While this adaptation strays from the original text, it's a pretty good achievement. It starts with Alice being a little girl disturbed by dreams, and thinking she's "half-mad". Her father assures her she is mad, completely bonkers. Then, he adds, "the best people are."

Instead of getting right into the rabbit hole, we're taken 13 years into the future where Alice is grown up (and quite the little beauty) and her father has died. Her mother wants her to marry into royalty, but she doesn't love the man she's going to marry. At this point, it's as if somehow Jane Austin got a hold of Lewis Carroll and dismantled his plot.

But, Burton has some ideas...and once she's in the rabbit hole, manifesting what she believes to be a "dream" that she invented, she's thrust into Wonderland (or Underland as they call it down there).

Most of what we've seen in the original Disney film is here, it's just a bit different. "Curiouser and curiouser" is used once, as a little homage--but the plot is also a bit more extravagant. It uses themes and storylines from both books, including the Jabberwocky in "Alice Through the Looking Glass".

The film is very linear, and a bit cliche, and the ending is rather corny I thought. But the performances by Bonham-Carter as the Red Queen and Johnny Depp as The Hatter are top notch, and the film never feels slow. Crispin Glover has a bit of a wasted role. Here you have Burton + Lewis Carroll + Alice in Wonderland = Bland...? It doesn't really make sense, unless the studio wanted to keep a tight lid on Burton because of the fact that it was released by Disney.

It's definitely not as trippy as the original Disney film, nor as enchanting. But kids will enjoy the talking animals and the visuals. They're Burton Brand, but they're not Burton at his best.

The 3-D is flimsy. Some of it really works, sometimes it just looks very thrown together. When Alice falls down the rabbit hole, it's very disjointed and made my eyes go a bit wacky for a few moments before they refocused.

Overall it's a decent film, but I wouldn't say it was magical or anything outright special. I blame that more on Disney than I do on Burton. Judging by his last few films, I don't think he's shown signs of "losing it". But this is probably the most family friendly and tepid film he's ever made. I know IB will be disappointed with me, but this does NOT get 3 smiley's. It's not a bad film or anything, it just wasn't as good as I think it could have been. The mad hare is by far the most entertaining part of the film--and he's only in about 15 full minutes of a 140 minute long film.

out of

It's the March Hare, not the "mad hare". Get it right!

Here's a high quality bootleg version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeIXfdogJbA&feature=player_embedded

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

^
I wonder what the great baseball prognosticators were predicting about the Cubs back then....hmmmmmmm.

I love the related video starring Mr. Reason that goes along with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrRKm_V0 ... re=channel

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-"God is great. Beer is good. And People are crazy!"

why should i care about getting it right when half the film got it wrong?

Which half, the first 70 minutes or last?

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

I saw this yesterday. I didn't think the acting was as "wooden" or "lifeless" as the critics were saying. The actress who played Alice seemed a little like that, especially at first, but I felt that as her character grew, the way she played the character opened, so it was probably a choice for her to be like that.

The story was fine, straight forward. Not much allegory or satire as in the original books, but a decent compliment none the less. Do agree with Z on the ending. Parts involving the Hatter were odd, to say the least.

The CGI was fantastic, and the movie worked pretty well in 3-D. Really liked what they did with the Cheshire Cat.

Overall, I thought it was good, but the story could have used some depth. I appreciate the fact that they didn't try to stuff every Wonderland/Looking Glass character into the movie. All the characters used served their purpose well, none seemed to be a waste of space. I'd give this movie out of

I will not see this as I think Burton is not as good as advertised. His last good movie was Batman.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

and here i thought you had good taste in movies.

i find your lack of appreciating "ed wood" and "big fish" disturbing.

then again you did think "dogma" was good.

I didn't think Dogma was good I thought it was brilliant.
Sorry this guy just does not do it for me.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

Fuck yeah.

The opening about the platypus was worth a couple alone...