Disney's Alice in Wonderland [DVD]

Having read some of the negative reviews, admittedly with a pinch of salt, I was a little apprehensive when I sat down to watch this film. I need not have worried.What an excellent take on this classic story. I'm sorry, but Lewis Carroll would have heartily approved. His stories were ahead of their time, and different, to the point where, I hazard, many of those at the time of first publications probably thought this strange novel not worth the paper it was printed on.I say bravo to Mr Burton and the script writers. To have simply taken the original story and made a film from it, true to the last word would have been a mockery. We have many of those already.The twists and turns in the plot, and the growth of Alice, and the realisation who she is, was wonderful, suspenseful, and kept you wondering what was going to happen next.And Mr Depp, Ms Carter, and the cast in general are most stupendous.Watch this film with an open mind. Do not expect it to be faithful to the original.Oh, and I had the usual excellent service from Amazon and Indigo Starfish. First rate, chaps.

I have been a crazy Alice in Wonderland fan, Johnny Depp fan and Tim Burton fan for years so when I first heard this movie was being made I was elated!! I first heard about it whilst researching for my university dissertation on 'Alice' a couple of years ago. This film was well worth the long wait!Tim Burton's creations are always brilliant but this has been my favourite so far! It's a terrific take on the story of 'Alice'! I love it! Johnny Depp is outstanding as The Mad Hatter - is there anything he can't do?! Well, it would appear not.The 3D aspect of the film just made it all the more exciting - I wish it would stay at the cinema for longer because the 3D thing is nowhere near as good when you're at home.Absolutely amazing film and completely hilarious the whole way through!!

I read Lewis Carroll’s book a long time ago but did not find it particularly appealing. I do not find Disney generally appealing either, and Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is the only overt Disney film in my DVD collection. It was bought largely because the movie was shot locally at Antony House, just across the River Tamar from Plymouth.Yet Tim Burton’s magical realisation of the book possesses great invention, superb design, and splendid effects (though Anne Hathaway’s make-up is a mess). I applaud Burton’s incorporation of the Jabberwock, and he has avoided the book’s English whimsy and replaced it with an American need to see the triumph of good over evil. (In ‘Sight and Sound’, the critic Lisa Mullen noted that the result is a film “corseted by narrative”, whereas of course narrative is the last thing that dreams have.)As a result, Burton has turned Alice’s adventures into a ‘Lord of the Rings’ quest. He has done this through the use of an expeditionary-style soundtrack, fancy special effects, and by its teleological ethos. Thus, Alice is Bilbo, the Hatter is Gandalf, the Red Queen is Sauron, and the White Galadriel. Even the landscapes of the red and white queens reminded me of Mordor and Rivendell, and I could write a whole essay on other comparisons.Depp is very good as the Hatter (Michael Wood’s review of the film in the LRB called his portrayal “the most human of these dreamed characters”), but Helena Bonham Carter is equal to the task of converting the Red Queen into a credible and entertaining caricature. Anne Hathaway is also surprisingly enjoyable to watch with her self-deprecating sent-up hammy preciousness.My disc has three short six- or seven-minute film extras worthy of inclusion in this review, the contents of which are made manifest by their titles: ‘The Mad Hatter’, ‘Finding Alice’ (Burton wanted someone on the cusp of womanhood), and ‘Effecting Wonderland’.On my first watch I gave the film only three stars, but on subsequent viewings I have appreciated the film more and now think it merits four.

I have seen Johnny Depp in this film and it blows the rest out of the water, I've got quite a few plaques from this film and now I've got the film, well definitely going to be a classic

Alice in Wonderland is a brilliant piece of dark literature that Walt Disney previously lightened up for younger, more delicate constitutions but this latest DVD about an older, but still as confused Alice presses the more mature viewers' buttons.Mia Wasikowsa portrays a vulnerable yet increasingly headstrong heroine perfectly, aided by several well known movie names such as Helena Bonham-Carter as the Red Queen (OFF with her head!!), Anne Hathaway as the White Queen who's arm movements throughout are very reminiscient of 60's psychedelia-type dance moves in slo-mo, Johnny Depp who lapses into a fair imitation of a Scottish accent when riled (about as good as his "Cockney" accent as Capt Jack Sparrow!?).There are partial CGI characters (Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas) as well as a bit of tweaking of the main cast from time to time too and lots of full CGI with some very recognisable voices, e.g. Stephen Fry as the Chesire Cat, Martin Sheen as the White Rabbit and Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar.The film is a typical Tim Burton affair, dark characters, unusual costumes, actors giving their all to bring a make-believe world to life very efficiently, a 104 minute (way too short!) departure from reality for anyone who has ever felt life takes itself too seriously.

Dvd arrived swiftly and in good condition.Entertaining film