Lev:

I’ve figured out what’s wrong with Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. In the books, Alice is an absurd hero. The story is existentialist. The world has NO MEANING, and Alice must give her life meaning herself. You frame it in the context of a classical fantasy story, say that everything has meaning and that there is a goal to seek after, which will give you meaning in the end and thus tie up everything in a nice little bow, and that destroys the actual intent of the books. You have to be able to tear things down. If you have characters get so caught up in some external goal, it needs to be proven to be substanceless in the end. This film could have been so much more brilliant had it acknowledged that. The real reward is in the experience, the journey. Meaning rests is in the individual, not the external, not some inferred God that puts the past, present and future of the world in order. There is no order. Sure, Burton had his trademark ‘being a little bit mad is good thing’ moral in there, and that’s great, but it’s more than that.

Now, on to the more positive side. I do actually have quite a lot to praise about this film. I obviously have to give credit to Burton for constructing an absolutely beautiful world. Visually, it’s amazing. A definite achievement. Hell, the execution of the film in general, despite Linda Woolverton’s remarkably mediocre script, is superb. The characterization and acting throughout was truly phenomenal. Particular standouts for me were Johnny Depp’s Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen, and especially Stephen Fry’s Cheshire Cat. Oh god, the Cheshire Cat, that was just brilliant. Everything about that character was impeccable. Let’s not forget the animators either, who executed a superb compliment to Fry’s vocals, and to the world of Wonderland in general. This film had some damn fine animation, and that’s just great. Burton, it’s nice to see another animated film out of you, just as much as it’s nice to see another live-action film out of you. it’s a two-in-one deal, really.

Sadly, Burton didn’t decide to make Alice in Wonderland. As perfect as he is for it, it never came to his mind. Disney came to him with this dull, clichéd script and said, “Would you like to do Alice in Wonderland in 3D?” Burton went … “3D? Hell yeah! That’d be some trippy shit!” So he made Alice in Wonderland. Why? Because it would look cool. He had no real reason to do this film. He wasn’t a Carroll aficionado or anything. He knew as much about Alice in Wonderland as the next guy, simply because the stories are so ingrained in our culture. That’s why I can’t blame him for misinterpreting the book. He didn’t have any grand vision for portraying the world to begin with. It was Linda Woolverton who did, and she fucked up because she’s an uncreative, Hollywood asstard. I blame her. She has no reason for existing. I don’t blame Burton. He knew what he was doing as far as he knew it, and considering that, he did a damn fine job. Hell, I am glad this movie exists, don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic piece of film. Burton just didn’t have any reason for doing it, and it shows. I just wish he did, because this could have been a masterpiece.

Oh, and I want to stab Avril Lavigne with a rusty spike.

[5/7]