Burton remakes Wonderland

Imagine falling down, down the rabbit hole, twisting and turning, shrinking and growing, to find yourself smack dab in the middle of Wonderland. Like Alice you may think you are dreaming, but pinching your arm won’t wake you up. 

   This magnificent world of mystery and impossible happenings, straight from the mind of Tim Burton, captures the essence of the place that Lewis Carroll had created in his book, “Through the Looking Glass.” 

   However, Burton did not merely remake the classic “Alice in Wonderland,” he created a second story, a second trip to Wonderland, to continue Alice’s adventure for us all to enjoy. To make the experience even more real the whole thing is shown in 3-D, connecting the viewer to what is happening on the screen in a way traditional 2-D films never can.

   You can feel yourself walking around, the size of a teacup, like Alice, who can’t seem to understand why she is dreaming yet again of the strange world, a dream that had been plaguing her since childhood. But she finds herself there nonetheless arriving just in time to free the inhabitants from the tyrant rule of the Red Queen.

   Familiar characters like the White Rabbit, March Hare, hookah smoking caterpillar, and Cheshire Cat help Alice along her journey to find her true self, but her most memorable companion by far is the Mad Hatter, played by Johnny Depp.

   It is almost assumed that if you are going to see a Tim Burton movie Johnny Depp will make the casting cut, and he does not disappoint in his portrayal of the classic character.  Putting a unique spin on the role, Depp transforms the ridiculously mad hatter into the icon of Wonderland, making it easy to believe that such a place could exist.

   Throughout the film Burton builds the plot around what we are familiar with from the first movie, hiding hints of Carroll’s original writing throughout the script.  He holds true to his own style with all of Wonderland built up from his twisted viewpoint of an action drama dipped in the eerie undertones that are familiar to his films. 

   But he has not destroyed this classic with his own ideas.  He has simply melded the two to create a version of the tale that Walt Disney could have never dreamed of.

   From talking flowers to a tripped out tea party nothing is left to be forgotten.  The movie truly takes you to a place dreams are made of.  It brings you back to a memory from our childhoods and shows a new twist to the beloved tale.
 

  Oh and one more thing, if you are going to see it, spend the extra $3.75 and see it in 3-D, it is an experience you don’t want to miss.