Alice In Wonderland -- Burton, 2010

First off, I saw the 2-D version, but I don't think it matters much except that some of the effects might be more novel. Clearly the strength of this film is in the graphics and art direction, even in 2-D.

Tim Burton is a master of the "almost-excellent" film. So many times he gives us an interesting premise, great art direction, and enough quirkiness to give us a promising film. And so many times he lets us down with mediocre dialogue and story line. Beetle Juice (6), Edward Scissorhands (6), Big Fish (6), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (6) are all films which could have been rated higher without script flaws. All the rest of his movies, I have rated 5 or less, with one exception -- Ed Wood (7), which is Burton's only truly excellent film.

And Alice In Wonderland fits squarely into that "6 but should have been a 7" category. The main difference between this film and Burton's other 6s is that good parts are better and the bad parts are worse. Three of the main art directors are fresh off of Avatar, and do a fabulous job here. And the animation is first rate. Like most of Burton's better movies, most of the actors do a great job with their quirky characterizations. Helena Bonham Carter and Crispin Glover are clearly the best of the bunch here, and Mia Wasikowska is fine, so long as her character is in Wonderland. Unlike most of Burton's movies, Johnny Depp is not a highlight. He gives us one of his rare bad performances as the Mad Hatter. It's actually painful to watch him in some scenes, especially knowing that he is (or was) capable of so much more.

As for the story, I liked the premise of an adult Alice returning to a mixed-up version of Wonderland (and one that seems to incorporate Looking Glass land as well). However the beginning and ending sequences in the real world are not done well, and even most of the Wonderland story is mundane. The dialogue in this film is particularly spotty. It just reeks of big budget compromise and lowest common denominator plot line. And unfortunately that seems to work, as this film is doing great at the box office.

A 6 rating.