Alice In Wonderland

There’s a school of thought that The Great War began because it was just too much effort not to have a war. Whilst watching Alice In Wonderland, I started to think along similar lines regarding the film. It was just too much effort for Hollywood not to have a new version, and it was especially too much effort for it not to be directed by Tim Burton. So what we get is what we expected to see in the first place. Some cuteness, some zaniness, some Helena Bonham Carter-ness. However, it all feels a bit similar. In addition, and somewhat ironically considering the subject matter, it appears to be lacking in the imagination department somewhat. There’s idea’s afoot of course, but it feels like we’ve been here already in previous Burton films. Along similar lines to the above it was also clearly too much effort for Johnny Depp not to play The Mad Hatter, but his performance feels somewhat forced and ends up being irritating rather than entertaining. Mia Wasikowska is fine as Alice (though her stunning resemblance to a young G Paltrow is somewhat distracting), but it’s a joy to watch Helena Bonham Carter as the hilarious Red Queen. No doubt accusations of favouritism can be made in Burton’s direction, but at least Bonham Carter does him proud (though Blackadder fans won’t have to watch for too long before working out who Bonham Carter's performance is based on). Overall, this isn’t a bad film, but it just isn’t a brilliant one either.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Surprisingly unmoving, but kiddies should enjoy. Add an extra mark if you’re a youngster or an Alice fan in general. Rating: 5/10