Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland

Louis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is one of the great children novels in children's literature. Its imaginary world, with numerous adult themed allegories, makes it an interesting read for both children and adults.

In all honesty...I have not read the book since high school. And my kid is not old enough yet for this book. But the way I remember it, the story is really...a story without a real story line, without key relationships, and kind of a wandering maze of events. Very difficult to build a movie around.

Of course, if there is any director that could pull it off, it is Tim Burton. And he almost does it. Almost.

Now, frankly, the film is beautiful. The world is amazing to look at, and in 3-D is fantastic. But it is a little bit of 'been there/done that' after Avatar came out. So yes, it is visually stunning, but not a breakthrough by any means.

Where the movie does fall apart is the story. Louis Carroll's world is one where nothing makes sense. All the normal rules of physics and the real world are overturned. For Alice originalists, it is almost heresy for Burton to create a virtual sequel to ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS, the two novels that Carroll wrote that most people are familiar with.

And I think, in some ways, some of the wonder is lost with casting Alice as a teenager. Part of the original story's greatness is the wonder and awe of a child in this insanity. In this movie, Alice looks at this world through almost adult eyes, and in that sense, something is lost.

Now, I enjoyed the movie. It is a dazzling visual experience. It is fun to watch, although not an earth-shattering film. And I am sure kids will love it. Maybe I am being overly critical. I will say this: it will make a ton of money. And if you want to waste a few hours on the weekend watching this...I can think of worse things. You will have fun, and that says something.