Alice in Wonderland

Jessie's thoughts:
5 pops

What can I say about this really? Tim Burton is a freakin genius and I absolutely love all of his work and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There are two of my favorite books so it’s no surprise that I loved this movie. It was exactly what I would expect from a Tim Burton version of this classic tale. It was a little bit creepy, had beautiful imagery, a little bit innocent and an incredibly unique take on a story that was not necessarily meant to be a fairy tale. The way that Lewis Carroll describes Wonderland was not the utopian version that you see in Disney’s first Alice in Wonderland movie. Tim Burton actually got it a little closer to the book with his darker, yet still beautiful, portrayal.

In addition to the beautiful imagery, the acting was incredible. I mean, yeah, it was just amazing. Mia Wasikowska was absolutely perfect as Alice. She had the innocent, somewhat naïve, but still strong thing absolutely down pat. Johnny Depp, of course, was incredible as the Mad Hatter. He is one of the very few actors that are actually able to become his character and not just play a part. However, I think he was for once given a run for his money by someone else in the movie. Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen was perfect. I mean, she was just amazing and I don’t really know how else to describe it. Anne Hathaway, though I doubted her at first, was also great as the White Queen. The casting was just incredible. They definitely had the perfect actors for this movie and the casting was a lot of what made this movie so wonderful.

I definitely think this is a must-see for everyone. I think that adults will enjoy it just as much, if not more, than kids. It is absolutely perfect for all ages. Even if you aren’t a huge Alice in Wonderland fan, I still think that you’ll like this movie simply because of the incredible imagery and acting in it. I do agree with Adam, however, on the fact that you don't necessarily have to see it in 3D. The 3D thing didn't really make too much of a difference to me and ultimately just gave me a headache. But, it was a great movie and will definitely be one that I add to my DVD collection as soon as it’s available.

Adam's thoughts:
4 pops

Okay the above score is 'interesting’ because we ended up seeing this movie in 3D and I’m not sure if the score should be adjusted based on if you see it in 3D or not. Burton did a fantastic job, as he always does, in turning a kid’s cute story and twisting it into something a bit more dramatic. It’s the classic story we all remember but far more interesting than before. The 3D was cool, but I don’t think you have to see this movie in 3D. Not like Avatar where 50% of the reason you watched it was for the 3D environment. No, Wonderland could be seen on the regular screen and you would get just as much enjoyment out of it. Depp was excellent as the Mad Hatter and he alone might be the biggest reason to see this movie. The man has an ability of playing multiple roles and in this he needed that skill. The special effects were well blended with the real actors making it seamless. The story still held on to its classic roots but was much more in depth allowing you to really feel like you were seeing it for the first time. All in all this movie is a must see and forking over the extra money to see it in the theater is definitely worth it. As far as whether or not you see it in 3D is up to you. I think movie companies these days stick the 3D tag on a movie just to earn a few extra bucks when in reality you don’t need it at all.

If anything you could always keep those big 3D Imax goggles and scare your neighbors when you get home.