Go Ask Alice

I'm always hesitant to go see a movie where I already know the plot, more or less, but that didn't keep me away from seeing the latest Burton film since I've been a fan of his since Scissorhands. I need not mention my affinity towards Johnny Depp either.

Burton's take on this film is intriguing, and instead of redoing what's already been done, Burton picks up on his story after the sequel, Through The Looking Glass. It turns out, Alice's first romp through Underland at age six was not a dream at all, and she returns at age 19, during the day of her surprise engagement party by following the waist-coated rabbit once again. This allows for the gloomy foreshadowing and dark humor that is so prominent in any Burton film. My favorite part being, the remnants of the last tea party 13 years prior, where the Mad Hatter is even madder and even the Rabbit and Door Mouse have lost their senses a bit. The teacups are all broken, shattered and thrown at each other as they await a challenger to take down the big-headed Red Queen, which is brilliantly portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter. Anne Hathaway's performance of the White Queen made me laugh and wince at the same time. I'm not sure if that's good, but at least it's different, and I didn't mind being pushed into an unknown direction. The effects were the expected high quality, adding to the entertainment value. Speaking of which, I also like that certain elements of the original story were kept like the changing scale of Alice herself. It's all good, clean fun. A movie you can take the kids to, but enjoy yourself.

Mad Hatter for Halloween? Probably.