26th March, 2010
DAVID ADAMS
Alice In Wonderland (PG)
In a word: Lush
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A FANTASTIC WORLD: Alice (Mia Wasikowska) enters Wonderland,
"Wasikowska does an able job with the role, but it’s Bonham-Carter and Johnny Depp (as the likeable Mad Hatter) who really steal the show."
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I wasn’t sure what I’d make of Tim Burton’s latest extravaganza, Alice in Wonderland. But I have to admit I was impressed. Yes, it is a visual feast (be sure to see it in 3D), but it also manages to successfully capture the strange essence of the original story while at the same time bringing a fresh approach to it.
All grown up and forced to face a decision about her future that she’s rather not, the now 19-year-old Alice (played by Australian Mia Wasikowska) returns to Wonderland via the same way she did the first time – by following the White Rabbit down a hole.
Once in back Wonderland – a place she initially only recalls from a recurring dream, Alice soon encounters the odd menagerie of people who inhabit it as they work to keep her safe from the evil Red Queen (played with aplomb by Helena Bonham-Carter) and fulfil a prophesy in which she must defeat a great evil and bring peace to the land.
Wasikowska does an able job with the title role, but it’s Bonham-Carter and Johnny Depp (as the erratic yet highly likeable Mad Hatter) who really steal the show. They’re well-supported by a stellar cast which includes the likes of Matt Lucas (Tweedledum and Tweedledee – or is that Tweedledee and Tweedledum?), Stephen Fry (voice of the Cheshire Cat), Alan Rickman (voice of the blue caterpillar), and Anne Hathaway (the White Queen).
A word of warning though. As reflected in the PG rating,you should exercise caution in taking younger children. Monsters lurk here and it’s clear from the get-go that this film is aimed at an older - teenage? - audience.
But if you’re after an couple of hours of pure escapism (and a great soundtrack as a bonus), this may well be the film you’re looking for.
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