"You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are. "
Alice in Wonderland's review! (SPOILERS!)
It had been such a long time since I watched a film that completely blew me away that I feel I need to have an entry specifically about this!
I have just come back from watching Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and I honestly can't understand why it got such bad reviews. I don't even know where to start my review, as I have so many things to say! The characters, the music, the story, the themes and symbols in it, the acting... Everything corresponded to what is exactly my type of film/storyline and my idea of the way Alice in Wonderland should be presented on the big screen.
First of all, I love how Tim Burton included so many 'doubles'. The analogies are not only established between Wonderland and the real world, but also between specific characters and their relationship and inside each of the two worlds as well, which is what I loved about the film.
Of course, it's impossible not to notice straight away that the characters in Alice's world are caricatures and completely reflect those in Wonderland, even if they are not so exaggerated. This was perfect not only for setting the mood of the story and giving everything a surreal, fantastic tone from the beginning, but also for showing that not everything is what it seems, in both worlds.
Then of course, there is the double nature of basically all the characters in the story. The White Queen is the opposition to the Queen of Hearts and at the same time her sister. While in a way they could be seen as one being the complete opposite of the other for both appearence and behaviour, what they really are is two sides of the same coin. It is so hard to decide on which out of the two is the most positive (or least negative) character! On one side we have the Red Queen, who seems to be completely evil and unreasonable at first glance but then just turns into being seen as a lonely woman who we ultimately take pity of. When she says that "it's better to be feared than to be loved", it's almost an inside joke because even when she thought she could have been loved by someone (like her knight, her people or even the same Alice as "Uhm" when she didn't know who she was) it was all just a lie. In this way, she has always been alone and only listened to because she was 'feared', which becomes clearer and more evident at the end. It also makes you think of her past and of how she ended up being like this. Actually, on the subject of the queen trusting Alice when she said her name was "Uhm", it's interesting to have a parallel with the Odyssey, where Odysseus goes to the Minotaur and introduces himself as "No one", to then betray him. Considering the fact that Alice's story is also a long quest to get home, I think the parallel is very interesting!
Back to the Red Queen. I love how childish she is, as if she had never been able to grow up and learn how to establish proper relationships without having to control everything. So, the Queen of Hearts is the person who should be the enemy but who is, ironically, maybe one of the few characters of wonderland to seem 'real': she has a sense of humour, her personality changes and depends on her mood, she shows jealousy and she is desperately looking for a way out of the situation she is in.
The White Queen is even more interesting to analyse. I personally find her even creepier and weirder than the Queen of Hearts. While Helena Bonham Carter's character was possessive and childish, she was also genuine in the sense that you could see exactly the way she was. Her 'coldness' appeared from the outside but sometimes showed the possibility of change and her volatile nature, to indicate that she has been 'made' that way. Anne Heathaway's queen is completely different, and in a way her opposite. The way I interpreted her, I see her as a very hypocritical and fake character. She had the luck of having been born beautiful and having therefore been her parents' favourite, and she has always played on that, assuming the 'persona' that was expected of her. Her every move and every line seems carefully calculated to seem friendly, warm and naive, which is exactly what made me see her as the character who was probably the 'coldest' in the whole film. (eve her 'recipe' for the potion that will make Alice be the right size again contains awful ingredients, which is indicative!). It is impossible to tell what she's thinking, and Alice's comment about the fact that she isn't 'fighting her own battle' indicates exactly the kind of person she is: the White Queen hides behind her 'ideals' of peace and not killing any creature, but this is only to preserve this image of 'purity' which is fake and hypocritical. Even when the Red Queen was in power, the White Queen's plan and influence on everyone else was more subtle and dangerous. In this way, she persuades Alice to fight at her place, she lets people get hurt and she imposes on her sister the most cruel of punishments, by opening her eyes and condemning her to a life of loneliness and pain. If she really had been true to her ideals, she would have fixed the situation in other ways, which is what makes me think that the ultimate message of this is that Wonderland hasn't really changed, but only stayed the same even if under the control of a different Queen. This gives the idea of a circular plot that repeats itself, suggesting that Wonderland will always stay that way, with a series of grotesque characters ruling a series of helpless characters, all stuck in a limbo. If Alice had stayed in Wonderland, this limbo could maybe have been stopped, but her very choice symbolises the fact that she is the only one whose fate hadn't been decided from the start, and who has a chance of getting out of there. The very fact that the Hatter does his dance at the end is, in my opinion, the signal that Alice was going to go back. The dance seemed to me completely out of character, premature and sort of forced/odd. This shows that the Hatter has gone back to pretending and assuming the role which was required of him, and so everything has already been decided.
This brings me to the Hatter, who is, I think, one of the most puzzling characters in the story. I love the importance Tim Burton has given him, and I personally think that both Alice and the Hatter are the main characters of this film. Just like Alice is in control of her own destiny, the Mad Hatter is the only character who seems to realise that the world he lives in is a joke, and that everybody's mad. The fact that he has decided to show it in such an obvious way shows an acceptance of this and of his world's rules, and at the same time an acknowledgement that nothing is going to change and he might as well make the most out of his 'life'. The interesting thing is that while most characters stay the same, the Hatter is the only one, together with Alice, who changes. Alice's change from being scared of nightmares to accepting them came when her father told her that everybody is mad and "bonkers". That was the way Alice went from being a child to being a teenager, and possibly also the moment when she started to forget about Wonderland. When Alice repeats those same words to the Hatter, two changes are going on at the same time. On one hand, Alice goes from being a girl to being not only a woman, but almost a 'parent', as she assumes the role her father had taken and accepts to be the one who is wise and has advice for others, and not the receiver. At the same time, the Hatter changes from being almost resigned to his never changing world to questioning himself and examining other options. I loved the exchange between Alice and the Hatter, when Alice tells him that he is only an invention of her imagination. The Hatter's reaction at the start of the film would have been refusal, whereas now he doesn't only believe her, but he thinks about the consequences and develops emotions. A connection is established between the Hatter and Alice when the Hatter expresses the thought that he will stop to exist when Alice wakes up, and that she won't remember him. This connection is reinforced at the final exchange they have right before Alice goes home, when their bond goes from one of unconditional love (such as the love between a mother and a child, which also makes me link him to a quirkier version of a grown up Peter Pan) to one of being a part of each other. In a way, the hatter is the saner character of the story, and I love the way he changes from being angry and almost scary to being a helpless child, and again to being a manipulative leader. I don't think Johnny Depp wanted him to be a completely positive character, and his sudden changes of voice makes you think that you don't really want to know everything that goes on in his mind at all times.
This leads me to Alice. What I liked about this story was the way she changed. What I mean by saying that she 'becomes' the Mad Hatter of her own world is that just like the Hatter is the only person who knows what's going on in Wonderland and who is able to adapt to things and modify the course of events slightly (just like when he starts making hats for the queen or when he uncovers the queen's servants' masquerade, changing the consequences), Alice becomes the 'Hatter' of the real world when she comes back and is taken as an apprentice in her father's old business. The Hatter has no status because of the impossibility of change in Wonderland but he still has the power to influence the Queen, and in exactly the same way Alice has no status because of her young age but is able to be the mind behind her father's company. This is almost a parallel to the way things run in England, with the Queen being almost a symbolic figure with no real power but who is never really going to disappear from the course of events, and the Prime Minister behind her being the mind of everything.
And then there is the other minor characters. I think some characters have been put there just to add humour, just like the twins and the rabbit. Some characters really have gone mad, such as Tweedledee, and others again are trying to change and have an identity but only end up not being able to escape from their nature. An example of this is the Chelshire Cat, who helps during the story but only because he's driven by his own reasons (who are as silly as wanting an hat). Another example is the dog, who can't help believing people and following orders (just like Alice's "sit", which is also such a funny moment!), because that is his nature.
The Chelshire Cat is actually quite interesting, because his smile is actually quite cute and reassuring, which makes me think that he is not as creepy as my version would have been. I think he's sort of harmless, but also fundamental to show that Wonderland isn't really as "magic " and perfect as it looked like at the start. For example, the fact that the hatter's hat flies is because the Cat is there to move it. The cat's ability to appear and disappear makes him an interesting character, as he is the one who does the 'dirty job' of making everything appear as it is. Another symbol of the fact that Wonderland isn't as perfect as it looks like is the fact that the Queen's castle seems flawless from the outside, but already the walls are dirty and have holes.
Blue Caterpillar is one of the most annoying characters, and shows the fact that even prophecies and oracles are meaningless in Wonderland. He is very pretentious and keeps changing his mind, and this shows that even the 'expert' has no clue. His physical change at the end is ironic, as nothing has really changed, and he has stayed the same.
Also, I loved that there is a series of object that are symbolic but that we really can't quite get the grip of. For example, what is the hatter's relation to his hat? He seems to forget if he doesn't have it on him, and Alice makes it a point to bring it with her even if it's maybe just out of pure instinct. Memory is also quite an interesting theme, as Alice seems to have forgotten at the start (as a change between childhood and adulthood). The main themes are of course growing up, having to make choices and to think on your own. The choices are the most interesting part of it, as it is difficult to decide whether Alice's choices really are her own or have been chosen by destiny (or by the White Queen) in advance. The very fact that Alice in the real world assumes the role of the Mad Hatter in Wonderland is a symbol of this.
Here ends my super long review, and I will just add that the costumes were amazing and the film was visually stunning! I loved the 3D even if I really don't think it was entirely necessary, as the graphics and cinematography are just perfect anyway!
Sorry for such a long review! :) It will be interesting to hear your thoughts on this, especially since the film got such bad reviews!
It had been such a long time since I watched a film that completely blew me away that I feel I need to have an entry specifically about this!
I have just come back from watching Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and I honestly can't understand why it got such bad reviews. I don't even know where to start my review, as I have so many things to say! The characters, the music, the story, the themes and symbols in it, the acting... Everything corresponded to what is exactly my type of film/storyline and my idea of the way Alice in Wonderland should be presented on the big screen.
First of all, I love how Tim Burton included so many 'doubles'. The analogies are not only established between Wonderland and the real world, but also between specific characters and their relationship and inside each of the two worlds as well, which is what I loved about the film.
Of course, it's impossible not to notice straight away that the characters in Alice's world are caricatures and completely reflect those in Wonderland, even if they are not so exaggerated. This was perfect not only for setting the mood of the story and giving everything a surreal, fantastic tone from the beginning, but also for showing that not everything is what it seems, in both worlds.
Then of course, there is the double nature of basically all the characters in the story. The White Queen is the opposition to the Queen of Hearts and at the same time her sister. While in a way they could be seen as one being the complete opposite of the other for both appearence and behaviour, what they really are is two sides of the same coin. It is so hard to decide on which out of the two is the most positive (or least negative) character! On one side we have the Red Queen, who seems to be completely evil and unreasonable at first glance but then just turns into being seen as a lonely woman who we ultimately take pity of. When she says that "it's better to be feared than to be loved", it's almost an inside joke because even when she thought she could have been loved by someone (like her knight, her people or even the same Alice as "Uhm" when she didn't know who she was) it was all just a lie. In this way, she has always been alone and only listened to because she was 'feared', which becomes clearer and more evident at the end. It also makes you think of her past and of how she ended up being like this. Actually, on the subject of the queen trusting Alice when she said her name was "Uhm", it's interesting to have a parallel with the Odyssey, where Odysseus goes to the Minotaur and introduces himself as "No one", to then betray him. Considering the fact that Alice's story is also a long quest to get home, I think the parallel is very interesting!
Back to the Red Queen. I love how childish she is, as if she had never been able to grow up and learn how to establish proper relationships without having to control everything. So, the Queen of Hearts is the person who should be the enemy but who is, ironically, maybe one of the few characters of wonderland to seem 'real': she has a sense of humour, her personality changes and depends on her mood, she shows jealousy and she is desperately looking for a way out of the situation she is in.
The White Queen is even more interesting to analyse. I personally find her even creepier and weirder than the Queen of Hearts. While Helena Bonham Carter's character was possessive and childish, she was also genuine in the sense that you could see exactly the way she was. Her 'coldness' appeared from the outside but sometimes showed the possibility of change and her volatile nature, to indicate that she has been 'made' that way. Anne Heathaway's queen is completely different, and in a way her opposite. The way I interpreted her, I see her as a very hypocritical and fake character. She had the luck of having been born beautiful and having therefore been her parents' favourite, and she has always played on that, assuming the 'persona' that was expected of her. Her every move and every line seems carefully calculated to seem friendly, warm and naive, which is exactly what made me see her as the character who was probably the 'coldest' in the whole film. (eve her 'recipe' for the potion that will make Alice be the right size again contains awful ingredients, which is indicative!). It is impossible to tell what she's thinking, and Alice's comment about the fact that she isn't 'fighting her own battle' indicates exactly the kind of person she is: the White Queen hides behind her 'ideals' of peace and not killing any creature, but this is only to preserve this image of 'purity' which is fake and hypocritical. Even when the Red Queen was in power, the White Queen's plan and influence on everyone else was more subtle and dangerous. In this way, she persuades Alice to fight at her place, she lets people get hurt and she imposes on her sister the most cruel of punishments, by opening her eyes and condemning her to a life of loneliness and pain. If she really had been true to her ideals, she would have fixed the situation in other ways, which is what makes me think that the ultimate message of this is that Wonderland hasn't really changed, but only stayed the same even if under the control of a different Queen. This gives the idea of a circular plot that repeats itself, suggesting that Wonderland will always stay that way, with a series of grotesque characters ruling a series of helpless characters, all stuck in a limbo. If Alice had stayed in Wonderland, this limbo could maybe have been stopped, but her very choice symbolises the fact that she is the only one whose fate hadn't been decided from the start, and who has a chance of getting out of there. The very fact that the Hatter does his dance at the end is, in my opinion, the signal that Alice was going to go back. The dance seemed to me completely out of character, premature and sort of forced/odd. This shows that the Hatter has gone back to pretending and assuming the role which was required of him, and so everything has already been decided.
This brings me to the Hatter, who is, I think, one of the most puzzling characters in the story. I love the importance Tim Burton has given him, and I personally think that both Alice and the Hatter are the main characters of this film. Just like Alice is in control of her own destiny, the Mad Hatter is the only character who seems to realise that the world he lives in is a joke, and that everybody's mad. The fact that he has decided to show it in such an obvious way shows an acceptance of this and of his world's rules, and at the same time an acknowledgement that nothing is going to change and he might as well make the most out of his 'life'. The interesting thing is that while most characters stay the same, the Hatter is the only one, together with Alice, who changes. Alice's change from being scared of nightmares to accepting them came when her father told her that everybody is mad and "bonkers". That was the way Alice went from being a child to being a teenager, and possibly also the moment when she started to forget about Wonderland. When Alice repeats those same words to the Hatter, two changes are going on at the same time. On one hand, Alice goes from being a girl to being not only a woman, but almost a 'parent', as she assumes the role her father had taken and accepts to be the one who is wise and has advice for others, and not the receiver. At the same time, the Hatter changes from being almost resigned to his never changing world to questioning himself and examining other options. I loved the exchange between Alice and the Hatter, when Alice tells him that he is only an invention of her imagination. The Hatter's reaction at the start of the film would have been refusal, whereas now he doesn't only believe her, but he thinks about the consequences and develops emotions. A connection is established between the Hatter and Alice when the Hatter expresses the thought that he will stop to exist when Alice wakes up, and that she won't remember him. This connection is reinforced at the final exchange they have right before Alice goes home, when their bond goes from one of unconditional love (such as the love between a mother and a child, which also makes me link him to a quirkier version of a grown up Peter Pan) to one of being a part of each other. In a way, the hatter is the saner character of the story, and I love the way he changes from being angry and almost scary to being a helpless child, and again to being a manipulative leader. I don't think Johnny Depp wanted him to be a completely positive character, and his sudden changes of voice makes you think that you don't really want to know everything that goes on in his mind at all times.
This leads me to Alice. What I liked about this story was the way she changed. What I mean by saying that she 'becomes' the Mad Hatter of her own world is that just like the Hatter is the only person who knows what's going on in Wonderland and who is able to adapt to things and modify the course of events slightly (just like when he starts making hats for the queen or when he uncovers the queen's servants' masquerade, changing the consequences), Alice becomes the 'Hatter' of the real world when she comes back and is taken as an apprentice in her father's old business. The Hatter has no status because of the impossibility of change in Wonderland but he still has the power to influence the Queen, and in exactly the same way Alice has no status because of her young age but is able to be the mind behind her father's company. This is almost a parallel to the way things run in England, with the Queen being almost a symbolic figure with no real power but who is never really going to disappear from the course of events, and the Prime Minister behind her being the mind of everything.
And then there is the other minor characters. I think some characters have been put there just to add humour, just like the twins and the rabbit. Some characters really have gone mad, such as Tweedledee, and others again are trying to change and have an identity but only end up not being able to escape from their nature. An example of this is the Chelshire Cat, who helps during the story but only because he's driven by his own reasons (who are as silly as wanting an hat). Another example is the dog, who can't help believing people and following orders (just like Alice's "sit", which is also such a funny moment!), because that is his nature.
The Chelshire Cat is actually quite interesting, because his smile is actually quite cute and reassuring, which makes me think that he is not as creepy as my version would have been. I think he's sort of harmless, but also fundamental to show that Wonderland isn't really as "magic " and perfect as it looked like at the start. For example, the fact that the hatter's hat flies is because the Cat is there to move it. The cat's ability to appear and disappear makes him an interesting character, as he is the one who does the 'dirty job' of making everything appear as it is. Another symbol of the fact that Wonderland isn't as perfect as it looks like is the fact that the Queen's castle seems flawless from the outside, but already the walls are dirty and have holes.
Blue Caterpillar is one of the most annoying characters, and shows the fact that even prophecies and oracles are meaningless in Wonderland. He is very pretentious and keeps changing his mind, and this shows that even the 'expert' has no clue. His physical change at the end is ironic, as nothing has really changed, and he has stayed the same.
Also, I loved that there is a series of object that are symbolic but that we really can't quite get the grip of. For example, what is the hatter's relation to his hat? He seems to forget if he doesn't have it on him, and Alice makes it a point to bring it with her even if it's maybe just out of pure instinct. Memory is also quite an interesting theme, as Alice seems to have forgotten at the start (as a change between childhood and adulthood). The main themes are of course growing up, having to make choices and to think on your own. The choices are the most interesting part of it, as it is difficult to decide whether Alice's choices really are her own or have been chosen by destiny (or by the White Queen) in advance. The very fact that Alice in the real world assumes the role of the Mad Hatter in Wonderland is a symbol of this.
Here ends my super long review, and I will just add that the costumes were amazing and the film was visually stunning! I loved the 3D even if I really don't think it was entirely necessary, as the graphics and cinematography are just perfect anyway!
Sorry for such a long review! :) It will be interesting to hear your thoughts on this, especially since the film got such bad reviews!