Alice In Wonderland

Today I went to the movies to watch what I hoped would be a visual extravaganza. Johnny Depp has proven to be a box office darling and I was expecting magic from him. Wonderful, child friendly previews lit up the screen. I was prepared to laugh or at least smile like a child once again at a fairy tale brought to life. The show began with a flashback of a young blond girl fightened by a recurring nightmare being soothed by a loving father and moved to the present scene of a wee young pale girl in a horse drawn carriage with her mother. It was only downhill from there.

As my family exited the movie theater, there were no comments being made about the movie. After about ten minutes I broke the silence by quoting Tyra Banks from America's Next Top Model: "It is never a good thing to hear silence after your photos have been reviewed. You rather that the judges loved them or hated them--never silence."

The crtique began. The Mad Hatter was not quirky and crazy but a person with a true mental illness. It was an adult type mental illness that was not humorous at all. The only funny thing attributed to the Mad Hatter was the wonderful dance that he did at the end of the movie.

To say the movie was a let down would be generous. The gorgeous and wonderfully creative Queen did not make me boo for her or root for her. I was indifferent. The White Queen was flacky and spaced out. She could never lead me.

The one lesson I learned from the movie was to make sure to blind all enemies.

The positive note is that the colors were vibrant and the castle and characters were not overdone. But for me, the movie was a total flop. Jonny Depp was bland. It was an adult movie. Children could not have followed the story line well, but their attention could have been maintained through the colofullness of the material on the big screen.

I have seen many adaptations of the story, but I admit I never read the book. I never liked the concept of the story or the lack there of, too much, so I may be a harsh critic. The only other children's story I like less than Alice In Wonderland is Winny The Poo.



But take the chance and go see it for yourself and let me know if I was way off base with my review. I am intrested in finding out whether or not the Depp misled you on this one too.