Alice in Wonderland (Live-Action)

[PeterPanfan]

Great review, Disney Kid, and I'm sorry it wasn't everything you hoped for.

You left out Anne Hathaway! What did you think about her performance?

***

I saw it earlier tonight and really enjoyed it. Mia Wasikowska was great, as was the whole cast really. It's one of the few times I don't think a single main cast member brought the film down.

Overall, it was good! And I love Alice in Wonderland, so I'm surprised.

[akhenaten]

If it hadn't been free, would you have gone a second time? Or, if one screening was free, would you have gone to a second if you had to pay?

yeah, why not.as i said bfr if just to have fun with friends watching 3d and marvel at the costumes and red queen. but i definitely wont watch it 10 times.tee hee hee.


btw,is the jabberwocky described as such in the original novel?

[ajmrowland]

Im gonna agree with Pap on Chocolate Factory.

[Disneykid]

What changes did you notice from the Teaser?

Well, let's see:

* Most of the shots of Alice running after the White Rabbit save for maybe one were cut out.

* The shots of Alice falling down the rabbit hole have been changed both in the hole's appearance (lighting, objects) and in how she falls (falling in a horizontal lying position in the teaser as opposed to a head first vertical position in the film).

* The CG clothing that engulfs Alice as she shrinks folds differently.

* Bayard the bloodhound has been added to the balcony with Alice and the White Queen.

* The big close up of the Cheshire Cat's disembodied head has been completely cut out.

* The backgrounds have changed for the shots involving Alice wandering through the garden, the Knave surveying the Orraculum, the Bandersnatch roaring, the Hatter being brought into the Queen's throne room, the Hatter picking up his hat from the ground, and the entire mad tea party. Most of the changes are minor ones, except for the one with the Hatter picking up his hat (shown in a charred wreckage in the film as opposed to a plan patch of grass) and the entire tea party (changing the setting from dusk to overcast fog).

* The Jubjub bird snatching the Tweedles is shown in a different angle.

* The Hatter peering suspiciously at Alice before deciding she's Alice has been cut out.

* The White Rabbit taps his pocket watch from the corner of the hedge instead of right in front of it.

Great review, Disney Kid, and I'm sorry it wasn't everything you hoped for.

You left out Anne Hathaway! What did you think about her performance?

Thanks. Don't be sorry, though. I had a great time watching it and am definitely going to see it again soon. I was just expecting to be bowled over by something brilliant, and instead I was just thoroughly entertained. Considering how much crap comes out of Hollywood nowadays, though, I'll gladly take thorough enjoyment.

I really liked Anne Hathaway's White Queen, even if she wasn't in it enough. She was more convincing it the role than I expected, and I liked how she gave hints that showed her airy persona was just for show. It's even suggested that she manipulates people to get her way since (spoiler, highlight to read): in the scene where everyone volunteers to slay the Jabberwocky for Alice, the Tweedles remember from the Orraculum that only she can do it. The White Queen shakes her finger at them and gives them a panicked look as if saying, "Shhh, you're blowing it!" and then immediately becomes passive again two seconds later to tell Alice it's her decision. It almost seems to suggest she told everyone to volunteer in hopes that it'd give Alice a guilt trip and force her to go ahead with the slaying.

And not to continue derailing this thread, but I agree with the above comments on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I think it's a great movie and feel it captures Dahl's intentions better than the 70s film did (though, ironically, I think Wilder did a better job channeling Dahl's Wonka. If you could just place Wilder in Burton's version, it'd be perfect).

[ajmrowland]

* The big close up of the Cheshire Cat's disembodied head has been completely cut out.

[Siren]

So its very much a sequel of the original animated Disney movie. But having Burton's touch, its also very much, nothing like the animated one. Mad Hatter has a different kind of madness than the original cartoon. He has bursts of anger and even violence, he is also good with a sword and willing to kill.

Kid wise, some sensitive children may find the Bandersnatch, Jabberwocky, and floating decapitated heads to be frighting and disturbing. But none of the kids in the theater seemed bother by any of it. Though many people winced and gagged at the floating heads...they were...squishy.

I can't help but think the Bandersnatch's anatomy is based on a bulldog/pit bull. So I automatically liked him.

I thought at times, Mad Hatter sounded too much like Jack Sparrow mixed with Sweeney Todd, but it was still effective. His voice changes did add to the feeling of his utter madness. Cheshire Cat was so perfect, beyond perfect even. I loved the Red Queen's rose colored glasses and her lines in the garden about clothing the enormous girl lol Crispin Glover was great too, but his body felt more out of proportion than the Red Queen's, lol. I liked the White Queen's mannerisms. She at first seems the most sane person there, but then she does, say, or just makes a funny mannerism and you can see the madness inside. She just has an easier time at hiding it. Which IMO, makes her a bit creepy. She's all good, but she seems ready to snap one day lol

I would say the thing working against this movie the most was....the 3D. Too many 3D gimmicks. Were as Avatar immersed you in the 3D, this time its forced. They throw things at you, things fly at you. Its too forced. If I see it again, I'll see it in 2D.
Overall, it was a great movie. A great adaptation. I was not disappointed.


I also agree with Pap about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. People can't wrap it around their heads that Burton was adapting the BOOK not the MOVIE. Case in point....the title alone shows it was based on the book. Where as the producers of the original film decided to drop Charlie's name in favor of Wonka because it was more marketable.

[Babaloo]

I'm not going to write much other than I was very pleased with the movie. I personally thought it was dark and I liked that about it, but by reading some of the critics reviews (which many said was Disney fluff) I expected a much more fluffy movie, and I'm happy it wasn't. I loved every character and every actor suited the part perfectly. And the CGI was gorgeous! The two major problems I had, which are very minor, are the dormouse (everything about her), and the Knave of Hearts. Crispin Glover was great as the knave, but I have to say his CG body didn't work well. I think they should have done something different for his body...his body and its movements just really bugged me!

[pap64]

Thanks. Don't be sorry, though. I had a great time watching it and am definitely going to see it again soon. I was just expecting to be bowled over by something brilliant, and instead I was just thoroughly entertained. Considering how much crap comes out of Hollywood nowadays, though, I'll gladly take thorough enjoyment.

This is why I tend to keep my expectations low, not just for movies but for games, music, books and TV shows. I've noticed that the minute I set my expectations I am bound to be disappointed one way or another. It doesn't matter if its a story I like, a film director I highly respect or that the movie looks good, there's room for disappointment as no film is perfect.

That's why whenever I see a movie I set aside all expectations and focus on what the movie IS, not what it SHOULD be or what I EXPECT it to be. Hell, I even take recommendations with a big grain of salt simply because what may have been a masterpiece for someone might be a bore for some (as an example, my friends worshipped the BBC show Coupling, while I found it to be a bore, though they claim its because the humor flew over my head...).

It helps greatly as I tend to enjoy it far more had I gone to the movie expecting a masterpiece. I just have fun and go with it until its over.

Going back to Charlie once again (sorry!), one thing that places it above the Wilder version is that we actually know the fates of the kids at the end of the factory tour. In the Wilder version we just assume they survived, with Charlie and Rocket taking off, giving the film a happy ending. In the Burton version we actually see what happened to the kids.

Some might say that Burton didn't leave anything to the imagination, but I think seeing the kids made it that much effective. Like, we see that they have likely been scared straight, and the results are just as frightening to us as it is to them. I mean, Violent's bones were crushed and now she is Elastigirl! And Mike Teevee is a freak!

Regarding Wilder Wonka being truer to the book, I slightly disagree, simply because I've read that Dalh always intended Wonka to be socially awkward, weird and at times insane. If I am not mistaken, one deleted story dealt with a candy he made out of a student and a teacher. It also showed Wonka enjoying to an extend the punishment the kids received.

What the Burton version does is give Willy a REASON to be a mad man. He loved candy, but grew up with a dentist father that loathed the stuff. Then add to this how he grew paranoid due to his employees stealing his recipes, and how his only form of human interaction was in the form of thousands of pigmy natives and you realize that Wonka may be a genius but he isn't 100% there, something I feel the Wilder version didn't show off more (it was only briefly seen in the tunnel ride).

To end all of my rambling (hopefully!), I feel most of the hate comes from the fact that Wilder himself hates the new movie, saying that the only reason it exists is because of money. While I do agree that remakes are often made to cash in in the popularity of the franchise Burton at the very least tried to do something with substance and I believe he did a fantastic job of it, and I think this is something that he tried to do with Alice in Wonderland (yay I brought the topic back on track!). It might be considered a sequel to the Disney classic, but rather than just blowing up every aspect of the original film he creates something new while being true to the Lewis Carol stories as well as the film adaptations that came before it.

I greatly respect Wilder since he has been in some of the best movies ever, but I feel that he is just being overly defensive and its likely he hasn't even seen the film, but continues to bash it.

[Nymbus]

Hello,
I saw Alice in IMAX 3D earlier today, and here are a couple of thoughts on it:

1. From the get-go, I, like many others was expecting an entire opening sequence with the camera flying down the rabbit hole and going through different environments, ala CATCF & ST. The main reason that I expected it was because of the length of Alice's theme and I envisioned how it would have happened, but I do like the title going into the London sky, it kind of reminded me of the beginning of Sweeney Todd.

2. I really did enjoy the acting, it was very smooth and everyone portrayed their characters very good. I did like Absolem, since we never got a smidgen of footage of him before the release, so I was pleased to hear Alan Rickman lending his voice to the "Caterpillar". I also am pleased that they didn't tamper too much with the lines that I love from the teaser, trailers, and featurettes (especially the Mad Hatter).

3. The Mad Hatter! Ever since the first image of JD as the Hatter popped up on the internet, I couldn't wait to see him in the film, which is why I grabbed on and loved all of his lines (especially "Only if you believe it is" and "I should very much like to hat it..." lines). I was however disappointed, although it fit with the film, that the 'Flashback Tea Party' was cut down, since I loved the Hatter's lines from the B-Roll Footage "The Poisonous Monkey was your friend, eh? Thackery do not be rude", etc. Allover, as y'all have mentioned, he did remind me of Jack when he said some of his Scottish lines, but it didn't bother me in the end.

4. Danny Elfman's Score. Now, this was another one of the most anticipated things of the film for me. I fell in love with Alice's theme when I heard it for the first time, but I do have to say that, as I mentioned before, that I was disappointed with its absence at the start of the film, although there were tiny hints, I just wish we could've heard the entire track. I love the Alice Reprises throughout the score, and I also love the Elfman used an organ yet again, which he seems to be fond of in other Tim Burton films. I especially like "Proposal (Down The Hole)".

5. Although I loved the IMAX experience, I wish I would've seen it in 2D first off, because I found it distracting to the film itself, especially when Alice fell down the rabbit hole. I did like how some of the objects/characters flew towards you, especially the butterfly and the 'croquet ball', but I want to see it in 2D now so I can just focus on the movie itself.

Overall, I loved the film, being a big Tim Burton fan, and I was only really disappointed with the opening credits and the Futterwhacken, but that is a different story altogether . Oh, and don't even get me started on CATCF, since I love Depp's Wonka greatly, and the Hatter and Wonka are like night and day, which makes Depp that much more of a dimensional actor.

Thanks!

[blackcauldron85]

Two new Alice in Wonderland music videos
http://www.laughingplace.com/Latest.asp?I1=ID&I2=73632


“Alice in Wonderland” Cover-Wrap is Los Angeles Times Opening Day Exclusive
http://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID10037560.asp


Alice's $1 Billion Consumer Products Tea Party
http://www.cnbc.com/id/35714134/
(via laughingplace.com)


ALICE IS A MONSTER! Opens $45M Friday; $120M Weekend Possible For 'Wonderland'?
http://www.deadline.com/2010/03/100m-we ... onderland/
(via laughingplace.com)


TIM BURTON IN WONDERLAND
http://d23.disney.go.com/articles/03051 ... urton.html
(via disneyreport.com)

[Siren]

I also got to say, this is the first movie in may years that I went on opening night. Normally, I will wait till crowds die down after a few days or even weeks. But I took a chance on my patience with crowds and bought the tickets online the night before, thus contracting me to have no choice but to go. And then it became an adventure. I got tickets for the 7:30 show. Got off at 6:30 from work, raced home, picked up my daughter and raced the 30+ minutes to the theater, trying to get around traffic and avoid getting pulled over by cops...oh the irony of being late to that movie was not lost on me. In the end, we arrived 5 minutes before showing. As we ran towards the theater, we heard a bunch of teens complain, the 7:30 showing was sold out (not for us!) The line for the box office was winding around, easily it would have been 10-20 minutes. I would have none of it. I pushed my way past the line and walked into the theater, I asked an employee if guest services would get me my tickets, he said he doubted it, I went to guest services anyways. I demanded, nicely, to skip the line. This particular theater does not use Fandango or any of the others, but it still charges you extra money to buy a ticket online. As far as I am concerned, that extra price should guarantee me, I can skip that monstrous line. Everyone in that line was buying their tickets for the other shows, I had mine on a piece of computer paper. The woman didn't put up a fight and she handed us our tickets and glasses. Oddly, no line for the concessions, we got our popcorn and drinks immediately and then we rushed into the theater. We got in just after the first 1-2 trailers. BUT finding a seat, now that was different. We had to sit in the very very very front row. Took me a while to get use to that, but I got over it.

It was our own little adventure

[ajmrowland]

I just got back from the movie. Here are my thoughts on it:

The Story seemed a bit rushed

Many shots from the teaser were drastically changed

Christopher Lee has only, like, 3 lines

The Cheshire Cat and the March Hare were both wonderfully done

Mad Hatter's Madness is much more subtle. He seems to hold it in a little until the end, in which he does something almost totally out of place.

The flashbacks were short, but juicy.

The Rabbit Hole sequence is my favorite. It's one of the few that has that Lewis Caroll feel about it in the way it's done.

The Caterpillar is much more prominent

HBC was decent as the Red Queen

Anne Hathaway shows even more subtle madness than Johnny.

They changed Crispin Glover's eye-patch to red, whereas it was originally black, as I remember.

The Visuals had the usual flare

The Doormouse has to be my favorite character.

Cheshire Cat really loves hats.


In the end, the movie is good, but there's still a shadow of disappointment.

[CampbellzSoup]

awful film

[ajmrowland]

^Next time you see a movie you anticipate, do what Margos and I always do, and ground yourself in reality.

[DiscoDan]

Wow, I couldn't believe how awful the film was! There wasn't a single thing I liked about it.

[Super Aurora]

Saw it. I wasn't all that great to be honest. Alice was VERY bland and one dimensional. No variations or substance to her acting or her voice. Felt like I was listening the same monologue over and over again. Also not happy of it being a sequel and seeing Alice a young woman as oppose to a little girl like she always suppose to be. The flash back sequences were better than actual movie itself to me.

Depp wasn't all that great and doesn't strike well as the mad hatter. Not just visually but personality wise too. Didn't like the relationship tension between Alice and Hatter either.

The story itself seems more of an "epic tale" ala Narnia, not Wonderland, and thus felt more of a cliche fan-fiction.

Only characters I enjoyed was White Queen and Cheshire Cat.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I'm just about to leave to go and see the film. I'll post my review of it tomorrow; it's already pretty late (well, late for me) and I don't think I'll be up to reviewing it when I get home

[ajmrowland]

To each his own, I guess. I'm with pap on this one when he says to enjoy the movie for what it is, and don't lament it for what it should be.

We all have our own ideals for a Wonderland sequel, and Burton just had the guts to show his. If you dont like it, then make your own movie.

[DiscoDan]

Why should I enjoy the movie for what it is when what it is sucks?

Sorry, but just because it's an "event" movie doesn't mean I have to like it. What I saw was some of the poorest writing, poorest acting, biggest waste of talented people I've ever seen.

[ajmrowland]

Well, like I said, lower your expectations. There was really nothing in this movie that I didn't see coming from last summer, except maybe the dog, and the prison scene, and a certain flashback, so any flaw, I was ready to tolerate.