older Alice is a hero. If you knew about this and STILL complained about the inaccuracies then you need to check your thoughts once more.
It's not a re-telling of the books nor is it a remake of the animated Alice. It's a TRIBUTE of all of them and more. It tips its hat (no pun intended) to these classics while creating its own story. I think that if you see the film as is rather than what you think should be you should enjoy it.
Not that I got that mini rant out of my system, let me talk about the characters. I enjoyed the casting greatly. Sure there are some typical performances here and there, but all of the actors did great in their respective roles. Mia as Alice I thought was great, evoking the curiosity and wonder of the Alice character while giving her a complex adult side to her views on the world.
Johnny Depp was fun as the Hatter, though he wasn't as eccentric as I expected him to be. I agree with the Animated Views review of the movie in that this Hatter is more about him being driven to madness by the Red Queen rather than just being born mad (which is what the books suggested). There's a sweet side to him while there's a lot of anger. I really liked that aspect of the character.
The voice acting was great, though I wish Christopher Lee was given more lines as the Jabberwocky. I really can't get enough of his badass baritone
. Helena Bohnam Carter was really good as the Red Queen while Anne Hathaway was wonderful as the White Queen. Even Crispin Glover was memorable, though he is being his usual creepy self (seriously this guy creeps the hell out of me!).
I was personally bothered by the CG environments in Burton movies like Sweeney Todd, but Wonderland was great. The design is simply gorgeous with inventive uses of color. It makes for a movie that is both very Disney and Burton. For once, I couldn't tell what was CG and what was the real set!
Like I said, though, maybe my expectations were low and knew what to expect. It goes to show you how much it helps to lower your expectations, regardless if you actually want to see the film. It seems as if people were expecting Alice in Wonderland to be the ultimate Disney and Burton film, or had the animated Alice so high in a pedestal that there was no way that the Burton version could reach it. I don't know, it just seems that the reason it gets mixed reviews is because people expected more out of it. I do agree that some things could have been handled better (I thought the movie needed a longer running time in order to develop some things). But it wasn't bad or horrible.
Or maybe Burton created yet another "love it or hate it" movie that only a few seem to really appreciate. Lord knows that I hated Sweeney Todd, but some people hail it as a fantastic film. Whereas I loved the Corpse Bride while others put it alongside the likes of Plan 9 of Outer Space...
I realize that's due to both increased ticket sales and the use of 3-D, but still. Never in my wildest dreams did I think the film would be this successful. I figured it'd make about $100 million domestically; I didn't even bother predicting a worldwide total. Now Alice is second only to Dead Man's Chest as Disney's most successful film. Wow. Just wow. Disney needed this hit badly, especially since: a) Prince of Persia's underperforming, and b) the only other surefire hit they have this year is Toy Story 3. Anything can happen with The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Tangled, and Tron Legacy, but I'm only expecting those to do decently at best. 
