Alice in Wonderland
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Movie Reviews of Alice in Wonderland
Movie Review: "Everyone Here is Mad!"
Summary: 4 Stars
Alice in Wonderland takes us on a star studded trip down the rabbit hole for another classic interpritation of the land with zany locations and completly zany inhabitants. Alice (Tina Majorino) is dreading her part in her parents tea party. She has to sing in front of everybody! "How do they expect me to sing in front of all these strangers?". Alice decides to hide in the back garden until the party ends. Just then, as an apple slowly falls from a nearby tree, Alice's spots a white rabbit running along yelling "Oh I'm so very LATE!". She pursues him all the way down his rabbit hole full of strange objects defying gravity, until she lands in an underground world known as Wonderland. She sets out to find a beautiful garden (She couldn't get to it because she was to big to fit through the door leading to it). She keeps changing sizes going up to 10 feet high then down to ten inches high. As she wonders through the land she meets the strangest people including: Major Catapillar (Ben Kingsley) who tends to smoke his hooka, and, to Alice's annoyance, talks in very short sentences; the Duchess (Elizebeth Spriggs) who manages to ignore the air in her house filled thick with pepper; the Chesire Cat (Whoopi Goldberg) who seems to be the sainest creature around; the Mad Hatter (Martain Short) who has a tendency to break into song when unexpected; the Queen of Hearts (Miranda Richardson) who owns the garden and has hobbys of playing Crouquet and screeching "Off with her head!"; the Mock Turtle (Gene Wilder) who sings, tells storys, and burst into tears regularly; the White Knight (Christopher Lloyd) who loves riding his horse even if he can't stay on it for long; and Tweedle Dee (George Wendt) and his brother Tweedle Dum (Robbie Coltrane) who love reciting poetry. All these characters and more help Alice to ultimatley gain confidence to sing her song, but now the question is, how will she escape this upsidown world?
This version of Alice is a magnificent feast for the eyes and ears. Originaly made as a three hour special for NBC in 1999, the transfer to DVD is magnificent, even if much can't be said for the special features. There are a few behind the scenes things to read over, cast bios, original drawings from the Lewis Carrol book, and a trailer for the video. That's really it though.
The effects in the movie, are however, amazing. Many of the odd creatures were created by the Jim Henson Creature Shop and they have used their talent to do an amazing job. Dyson Lovell, Robert Halmi, Sr., and Rober Halmi Jr. have done a wonderful job bringing the story to life with its chaotic yet storybook like settings and zany character looks.
Even though this version combines elements from both of Carrol's books (Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There), and even though it strays a little from the original plot (Well, doesn't every version?) it is still a wonderful work of imagination and wonder and I would put it up there along with the Disney version.
So get you copy of Alice in Wonderland and enjoy your trip down the rabbit hole and through the looking-glass!
Movie Review: An entertaining and good-looking TV film for the family!
Summary: 4 Stars
In 1999, NBC broadcast a new version of Alice in Wonderland, created by the same folks who produced Gulliver's Travels, Merlin, and Noah's Ark. This star-studded version had Tina Majorino (from Waterworld) as a winsome Alice, and other stars like Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat, Miranda Richardson (Crying Game) as a rather high-pitched, shrill Queen of Hearts, and Martin Short as a very amusing Mad Hatter. There are plenty of other stars, of course, but these are the ones you will notice the most. This particular production is a loose adaptation, really. It incorporates portions of both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. And it adds a new twist - Alice runs after the White Rabbit not out of curiosity from boredom but rather to escape from having to sing a song in front of many strangers at her parents' party. Her adventures in Wonderland as thus partially about how she summons the courage to overcome this stage-fright, and when she does, she returns to the real world. In the meantime, we see the usual interesting episodes in Wonderland - the Mad Tea Cup party, the croquet match, Twiddledee and Twiddledum, the trial of tarts, the Duchess and her baby pig and cheshire cat, etc. There are even a few songs scattered here and there in the film - the songs, for the most part, are nothing special but they do not distract much from the movie (some folks may also remember a 4-hour TV miniseries on the Alice books, filled with songs, from the 1980s; this was also star-studded and probably more faithful to the books but the songs were annoying).The best thing about this new Alice film are the special effects. They are amazing and create a most bizarre, surreal, and colorful version of Wonderland. This makes the film great fun to look at. Also, Tina Majorino does a great job as Alice, and we really grow to really like her and sympathize for her as the film progresses. Martin Short, as I mentioned, is pretty funny, too. This is definitely a film the whole family can enjoy, and there is nothing offensive in the film at all. If you liked this film when you first saw it on TV, purchase it! I did! Currently, it sells for less than 10 dollars on some internet sites! Quite a bargain.
Finally, just a few words on the DVD itself. The colors are superb and the picture quality is clear and outstanding. Sound quality is quite good - it won't give the subwoofers any workout, but nonetheless, it sounds very good for a TV broadcast. Extras on the disc include the usual suspects - film production notes, cast notes, trailer, close captioning (instead of subtitles). There is also a small section showing the original illustrations of the Alice books, and lastly, a small section about the inspiration for the Alice books (quite informative for those who do not know about the real-life inspiration for Alice).
So, all in all, the DVD is worth the purchase and makes for many fun re-watching sessions for the kids. A good family recommendation!
Movie Review: Opinions vary, and a child is asleep.
Summary: 4 Stars
While one would think this would be a great version of the brilliant Alice in Wonderland story, it could be.. along with a chop of Alice in the Looking Glass. Most children cannot sit through the whole movie, and a handful of adults as well. If only those wasteful scenes would have been deleted, the Queen of Hearts' voice toned down a bit, and the "moral" of the story completely taken out, it would have nearly mimiced the original idea of the story. Extremely talented and obviously popular actors and actresses were used for many of the roles, some were successful, others... were not. For the over-imaginative, this movie is a great eye catcher, and a wonderful edition to any Alice in Wonderland collector's collection. Perhaps a different writer for the movie would have done the trick? One who knows the ins and outs of the orignal back flap of the tale. Though, with the deep love of Alice and her adventures, we still enjoy the film to the best that we can. We cannot completely give a bad rating, for an attempt was made, but for the knowing that these mistakes could have been prevented, it is not 5 star, sadly. Maybe some genius Alice in Wonderland know-it-all can come up with the ultimate real-life movie to the story.Movie Review: Dear GOD, let Tim Burton do this thing!
Summary: 4 Stars
I have seen/read several versions of Lewis Carrol's masterpiece and it's always interessting to see a new angle. The hallmark version stays pretty close to the source material though, even if it does introduce singing as a new theme. This was probably done to create some kind of coherent storyline. Something many movie adaptions of Alice tend to do because let's face it, a movie tells a quite different kind of story than a book does.
Anyway, this interpretation is sure to include certain scenes that will satisfy most people (even the purists). My own favorite is without a doubt the tea party with an over-the-top performance from the underestimated Martin Short. Bravo! This scene, and the effort and hard work in bringing this complicated story to life earns this tv movie 4 stars in my book. But this is definetly not THE definitive version of Alice. That would probably be the book.
And yet as I have done so many times before, I can't help but wonder what Tim Burton could do with this kind of source material, and drool at the prospect.
Tim, if you're reading this you know what to do! Make this film now! Right now!
Movie Review: Classic Storytelling For All Ages
Summary: 4 Stars
Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (as well as its sequel, Through The Looking-Glass) has, of course, marked its spot in the history of entertainment as an excellent children's story. True proof that "they just don't make 'em like they used to". Now, with the advances in computer technology, we're able to enter this strange and delightful world through a live-action movie with mesmerizing visuals. But it's not just the special effects that make this worth watching. A superb cast of well-known names bring the characters to life through wonderful and original performances. This cast includes (to name a few) Gene Wilder, Tina Majorino, Whoopie Goldberg, and the hilarious Martin Short as one of the kookiest Mad Hatters you could ask for! The film as a whole balances itself well, between the playful imagination of a child and just the right amount of a maturer feel for adults. And that's definitely a refreshing touch! So, if you long for an escape into a fantasy world of simple joy and amusement seemingly lost within today's cinema, pick up 1999's Alice In Wonderland and treat yourself to a timeless adventure.