Admittedly 2010 is not looking back that far, but Tim Burton's dazzling interpretation of this truly classic tale is surely well worth looking at again.
Beautiful, beguiling, bamboozling; this really is one of my most favourite films of recent times, and one that I and many others will surely hold dear for years to come. I am sure that, in the canon of Alice in Wonderland films or otherwise, this is already a surefire classic.
Sheer and joyous visual, auditory, digital and cinematic majesty aside, this wonderful version of Alice in Wonderland is above all else in my view, a corking ensemble piece. Almost every talented actor or actress giving full-on, full-bodied, unique powerhouse performances and interpretations of these characters we know so well, to terrific effect.
So let's get to it, and predictably, but no less importantly, we start with Alice herself - played by Mia Wasikowska. Straight away we see the welcome impenetrable mark of stark and powerful individualism, as this Alice immediately comes off as strong, independent and likable. A bit of an unlikely heroine in my view, Wasikowska's approach however still results in an Alice that is quietly dependable and subtly lovable; the process is slow, but by film's end we can relate and warm to this Alice. Occasionally we get the odd shallow moment and/or cliché, but overall the integral part of Alice is encapsulated well in the form of Mia Wasikowska.
On the opposite end of the scale, the villainess of the piece comes in the form of none other than the delicious Helena Bonham Carter as the force of nature that is The Red Queen. Tyrannical, toddler-esque and terrifyingly fantastic in every second on screen; this is certainly a case of a role an actress was born to play. Incredibly fun and funny one minute, then chillingly insane the next - this for me is verging on the perfect film antagonist, played by a virtually perfect talent.
On the other end of the scale character-wise, we have Anne Hathaway who plays the serene White Queen, sister to Bonham Carter's Red. Serene she certainly is, but beneath that she is also a mish-mash of darkly unhinged, tantrum-prone too (just more used to getting her way) and occasionally manipulative. Sounds like an odd mix but Hathaway delivers to great effect, resulting in a character we can get behind. Unfortunately for me the near-perfect character slips a tad here and there as some of the White Queen's moments appear incredibly shallow and expected. But again massively individual and greatly appreciated.
One performance and character that did fall sadly flat for me was Crispin Glover as Stayne the Red Knave. Not bad by any means, and just good enough to fit into the narrative, but a lot of the time it seemed very forced, and oddly camp; bordering on Alice in Wonderland evil panto.
We are also treated to some very unique and welcome voice roles too; ones where the actors in question almost always fit effortlessly into their iconic characters. For me personally there were again a few so-so flops such as Barbara Windsor as Mallymkun the Dormouse (again OK but nothing to write home about). But broadly we are treated to a smorgasbord of vocal treats. We have the great Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, the hilarious Paul Whitehouse as the equally hilarious March Hare, very welcome roles for the supreme Timothy Spall as Bayard the Bloodhound, Alan Rickman as Absolem the Caterpillar, the legendary Sir Christopher Lee as the monstrous Jabberwocky and the superb Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat.
As I say, this Alice and Wonderland truly is a superb ensemble film. However if I had to pick out a star performance (and it is a big if) it would have to be the incomparable Johnny Depp and his truly stunning, layered, intrinsically magnificent Mad Hatter.
At its core, in all the iterations of this tale, the character of the Mad Hatter is simply and one-dimensionally mad. Depp cracks this instantly and easily, and then some. In terms of sheer lunacy - this Mad Hatter trumps all others hands down. But there is so much more to this Hatter than that. Again with apparently little effort, Johnny Depp uproots and displays with minimal fuss such a truly wonderful character to us. A damaged character, a flawed character, a dangerously schizophrenic character one may say, but ultimately one that is totally and utterly lovable. In terms of look, accent, and mannerism, Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter is truly a marvel to behold. Hilarious, witty, charming, eerie, formidable and powerful. Everything and anything you could ever want in a Mad Hatter (and a lot more besides) Johnny Depp delivers in spades.
So yes, this youngest version of Alice in Wonderland is surely my favourite. Yes it tails off in places and loses occasional grip of a couple of characters, but all this is dwarfed by the masterful way in which this stunning tale is regenerated and served up to us. As I say, a complete future classic, if not a modern classic already in my view.
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