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The W - Movies & TV - Alice in Wonderland
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ekedolphin
Scrapple








Since: 12.1.02
From: Indianapolis, IN; now residing in Suffolk, VA

Since last post: 480 days
Last activity: 4 days
#1 Posted on | Instant Rating: 2.30
My family and a friend of mine went to see Alice in Wonderland today, and I was very impressed by the movie.

It wasn't at all what I expected, though... if you're looking for a live-action remake of the classic Disney cartoon, that's not what it is. It's much more action/adventure oriented, as Alice plays the part of The One We've All Been Waiting For as she has to fight against the minions of the Red Queen, played hilariously evilly by Helena Bonham Carter.

Johnny Depp was very convincing in the role of the Mad Hatter, and I've already memorized several quotes from the film which'll be added to my favorites:

"I'm crazy, aren't I?" "Absolutely bonkers. But I'll let you in on a little secret. All the best people are."

"This is impossible." "Only if you believe it is." "My father said he believed in six impossible things before breakfast."

Anyway, I definitely recommend it, especially for people who like the source material. It also has a kinda Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe feel to it, only more whimsical.



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Kevintripod
Knackwurst








Since: 11.5.03
From: Mount Pleasant, Pa.

Since last post: 14 days
Last activity: 3 days
#2 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.79
My daughter said she absolutely loved it and wanted to immediately watch it again, but the next showing was sold out.



Mr. Boffo
Scrapple








Since: 24.3.02
From: Oshkosh, WI

Since last post: 3886 days
Last activity: 3847 days
#3 Posted on | Instant Rating: 5.41
    Originally posted by ekedolphin

    "This is impossible." "Only if you believe it is." "My father said he believed in six impossible things before breakfast."


That's very similar to a quote from "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe", by Douglas Adams. He explains the different ways that people interact with a restaurant which exists at the end of time (just before the Big Crunch), and how each of them is impossible. He then explains that the restaurant's slogan was "If you've done six impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?" I'm not going to say the screenwriter stole it, I just think it's an interesting coincidence.
Mr Heel II
Lap cheong








Since: 25.2.02

Since last post: 1881 days
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#4 Posted on | Instant Rating: 5.20
OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!
tarnish
Landjager








Since: 13.2.02
From: Back in the Heart of Hali

Since last post: 569 days
Last activity: 2 hours
#5 Posted on | Instant Rating: 7.59
    Originally posted by Mr. Boffo
      Originally posted by ekedolphin

      "This is impossible." "Only if you believe it is." "My father said he believed in six impossible things before breakfast."


    That's very similar to a quote from "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe", by Douglas Adams. He explains the different ways that people interact with a restaurant which exists at the end of time (just before the Big Crunch), and how each of them is impossible. He then explains that the restaurant's slogan was "If you've done six impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?" I'm not going to say the screenwriter stole it, I just think it's an interesting coincidence.


More likely that the screenwriter stole it from the White Queen in Through the Looking Glass:

    Originally posted by Lewis Carroll

    Alice laughed. `There's no use trying,' she said `one ca'n't believe impossible things.'

    `I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. `When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.



I would tend to think stealing from one's source material is fairly acceptable, but who can keep up with the intricacies of copyright law anymore?

Now one might suggest that Lewis Carroll (1832 - 1898) stole it from Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001), but that would be number seven and I've already had breakfast today. I think, all in all, it is probably most likely that the slogan for Milliways was a delightful little homage to Mr. Carroll on the part of Mr. Adams.
Tribal Prophet
Andouille








Since: 9.1.02
From: Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Since last post: 2926 days
Last activity: 2187 days
#6 Posted on | Instant Rating: 5.13
    Originally posted by tarnish
    Now one might suggest that Lewis Carroll (1832 - 1898) stole it from Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001), but that would be number seven and I've already had breakfast today.



That could be the funniest thing I've read in a very long time. Nicely done lol.
The Goon
Banger
Moderator








Since: 2.1.02
From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Since last post: 853 days
Last activity: 831 days
#7 Posted on | Instant Rating: 8.13
Just came back from the movie. It was surprisingly intense, particularly the final battle scene. Loved the visual work.

A scene that was particularly fun for me was when the Hatter and company sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat" over tea. About 30 years ago, I played the caterpillar in a stage production of Alice and that was the song I sang (between puffs of opium - good thing I had no idea what that was in Grade 6).

edit: Wanted to mention that it was worth going to see in an IMAX 3D theatre mainly for the trailer of Tron: Legacy. Wow!

(edited by The Goon on 7.3.10 1817)
Packman V2
Bratwurst








Since: 16.3.04
From: Albuquerque, NM

Since last post: 762 days
Last activity: 298 days
#8 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.48
I went and watched it in 3D Friday night...and I really liked it. I think part of it was just how it gave you the whole nostalgic feel if you watched the animated version as a kid, and it had a good story. It was dark, twisted, and I loved every minute of it, from Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter, who was truly mad, to the crazy hare, the army of hearts, the queen of heart's massive head, Chesire Cat, and so on and so on. I would definitely go see this again.

However, the 3D was very disappointing. I went and saw avatar about a month and a half ago, and it was awesome, very vivid and very worth watching in 3D. Disney's 3D was lacking, most of it didn't feel very 3D at all. But, given that was my only complaint, I'll gladly take it.



samoflange
Lap cheong








Since: 22.2.04
From: Cambridge, MA

Since last post: 3806 days
Last activity: 3798 days
#9 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.48
Aside from the obvious visual appeal, I thought this was a terrible film. I've never read the Alice books, nor have I seen any other films beyond perhaps the Disney version when i was very young. I had zero interest in the story throughout the film. Nothing was intriguing or engaging. I actually struggled to stay awake during the film's climax, a fact which shocked me quite a lot.

I have a slight knowledge of the characters, having been somewhat immersed in the Alice-in-Wonderland-loving stoner culture during college. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter certainly interested me the most going in, but I came out unimpressed with the character. I think I should attribute that more to the creative direction than to Depp's acting talents. Seeing some of his backstory was briefly interesting, but it wasn't fleshed out enough to be anything but annoyingly vague for me. Alice herself was incredibly boring and predictable. I liked the Cheshire Cat and the frazzled rabbit from the tea party (never caught his name, if he had one).

Thinking more deeply into it, I would say that much of my apathy towards this movie is because in such a fantastical world there are no real rules. Very few limits are defined, so why should there be any true suspense as to how character will get through certain situations? I suppose fans of the Alice books/movies might being viewing the film differently, but I didn't have any significant prior knowledge and thus the film didn't hit me right at all.

(edited by samoflange on 8.3.10 1041)


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Jericholic53
Boerewors








Since: 18.3.03
From: Honolulu, HI

Since last post: 1888 days
Last activity: 1302 days
#10 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.15
    Originally posted by samoflange
    Aside from the obvious visual appeal, I thought this was a terrible film. I've never read the Alice books, nor have I seen any other films beyond perhaps the Disney version when i was very young. I had zero interest in the story throughout the film. Nothing was intriguing or engaging. I actually struggled to stay awake during the film's climax, a fact which shocked me quite a lot.

    I have a slight knowledge of the characters, having been somewhat immersed in the Alice-in-Wonderland-loving stoner culture during college. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter certainly interested me the most going in, but I came out unimpressed with the character. I think I should attribute that more to the creative direction than to Depp's acting talents. Seeing some of his backstory was briefly interesting, but it wasn't fleshed out enough to be anything but annoyingly vague for me. Alice herself was incredibly boring and predictable. I liked the Cheshire Cat and the frazzled rabbit from the tea party (never caught his name, if he had one).

    Thinking more deeply into it, I would say that much of my apathy towards this movie is because in such a fantastical world there are no real rules. Very few limits are defined, so why should there be any true suspense as to how character will get through certain situations? I suppose fans of the Alice books/movies might being viewing the film differently, but I didn't have any significant prior knowledge and thus the film didn't hit me right at all.

    (edited by samoflange on 8.3.10 1041)


I agree with this sentiment completely. For me it was also a lack of engagement with the characters. They never gave me a reason to get emotionally invested. All of the characters in Wonderland kept constantly talking about how horrible things were, and how worried they were, but their actions never really reflected this. There was never an urgency or change in any of their actions from scene to scene. They just continued to be their weird quirky selves. It was as though I was watching "Alice does this", now "Alice does this", a series of actions strung together without much motivation or reason given to care about them. Visually it was, okay. It definitely had that Burton feel to it, but nothing struck me as truly inspired.



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GameCrazy
Chipolata








Since: 13.1.10
From: Wyomissing, PA

Since last post: 4914 days
Last activity: 3687 days
#11 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.39
I'll add to the negative reviews here... I saw it in the 3D IMAX and I was not impressed. I will say that I went in with low expectations based on the reviews, but I still held out hopes that they were wrong. They weren't. The movie basically blew its 3D wad about 20 minutes in and then seemingly gave up. Not that I need the 3D to enjoy the movie, but I expected more from Burton's first true 3D IMAX experience.

As for the story... I think they tied it all together fairly well in the end, but this movie tried so hard to channel a LOTR/Narnia feel and I have no clue why. It just wasn't fun, or all that well fleshed out. Burton has always been able to bring the child out in me with his amazing visual style, but this movie left me wishing there was more filler and less story development for a change. It just didn't establish the universe well at all. I think it could have used a much more lighthearted feel when Alice got into Wonderland, but instead they went for the Avatar approach of having "creatures you don't know/understand," i.e. the bandersnatch, just bring in the action immediately. A la Avatar, said creature also ends up just being misunderstood and turning into an ally as well.

I hated most of the cast with the exception of Alice (don't know the actress's name) and Queen Bonham-Carter. Alice was believable, and the Queen was just about the only fun part of the movie. When she's the main villain, that's a problem. I thought the Mad Hatter was too in the middle for me, and his backstory was contrived and convenient. The way Depp played him was almost understated for most of the movie. He subtley changed the way the character was played throughout, making him less "Mad" than I think he should have. Instead, it almost seemed like he was just slightly schizophrenic. If that was what they were going for, then hey, whatever. I just think it was a mistake to water down the character in favor of making him a viable hero in the endgame. The character should be more fun to watch, and instead he was just depressing and sometimes unintelligible. And then that dance at the end... The less I try to remember that, the better. It seemed like Burton was trying his hardest to alienate the younger audience and make it less of a kids movie, and then Disney threw that in to make the kids go home saying "hahaha OMG that movie was so funny" even though most of the movie was serious in tone.

I liked Tweedle Dee/Dum and the March Hare, hated the White Rabbit (underused/developed), the Dormouse, and especially the White Queen. Such a nothing character...

I dug the twist at the end with the flashbacks to young Alice, I actually didn't quite see it coming and I'm glad they tried to explain somehow why the characters are so different. But why try to change the property into something it's never been? What audience were they trying to reach? Just the Burton fans who will praise everything he touches? If so, that's a very self-serving way to make movies. But judging by the box office numbers, it appears to be a good way to make money. Ugh.

And the CGI was downright horrible and distracting at times, particularly anything with the Knave of Hearts.

And finally, I was among those almost falling asleep towards the end during the final battle. The whole thing was foreshadowed the whole movie and a foregone conclusion, so there was just no reason to care. You knew Alice was going home to resolve the stuff from the beginning, and you knew that the White Queen was going to take over again, otherwise her character wouldn't have existed at all. And a Mad Hatter/Alice Peter Pan love story? Um... ew.

If you paid me to watch this again, I begrudgingly would. But I would never want to.
StaggerLee
Scrapple








Since: 3.10.02
From: Right side of the tracks

Since last post: 928 days
Last activity: 928 days
#12 Posted on | Instant Rating: 1.63
HATED the movie. And, why was it in 3D? It added very little to the movie. If not for the fall down the hole, and a few things floating around, the 3D could have been left out altogether.

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