"Alice in Wonderland" is a mess (2.5/5)

Without a doubt, Tim Burton is a visual genius. Very few directors out there are as consistent as Burton in terms of visual flair and gothic panache. Yet, for as consistent as Tim Burton has been in the visuals department, he has been just as inconsistent in telling a worthwhile story. Obviously there have been moments of greatness that extended from Burton's camera that created moments of equilibrium between visual fortitude and emotional storytelling. From "Edward Scissorhands" to "Sweeney Todd", Tim Burton has demonstrated the full artistic talent he possesses. But, as I have slowly come to notice with my age and the diversification of my film palette, Tim Burton is also lazy. I say this because he has a handful of films where he counts on wowing the audience at the expense of a film's emotional core. I could name a few films that would be an example of this issue, but none are more definitive than Burton's latest endeavor 'Alice in Wonderland.'

But, let's not hate just yet. I'll start with the positives. The first gem emanating from this mine is another terrific Danny Elfman score, which enhances Burton's gothic expressions via a haunting choral section and bombastic horns and drums. Secondly, Johnny Depp, although not as enchanting in this film as his previous Burton efforts, is still a joy to watch as he works through the schizophrenic known as the Mad Hatter. In addition to Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, another Burton vet, also gives a great performance, one that emits that most empathy and enjoyment than any other aspect in the film. Unfortunately I must stop there because there really is nothing more positive to say about this film. I wish I could sit here and say that from a visual standpoint Burton has done it again, but he really hasn't. Instead of using some organic production values (i.e. soundstages, props, costumes), Burton immerses us in a world constructed completely out of CG. This wouldn't be a huge problem if the special effects were actually, you know, special, but they're not. Instead, they're over processed, choppy, and just plain awful, as they create an often cold vibe that is devoid of any emotion. This is especially problematic when one takes into consideration that this story is supposed to be about finding oneself, and if there was any story contingent on its level of emotion and introspection, it would be a story about self discovery. Yet, the film feels awfully hollow and this is in part due to the soulless production.

I imagine there was some reasoning behind it, but when coupled with Burton's monotone colors, the film just looked and felt flat. With that in mind, the special effects, no matter how pertinent they are to a film, should not be the crux of a feature. As I always say and will forever say, the story is the backbone to any film, short or feature length. Despite having rich source materials, said backbone is non-existent in Burton's 'Alice.' This would be an example of Burton at his worse, where he peddles his visuals in favor of a story that is not only thin, but ultimately comes down to the most clichéd climax known to blockbuster films: good vs evil, oh my! The film follows Alice as she goes back to the trippy world she once visited as a child, and is suddenly seen as a savior of sorts by the inhabitants of Wonder(Under)land. From this we get exposition coming from a cavalcade of characters (Mad Hatter, White Queen, etc.) detailing a prophetic tale that entails a legendary warrior slaying the Red Queen's Jabberwocky and freeing the world from the Red Queen's rule. As much as I love an 'epic' setup like this, it never fully develops as it moves from one note characters to one note plot points, leaving a trail devoid of any palpable conflict. From this comes a climax that resembles almost every adventure/fantasy film as it comes down to one massive field battle between good and evil. We've seen this and done this before.

Not to say that Burton and his screenwriter had to reinvent the wheel by any means, but Burton has always been an inventive director and for him to just let this film, one that is based off of a source material that is anything but conventional, slip into the realm of formula is severely disappointing. This doesn't seem like the Tim Burton who brought the whimsical and bizarre 'Edward Scissorhands' to life back in the early nineties. No. This is a Tim Burton who seems to have been shackled by his own stylistic competency and the corporate entity named Disney, who seemed more focused on replicating their 'Narnia' film with 3-D in tow. I look forward to your next venture Burton, but the closest thing I felt from this film, whether it was an emotional connection or feeling the wonder of the universe, was the underutilized 3-D within my grasp. Yet, no matter how hard I tried to grasp this world in front of me, it just wasn't there.