Alice in Wonderland review

Alice in Wonderland

Reviewed by Adam Minor

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is a retread and definitely "Burton-ised" version of Lewis Carrol's classic tale about a girl trying to find her place in the world by finding her place in another world.

Mia Wasikowska plays the titular heroine of the film, Alice. Not quite sure where her future lies, Alice, whilst searching for a strange rabbit in a waistcoat falls down a deep hole into a veritable "wonderland" full of talking animals and vicious creatures. As kind of an updated sequel to the original animated feature, the citizens of Wonderland are thrilled about Alice's destined comeback to return the White Queen's title back from her evil sister, the Queen of Hearts.

Between the actors and the set designs, this is most definitely a Tim Burton film. Although Tim has always used stellar actors and unique designs, each of his new films feels like a retread of the previous one. When you're queued up to see a Burton film without knowing anything about it, you can safely presume that the movie will feature the following: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall and curly, dead trees. It's as though they are all a gaggle of close friends that just give each other parts in their movies. I'm sure, by now, that they are all close friends and don't think for a second that any of those fine actors didn't earn the chance to appear in any movie of their choice, but all together, it seems repetitive.

Tim did branch out and find his new lead Mia, who portrays Alice very well. She's good at balancing that innocence with hidden bravery, and is as convincing in an incomplete dinner gown as in a suit of armor. As expected, Johnny, Helena, Alan, Timothy and Anne Hathaway all play their roles very well.

Though I found the art direction and costume design rather similar to Burton's other films, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not and granted the film with Oscars for either.

The most cringe-worthy scene in the entire movie comes towards the end. There is a scene in which the Mad Hatter dances a victory "funderwhack" that seems so out of place that I was caught off guard even during my second viewing. A slight issue, of course, but nonetheless, I found it so strikingly misplaced poorly edited that it shocked me.

Alice in Wonderland is a deserved rendition of the classic, but if you've seen even one Tin Burton movie, just like our new Alice, you'll feel as though you've been here before.

Rating: 3/5

Clash of Clash of the Titans

Clash Of The Titans

Reviewed by Adam Minor

You may be thinking that the original “Clash of the Titans” was campy, awful fun. And you’d be right. You may also be thinking that, worst case scenario, Louis Leterrier’s 2010 remake would at least provide that same awful, but fun campiness that morphed its predecessor into a cult classic; however, you’d be wrong.

“Clash of the Titans” was a disappointment on every level of moviemaking. I’ll be the first to admit that when the teasers and trailers made their way onto the Internet, I was at an Olympic level of excitement. But seeing the stoic acting, occasionally lackluster CGI, and a plot that left me confused from opening to closing credits, ultimately left me as crumbled and dejected as the original Kraken.

This film isn’t so much about the people revolting against the Gods as it is about actor’s revolting against their trade. With Liam Neeson as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes as Hades, Gemma Arterton as Io and Mads Mikkelsen as Draco, you’d think this film would display unheralded acting performances, but none of them really seem to have shown up to work. I found myself worried that all the characters of the movie had already been turned to stone by Medusa. 

One thing you can say about the movie, though, it’s pretty. Assuming you don’t see it in 2D. The CGI rarely disappoints. I’ll admit that it’s pretty awesome to watch a wooden magic man fight several giant scorpions, a black Pegasus and the Gods' Throne Room, but even it has its drawbacks. The climax of the movie, the fight with the Kraken, is marred by a bland looking sea-monster. Even the clay-mation version from 1981 had more personality than this giant sea snail. 

The common criticism of this film is its blockbuster appeal. They say, “It’s just a fun escape to a land with giant scorpions and demons.” I submit that we should have standards for ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with a thin-plotted cinematic escape, but it doesn’t give the film an excuse to use a hackneyed and ultimately, nonsensical plot.

Rating: 1/5