03-15-2010, 12:29 PM
Short review for ADD PPFYs: Alice is a lot like Avatar. Visually stunning and entertaining throughout, but you stop thinking about it five minutes after you leave the theater.
Long-winded rant: I'm in some sort of film loop with these iconic revisits like Wicked and Percy Jackson and I want to get out. There's some very Burton-esque cleverness. I'm glad he was inspired by the Lord Tenniel illustrations, especially for the Jabberwocky. But I couldn't help but think of Harry Potter (Bellatrix as Red Queen, Snape as Caterpillar, Madame Maxine as crazy aunt). I also had the same Perseus-already-decapitated-Medusa, Wizard-left-before-Dorothy issues with the Caterpillar becoming a butterfly. And why was Capt. Jack channeling the Scarecrow? Bellatrix rocked, but that figures. Ella was strangely ethereal, but gets introduced too late to really develop in character. Good Tweedledee/dum - almost reminded Dm of PPFY's blood bro Ross; Ross could have totally nailed that part. Burton's Alice is shamelessly predictable in story arc, but gorgeous to watch. Mia makes a good Alice, but may be best suited for a future Jane Austen film. Dm would have preferred if Burton just did a traditional story instead of this new embellishment.
As for the dormouse society: Cheshire (DM) was grand. March Hare (ED) was also spot on.
T liked it. She said she'd see it again but DM probably won't go to the effort. The 3D was great, but still, nothing compares to the spaghetti tornado in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Long-winded rant: I'm in some sort of film loop with these iconic revisits like Wicked and Percy Jackson and I want to get out. There's some very Burton-esque cleverness. I'm glad he was inspired by the Lord Tenniel illustrations, especially for the Jabberwocky. But I couldn't help but think of Harry Potter (Bellatrix as Red Queen, Snape as Caterpillar, Madame Maxine as crazy aunt). I also had the same Perseus-already-decapitated-Medusa, Wizard-left-before-Dorothy issues with the Caterpillar becoming a butterfly. And why was Capt. Jack channeling the Scarecrow? Bellatrix rocked, but that figures. Ella was strangely ethereal, but gets introduced too late to really develop in character. Good Tweedledee/dum - almost reminded Dm of PPFY's blood bro Ross; Ross could have totally nailed that part. Burton's Alice is shamelessly predictable in story arc, but gorgeous to watch. Mia makes a good Alice, but may be best suited for a future Jane Austen film. Dm would have preferred if Burton just did a traditional story instead of this new embellishment.
As for the dormouse society: Cheshire (DM) was grand. March Hare (ED) was also spot on.
T liked it. She said she'd see it again but DM probably won't go to the effort. The 3D was great, but still, nothing compares to the spaghetti tornado in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse