For many months now, I have been excited about Tim Burton's version of the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland. I love Tim Burton movies. His style is unique and his cinematography is simply amazing! To me, ALICE seemed like a perfect fit for the man who brought the world Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate factory and many others. This film surprised me. It wasn't like any ALICE I had seen before. This time, Wonderland was truly wonderful!Tim's ALICE is truly one of a kind. In the beginning, we find Alice (played by newcomer Mia Wasikowska), now 19 years of age, at her engagement party. The only problem - Alice isn't ready to marry. She is imaginative and curious and her husband-to-be is more serious. Not a perfect match. When Alice sees the white rabbit she has only dreamed about, she chases it down the rabbit hole and ends up in Underland, a place of her dreams, where there is a constant battle between the Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter) and White Queen (played by Anne Hathaway). Now, with the help of the Mad Hatter (played by Jonny Depp), she must find herself and defeat the Red Queen, saving Underland from a dismal demise.
To be honest, it took me until about the half-way point to truly like this movie. All throughout, I was expecting ALICE to go where every other ALICE movie had gone. Who was I kidding? This is Tim Burton's version. Once I got over the fact that this was a completely new ALICE story, I fell in love with this version. The acting is supurb! Each actor fits perfectly into their part (even the voice actors). As we already know, Helena Bonham Carter can play evil well and she truly steals the show!
This ALICE is the new one to beat! Burton's imagination has brought Wonderland to life in a way the land has never been shown before. While this film isn't perfect, ALICE is truly magical and will be enjoyed!
