I had the immense pleasure of screening the new Alice in Wonderland 3D! I did have my doubts at first and I know I am going to get back lash from this but there is really only one thing that Tim Burton has done that I absolutely loved which was Nightmare Before Christmas. He is a visionary for the macabre but when it comes to something that is widely perceived by the general public as a once cartoon film ( I know it was a book, I am not a retard Twilight fan who thinks Stephanie Meyer invented the history of werewolves) one tends to get a little worried. So I settled in with a bag of Funyuns and gummi bears and was ready for anything.
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What I was not ready for was the amount of eyeball stabbing/removal and other violent acts that I should have expected, it is Tim Burton after all, but I never would have imagined the dormouse climbing on top of Alice's attacker and stabbing it's eye with his sword and pulling it out of it's socket. (Later keeping the eye as a trophy around his belt) Later on in the movie I also had to witness the Mad Hatter doing the exact same thing to the Knave of Hearts and other no name characters. Now while this was bad ass, it was not at all what I would call a typical family friendly Disney movie. I wouldn't take a child under the age of 10 that's for sure. I have been working in a theater long enough to know that these kids will get scared and want to leave before you get to the main plot of the movie. 3D movies are not cheap and if you think your kid can handle it and they are younger I would recommend trying to see the regular 2D version.
****SPOILER END****
The colors and imagery in the movie are very intriguing and as usual Tim Burton has yet to disappoint in this regard. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are the principles in the cast but there are many others who lend their voices, Alan Rickman (Love Actually/Galaxy Quest/Dogma), Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings/Sleepy Hollow/Gremlins 2), Timothy Spall (Enchanted/Sweeny Todd/Harry Potter), and Stephen Fry (Bones/V for Vendetta/Spice World) to list a few.
I loved the March Hare, he had to have been my absolute favorite, mainly because it reminded me of every A.D.D. person I have ever met (yes this also includes myself) and it was just well done. The White Queen who was played by Anne Hathaway was also very amusing and I could tell there was a lot of effort put into her being quite adorable and bubbly all the time. With the White Queen there is a special moment when she "breaks character" that allowed us to relate to her and gave us something that was more human.
The Red Queen was a delight and to quote another movie that I saw recently "life is glorious for the cursed and the damned." Even when she has no one to support her it's "OFF WITH HER HEAD"
The movie is charming and alluring and every thing you would expect from Tim Burton. Some were expecting a bit more creepiness from the king of deranged but it is a Disney film people and I think it is creepy enough for this "family friendly" film. I recommend this movie to all who have an open mind and don't expect it to be like the books or the former movies. Watch as if you have never even heard of the franchise and I guarantee this will be an utter delight!
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2 comments:
Nightmare Before Christmas is based off of characters created by Tim Burton and he was the producer...Henry Selick directed it...so technically you don't care for any Tim Burton films?
It's true he didn't direct it but almost the entire thing has his hand in it so I am not really sure what the argument is. It was his project and his ideas so it's his movie from my point of view.
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