Alice in Wonderland

It's very hard to review this film because a five-star scale is too narrow in this case to express feelings. On one hand, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is certainly mainstream, as the strong influence of Walt Disney Studios is indisputable in shaping the final form of the film. This Alice is simply much more epic than its literary predecessor and corresponds to the classic model of the battle between good and evil, with stereotypical fairy tale characters. The studio has already tried this pattern many times and will definitely not change it because of Lewis Carroll's fans. So Alice fights a dragon and cannot avoid a romantic motif. On the other hand, it is unnecessary to blame Tim Burton for succumbing to commercial temptations and selling his artistic vision to Walt Disney Studios. In the American concept, the director is merely a craftsman, the owner of the work, and the actual creator is effectively the producer, who can dictate. We do not know what Alice would have been if it were made as an independent film, but it would probably be much less elaborate and might not even exist. Tim Burton might be able to produce it if it were exclusively an animated film. Even in this studio version, there is plenty to see, as the visuals are not bad at all, and there are several excellent special effects. Most likely, children will like it, as it was written by Lewis Carroll as a fairy tale for children. Those who seek artistic depth and an adult version will have to look elsewhere. If I were to criticize Burton for being too Disney-like, then I would discard the Disney version from 1951 altogether. The fact is that intellectual depth and ambiguity are missing in the newest adaptation of Alice, but it is still a grand and enjoyable spectacle. Overall impression: 75%. (11/03/2010)

When the most likeable character in a fairytale is the main villain, it’s impossible to avoid the feeling that something went bloody wrong. Alice in Wonderland is a run-of-the-mill film in every aspect, though some people may appreciate Burton’s signature, even if here it’s neutered. Not me, though. Kids will probably like it, it’s not utterly bad. (01/06/2010)

Burton didn't tell a story, he simply narrated. The most frequently asked question by me was why the film is not fully animated, since everything is as artificial as the interior of a Chinese car. In the overload of "Burton-esque visuals," completely in CGI, everything is lost... except for Mia Wasikowska, who carries the whole confused (!!) mess to the end. This time, that’s liberation. It’s sterile, boring, kitschy, plastic... the perfect repellent for viewer empathy. (16/05/2010)

Tim Burton is hands down the most interesting director of our time and every one of his films is worth watching at least once. While some of them didn't do much for me (Mars Attacks, Beetlejuice), others are among the best I've seen so far (Sleepy Hollow, Ed Wood). This one is somewhere in between, it didn't impress me, but given the premise it was a pleasant surprise. The story is a bit secondary anyway, the main thing are the amazing sets, the make-up effects, the music and of course the performances led by Depp and Bonham Carter (hats off to the great dubbing). If it all formed a traditional, Burton-esque unconventional whole, I'd give it four stars without blinking an eye, but Alice is mostly overstuffed with that uninhibited, sterile form that any filmmaker who isn't afraid to break free from his chains, even though he doesn't have much to say, would produce, and in this case, that’s a disappointment... (03/01/2012)

Alice in Wonderland is undoubtedly one of the weaker efforts from the workshop of the master of imagination Tim Burton. On the one hand, it actually seems quite paradoxical: a work like this, when rewritten as a film, certainly offers considerable avenues for portrayal, plenty of room for self-expression, and is directly built for directorial exhibition. Unfortunately, the whole film leaves a rather faint impression in terms of directing and inevitably gives the impression that Burton had the whole process of filming very precisely mapped out in advance and thus left his authorial imprint only to a very limited extent (though hints of Burtonian poetry and humor thankfully do appear here and there). The bright side of the whole project for me remains the fabulous performance of Helena Bonham Carter and a few funny moments. Even Danny Elfman's music is not as impressive as usual this time around. Burton's most divisive film in the last ten years of his career. (27/10/2011)