Alice in Wonderland

I saw Alice in Wonderland in 3D and with all the 3D movies out recently, I feel this movie should come in two parts. One on the actual story and plot and the other on the 3D special effects and use thereof.

Story

Alice Kingsley has had the same nightmare since she was a child: a land full of strange creatures and people--a land called Wonderland. At the age of 19 Alice is far from Wonderland, about to be forced into a horrible marriage, when she falls down the rabbit hole once more. She finds a Wonderland plunged into war between the Red and White Queens--and Alice is the one prophesied to end the feud!

Story Review

When I described the story to my sister before we saw it, I said it was a sequel to Alice and Wonderland where Alice returns to fight in a war for the freedom of Wonderland with the Mad Hatter as a daring general.

My sister seems to think my description was better than the actual story but she felt the plot was still far better than Avatar's and I did as well. I've actually never read the original, but I think the basic story is part of everyone's general psyche if they grow up hearing about it. In that sense, I felt this movie was in keeping with the general tone of Alice in Wonderland--being sufficiently surreal and wide open to interpretation.

With just the story I give 6/10 stars. I would have liked a little more background and depth to the characters since so many of them were so bizarre. You can't just assume they're like normal people. I also would have liked a little romance for Alice, but I respected the ending they had for her.

3D Review

I wish things would pop out of the screen. I know they can do it. I've seen it before. But modern 3D movies seem to think that depth is more artsy or something. Either that or it's easier to do on a mass scale because the best 3D I've seen has been for IMAX specials--not Blockbusters. True, it's cheesy to write a story for 3D. But if there's a monster flying at the screen I want it to pop out! The Jabberwocky should have come flying right in my face. There was one scene where the smoke was coming off the Mad Hatter's hat and it was coming out of the screen but everything else but me in mind of seeing a play and the "stage" had a depth so it looks more like the actors are really standing down there. This wasn't always bad. I thought it was really well done when the Mad Hatter was standing in the burned out pit. But in the action scenes I just don't feel they use the 3D to its fullest.

There were even some parts in the beginnning that I wasn't sure were in 3D at all. But I would say the 3D gets a 7.5/10 stars overall.

Total Ranking

7/10 stars * * * * * * *

I know it probably doesn't make mathematical sense, but the combination of 3D and decent story made me feel that the movie overall was 7/10 stars. For me this means I'm not disappointed that I saw it but I wasn't blown away and it could have been better.