Burton's "Wonderland", what to think...
I just don’t know what to make of the new "Alice in Wonderland" movie that is due next March by director Tim Burton. Generally, I like Burton and have enjoyed 8 of the 12 films that I have seen by him (even “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure”). It was at "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" when Burton lost me. Try as I might, the movie just wouldn’t sit right with me. Then came "The Corpse Bride"; could it be a "Nightmare before Christmas" repeat. No. Clearly it was Henry Selick's directing and not Burton’s producing that made "The Nightmare" so great (kudos to "Coraline"). And then came "Sweeny Todd". Though the movie had Burton written all over it from the plot line to the characters, and was well reviewed by critics, I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was the excessive blood, but Burton had let me down on a movie that was written for him. So should I look forward to "Alice in Wonderland"? How many times can a person let you down before you give up? The poster below of the Mad Hatter is what really brings about my skepticism, because it reminds me of what Depp looked like in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". The white, face make-up and crazy eyes.
Which brings me to a fact. When all is said and done, I will go to see this movie and I'll have a level of anticipation. Why? Not because I trust Burton or because I just love movies. It’s because I would follow Depp to the end of the world and jump. Though the aforementioned movies were let downs to me, Depp’s performance always shines. One of the great thing to come out of the heterosexual relationship between Depp and Burton is that the audience has gotten to see quite a range for Johnny. Not that his range wasn’t developed before and didn’t shine in “Pirates”, but Burton has allowed him to step into some pretty alien roles. And I’ve enjoyed them all. And that is what makes the Burton disappointments so bitter-sweet. Uh, the conflict.
Without further ado, news and photos of the movie to come…
The March 5, 2010 release starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Mia Wasikowska as Alice, and Matt Lucas as Tweedledee and Tweedledum is not a remake of the previous films. The movie is actually a flim adaptation of the Alice in Wonderland sequel Through the Looking-Glass. Though Burton and writer Linda Woolverton ("Beauty and the Beast") are taking a completely different spin on the story, many of the major characters from the sequel will be present, including the new White Queen and Red Queen (not to be mistaken with the Queen of Hearts from the first "Alice in Wonderland"). The general idea: Alice tries to escape the harsh reality of marriage by following another rabbit into its rabbit hole, only to find that it leads to Wonderland, a place she oddly doesn’t remember. Having been 10 years since she left, Alice finds Wonderland in a state of turmoil. Can Alice save Wonderland and make things right?
What do you think, should I be worried?
