Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland

Ok. This is I think my first review of 2010. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had the chance to update this blog. So... let's do this.

Alice in Wonderland - the live, 2010 version - is nothing like the fairy tale from Hans Christen Andersen back when I was a kid. This version of Alice in Wonderland is the updated version: It's been thirteen years since Alice first tumbled down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. Alice Kingsley (I never knew that until this movie) is now 20 years old, and is about to get engaged to this guy who's a lord named Amish. She then gets distracted by the White Rabbit... as Amish gets down on one knee to propose in front of a whole gathering. Alice excuses herself saying that she needed to think, and follows the White Rabbit back to the rabbit hole, where she once again falls down.

Everybody in Wonderland - now called Dunderland (maybe it's a silent "D" but I couldn't really understand) - knows who Alice is, but Alice is pretty sure she's only dreaming. They get chased by the Knight Sting - who has this eye patch in the shape of a heart - who's working for the Red Queen. Alice escapes with the help of the Cheshire Cat, the Hare and the Mad Hatter, who reminds Alice that the place they all now know as (D)Underland was the place she once called Wonderland.

There's a series of prophesies surrounding Alice's return to Wonder/(D)Underland, the main one being that she's to slay the beast called the Jabberwocky, in order to return the crown to its rightful owner, the White Queen.

In essence, there begins a battle between Red and White, with the Mad Hatter serving as knight for the White Queen and Alice as her champion.

I find this movie a wee bit disturbing, since we all grew up knowing the story of Alice in Wonderland, and THAT fairy tale painted pretty pictures in our head, especially with the cartoon version also by Disney. Although it's obvious this Alice in Wonderland isn't for the young, there were still a lot of kids who watched the movie, and I, for one, think that they won't be able to sleep well tonight. This movie has a stellar cast - Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, to name a few - and they all complimented each other so well. Although this movie might not be that much of a blockbuster, I think that this could very well be one of the top-grossing movies of 2010 so far.

I don't think that there's a difference between the 3D version and the regular version, but I do find the 3D glasses a teeny bit annoying. One size does not fit all.

The verdict: 3 and a half out of 5 stars