Alice in Wonderland

Bizarre creatures, crazy costumes, Johnny Depp – there’s no mistaking that the remake of the Disney classic Alice in Wonderland is a Tim Burton film.

The man behind classics such as Edward Scissorhands, Batman and The Nightmare Before Christmas teams up with his go-to gang (Depp and his partner Helena Bonham Carter) to recreate the world of Wonderland in this CGI extravaganza.

In departure from the original, this film shows Alice, played brilliantly by newcomer Mia Wasikowska, as a nineteen-year-old girl. She attempts to escape an engagement to a lord with digestion problems by chasing a well-dressed rabbit, and ends up falling down the rabbit hole into a world that gets “curiouser and curiouser”.

Fans of the Lewis Carroll books and the original film will be happy to see that none of the most beloved characters are left out – we have the Mad Hatter (played to perfection by Depp), Tweedledee and Tweedledum (both played by Matt Lucas), and the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry).

The real magic of this film comes from the excellent computer animation used to create the background and creatures, including the Red Queen’s swollen head and the fearsome Jabberwocky. While the actual plot may lack any real stand-out moments, it is an enjoyable adventure, and fans of Burton will not be disappointed. Fans of the original are likely to stay that way but will still enjoy.

Sure, he and his vision may be a bit bonkers, but as Alice says in the film, all the best people are.

Rating: 4/5