Alice in Wonderland 3D Thoughts

[emeraldstag]

Alice in Wonderland 3D

When it rains, it pours. After a long break between seeing movies, I ended up catching a morning showing of Alice in Wonderland the day after seeing HTTYD. Seeing it so late into the run there was not an IMAX showing available might have taken away a bit but I did find myself without the headache I experienced during HTTYD and Alice was nearly double the length.

That said, my Alice experience suffered from having been blown away by HTTYD the day before. I didn't know what to expect given that it was a Tim Burton film but from the trailers I was expecting some type of coming of age story with Alice having one last trip into Wonderland to close the door on childhood and become an adult. I was close in Alice remembering who she once was but I have to say my expectations were blown away in one aspect, Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

With the talented cast I certainly didn't expect Mia to be the most memorable but she was and the way she carried whimsical and matter of fact in a delicate balance was entertaining. The same can't be said for Johnny Depp, the Hatter seemed depressed and mad but not in the good way and perhaps even a bit lonely. Not quite the second banana I expected from the little shown in the trailers. I adore Helena Bonham Carter and enjoyed her portrayal of the Red Queen. Anne Hathaway as the White Queen was more spooky than innocent/angelic.

The ending felt too abrupt for my tastes, I was figuring Alice would figure a way to defeat the Jabberwocky but then she beheads it and its over just like that. The venom used to send her back and she set her life in the direction she wants. I would've liked to have maybe Alice decide to stay in Wonderland or for at least there to be some celebration/showing the return of peace to the land before she went. Maybe it hurt Alice that I saw it right after the brilliance of HTTYD but I was not wowed by Alice. Solid, good but not amazing to me.