Tim Burton’s most recent feature ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is maniacal and colourful, like the rest of his filmography. Stylistically, the film is multi-layered; it is gloomy and sinister in aesthetic. The mise en scene is unpredictable, unsettling and unhinged, much like the March Hare’s throwing antics. Whilst Burton’s Gothic, hyper-real visuals are eye-catching, the film, in some ways, is a recycling of his other titles. It is a more technologically-advanced approach to his recurring use of Gothic aesthetics, visual excess and melancholic characterisation. This, I believe, poses some problems.
It’s a no-brainer: Burton’s characters are psychotic. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter has bulb eyes, electric red hair and sports bohemian apparel. The Hatter is mad but kind; Depp communicates this juxtaposition well to audiences. This character quality, however, is something we all know too well in Burton’s films. He channels tragedy through other antiheroes of his such as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Jack the Pumpkin King, Ed Wood and Willy Wonka. Burton’s most recent film has this tendency towards recycling and as a result, I feel as though the film drags shortly after Alice falls down the hole. The film does have some positives too. Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen is gross, standing in strong opposition to the White Queen, who is haphazardly portrayed by Anne Hathaway. The Red is ghastly and fascistic, much like the equivalent literary character. Even though The Red Queen is a fantastical, caricatured, SFX body, Carter’s schizoid portrayal is generally effective. Her voice, however, is annoying in parts, specifically when she annoyingly screams for retailiants to have their heads cut ‘off’. Crispin Glover as Stayne (Knave of Hearts) is intense and creepy. His sinister qualities – much like the Queen’s forehead – are exaggerated. Stayne embodies the evil of the world Alice has entered. Mia Wasikowska as Alice is dry and unexciting. Her performance is average; it does the job. Her performance is a necessary evil in the narrative. Burton’s film is simultaneously camp, comical, Gothic and excessive, making it a fast-paced feature in parts. Supporting vocal performances by Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas and Alan Rickman are also fantastic. This pace and sharp vocal delivery, however, does not sustain audience interest from start to finish.
I believe Burton has done well to computerise and further darken a story many of us have read as children. In the process of doing so, I think Burton has, in some ways, failed to provide a new lens through which we can read the story, rather than just look at it. If you are a Tim Burton enthusiast, you may enjoy his new approach to this old story. If you are not, brace yourself for a visual orgy that is simultaneously dark and light.
(3/5)
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Johnny Depp is a pure legend…Pirates of the Carribean are my fave movies of all time!