Alice in Wonderland

Reviewed by Drav3n

Format: Blu-ray

Release: June 1, 2010

Rated: PG

Runtime: 108 Minutes

If I hear "Off with the head" one more time, I might just have to cut somebody's damn head off myself!

The Movie:

Are you ready to tumble down the rabbit hole and see what kind of an adventure Tim Burton has in store for your imagination? Well, considering Alice in Wonderland still currently holds the spot for #1 movie of 2010, and #5 movie of all-time, it looks like most people were interested in seeing this movie, myself included. However, the word of mouth on this movie has been very, very mixed!

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is not a remake, but more of an unofficial sequel. Alice is now 19 years old when she returns to Wonderland (or as Burton refers to it in the movie as "Underland"), forgetting that she has been there before. This Wonderland Underland is a world unlike anything you have seen before. And thanks to CGI and digital technology, the characters come to life more colorful than you could have ever imagined. All of your favorite characters return in this movie, including the Mad Hatter, the White Queen, The Red Queen, the White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Absolem the Caterpillar, and the Knave of Hearts. Burton definitely delivers a creative and imaginative new twist on one of the most beloved stories of all time.

When I saw this in the theater, I was bored out of my mind. I found the story to be boring and was highly annoyed with the Red Queen's character. Now revisiting this movie on blu-ray, I can say it's still not an amazing film, but not as bad as I had thought. The story was still a little on the boring side and surprisingly violent for a kids film (Not that that matters to me though). I still found myself wanting to punch Tim Burton for including that stupid Futterwacken Dance. And I guess Helena Carter did her job well because I increasingly became annoyed with her character, especially hearing "Off with the head" every few seconds she's on screen. Maybe college kids could watch this movie and use her character for a drinking game: Every time she says "Off with the head," you do a shot? Not a bad idea, huh?

In regards to the acting, I was very impressed with Mia Wasikowska as Alice. I never heard of her until now, and I'm sure she has a bright future ahead of her. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter was exactly what you would expect from him in a Tim Burton film. Eventhough Helena Bonham Carter is a very talented actress, it's kind of annoying to know that since they became an item during Planet of the Apes, she has appeared in every Burton film since. Anne Hathaway as the White Queen I thought was a great casting choice. She is one of those rare actresses that can pull off performances in all the different genres and not become typecasted.

When Tim Burton is doing a movie that's his own work, it definitely seems to receive positive results. But when he takes on movies that have already been done and chooses to do his own imagining of it, the films tend to receive more negative reviews than positive. Now that doesn't necessarily mean that no one will enjoy them, but the overall crowd might be more hesitant based on what they heard. Look at movies like "Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Edward Scissorhands." Both are his original works and have been praised. But then you have "Planet of the Apes" "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and now "Alice in Wonderland." All did huge numbers in the box office, but received alot of negative press.

At the end of the day, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, is definitely not the animated film that you remember. While the CGI is good, we all know that too much CGI can be overkill. The battle at the end felt out of place, and everything Burton tried to deliver, it felt like it's already been done in his other films (and done better). But I guess kids are going to enjoy this film, and that's all that matters, right? Yea, I can't make myself believe that either.

Presentation:

While opinions are going to vary on this film, the one thing we can all agree on is that Disney + blu-ray = perfection. And Wonderland definitely comes to life on blu-ray. Almost the entire movie consists of CGI, plus the movie was shot digitally, so there are almost no complaints on the image. Everything is crisp, colors stand out, skin tones looks exactly the way they were intended to look. The only scenes that look soft are right before Alice falls down the rabbit hole and when she reemerges from the hole towards the end. You are definitely getting an incredible transfer with this release. This is one movie you will want to use as demo material to impress your friends.

Audio:

Not only does the film look amazing, the sound is even better! The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track will triumph through your speakers. Danny Elfman delivers yet another amazing score to a film. The dialogue never brings any issues and the sound effects will easily immerse you into the imaginary world of Wonderland. An overall excellent listening experience.

Bonus Material:

Since when does a Disney blu-ray release skimp on the bonus features? Especially for the current biggest movie of 2010! Disney really dropped the ball with this release!

• Wonderland Characters (1080p, Runtime 27:56) - This feature is broken down into six mini-documentaries about Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Red and the White Queens.
• Making Wonderland (1080p, Runtime 19:26) - Again, broken down into six mini-documentaries. Each one of these had the potential to be good, but they are too short and not informative enough.

Bottom Line:

The talk on this film has been right down the middle, with people either praising this movie or hating it. I can't say I'm a big fan of this movie, but it is far from being considered Burton's worst movie. With the blu-ray release you are getting an exceptional sounding and visually stunning presentation. The lack of special features really is surprising for this Disney release. For Disney blu-ray completists or Burton die-hards, they will probably want to pick this up. For everyone else, I strongly recommend you rent this movie before you buy it. If you enjoy it and feel its worth adding to your collection then buy it.

Also, if you go HERE you can print out a $10 off coupon when purchasing the blu-ray/dvd combo pack (and also works on the single-disc blu-ray). You do need to become a member of DisneyMovieRewards, if you aren't already. The coupon expires on June 15, 2010.