This is one of the worst films I've seen in a long time, not helped by the fact that I'm quite a rabid Alice in Wonderland fan. Three specifics goaded my curiosity - Ian Holm is a wonderful actor and I've rarely seen a film with him that wasn't excellent, Jim Henson puppets always make a movie better, and hey, it's Alice in Wonderland, how could it go wrong??
Well, here's the answer: let's start with the utter lack of a point. Alice Hargreaves is elderly and visits the New World for the first time to give a talk about Charles Dodgeson aka Lewis Carroll on his centenary. This is where the plot ends. She has visions of her past with the Rev. Dodgson (fabulously played by Ian Holm, and the only worthwhile parts of the film), nightmarish dreams/fantasies with eerie Wonderland-muppets (not Jim Henson's finest hour - some of them were kind of cool, but they're rather overdone. In the end, the puppets and puppet scenes are nothing but irritating - and the voices are all basically the same. The biggest problem with the puppets was that they lacked identity; there was no sense of their essence - their sense of 'character' from the book...) all mixed in with her road trip to New York. She's accompanied by Lucy, supposedly an orphan under the care of Mrs. Hargreaves, whose only purpose in the film is to create a love story with the conniving and pestering former reporter, Jack Dolan, played by Peter Gallagher.
I can't *stand* Peter Gallagher to begin with, and this character doesn't do anything to assuage that dislike. The character serves little purpose; there's no real reason for his existence. He cons his way in to speak to Hargreaves, though he's no longer a reporter and never uses his 'scoops' to regain his position, then he gets under Alice's wing and becomes her agent, helping her to make money by using her 'name'. This goes against Alice's character, who doesn't really care much about money or fame -she's not exactly poorly off and she never saw the reason for her fame anyhow, yet she succumbs to Gallagher's persuasion. And underneath all of this, Jack Dolan somehow seduces young Lucy and they fall in love, yet Dolan has absolutely no redeeming qualities and is obviously out for himself only, yet suddenly he becomes a charismatic and kind-hearted guy? I don't buy it, and can't see how Lucy could possibly fall for him, even by Hollywood standards.
The film is pointless, unbelievable and poorly paced. It's too dark (visually, not in nature) and lacks any of the 'Alice' character and spirit. The fun fantasy is gone, as are the puns and humour. The only bright and light-hearted moments are the scenes in the past with Alice and the Rev. The point of this is to showcase how Alice 'now' is a bitter and lonely old woman and yearns for Alice 'then' who was young and naive and happy. But without the wonderful and fantastic qualities of the Alice stories to back it up, the movie has little to stand on.
My suggestion is to go read Stephanie Bolster's 'White Stone', play the Alice video game, watch the Alice in Wonderland animated video, watch Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland, read the two Lewis Carroll novels! ANYTHING but this film, you WILL be disappointed. 3/10.
Well, here's the answer: let's start with the utter lack of a point. Alice Hargreaves is elderly and visits the New World for the first time to give a talk about Charles Dodgeson aka Lewis Carroll on his centenary. This is where the plot ends. She has visions of her past with the Rev. Dodgson (fabulously played by Ian Holm, and the only worthwhile parts of the film), nightmarish dreams/fantasies with eerie Wonderland-muppets (not Jim Henson's finest hour - some of them were kind of cool, but they're rather overdone. In the end, the puppets and puppet scenes are nothing but irritating - and the voices are all basically the same. The biggest problem with the puppets was that they lacked identity; there was no sense of their essence - their sense of 'character' from the book...) all mixed in with her road trip to New York. She's accompanied by Lucy, supposedly an orphan under the care of Mrs. Hargreaves, whose only purpose in the film is to create a love story with the conniving and pestering former reporter, Jack Dolan, played by Peter Gallagher.
I can't *stand* Peter Gallagher to begin with, and this character doesn't do anything to assuage that dislike. The character serves little purpose; there's no real reason for his existence. He cons his way in to speak to Hargreaves, though he's no longer a reporter and never uses his 'scoops' to regain his position, then he gets under Alice's wing and becomes her agent, helping her to make money by using her 'name'. This goes against Alice's character, who doesn't really care much about money or fame -she's not exactly poorly off and she never saw the reason for her fame anyhow, yet she succumbs to Gallagher's persuasion. And underneath all of this, Jack Dolan somehow seduces young Lucy and they fall in love, yet Dolan has absolutely no redeeming qualities and is obviously out for himself only, yet suddenly he becomes a charismatic and kind-hearted guy? I don't buy it, and can't see how Lucy could possibly fall for him, even by Hollywood standards.
The film is pointless, unbelievable and poorly paced. It's too dark (visually, not in nature) and lacks any of the 'Alice' character and spirit. The fun fantasy is gone, as are the puns and humour. The only bright and light-hearted moments are the scenes in the past with Alice and the Rev. The point of this is to showcase how Alice 'now' is a bitter and lonely old woman and yearns for Alice 'then' who was young and naive and happy. But without the wonderful and fantastic qualities of the Alice stories to back it up, the movie has little to stand on.
My suggestion is to go read Stephanie Bolster's 'White Stone', play the Alice video game, watch the Alice in Wonderland animated video, watch Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland, read the two Lewis Carroll novels! ANYTHING but this film, you WILL be disappointed. 3/10.