When the term "psychedelia" is used, many immediately associate it with many aspects of the 1960s, be it the hippie movement, Woodstock, tie-dye shirts, the increase of illicit drug use, and almost every music sensation native to that decade. After all (and though it may be a slight generalization to say so), listening to the infamous and taboo-busting Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit" tells you all you need to really know about that era.
But believe it or not, the concept of psychedelic imagery was no stranger to one Lewis Carroll, the 19th century author and mathematician who wrote two of the most beloved (and trippy) children's books ever published: "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", and its sequel "Through the Looking Glass". Renowned for their fantastical and oft-anthropomorphic characters, nonsensical dialogue, and dreamlike quality, Carroll's works (especially "Adventures") have been regarded as classics almost 150 years later, and have inspired countless film, television, and animated adaptations (not to mention the aforementioned Jefferson song).
Of course, previous live-action adaptations of Carroll's stories haven't exactly captured the author's vision in a truly believable way, mostly due to limitations of the film technologies of those respective times. But with the advent of computer-generated imagery and the now-trendy usage of 3D technology, it seems as though Alice and her journeys were due for another go-around (well, at least to studio executives).
But said executives did make the seemingly right choice in choosing director Tim Burton for this outing. Well-known for making his career with various dark, oddball, and visually quirky tales (Batman, Beetlejuice, Sweeney Todd, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure), Burton was truly the right man for adapting Carroll's story, even though this is more of an amalgamation of both novels rather than a completely faithful retelling.
In 19th century England, independent-minded Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) has been set up with an arranged marriage to stuffy nobleman Hamish (Leo Bill), but her imaginative nature and resistance to tradition has caused her to be reluctant to follow through with her family's wishes. But when she spots a white rabbit in a waistcoat at Hamish's engagement party, Alice races after it, eventually tumbling into a deep and sprawling rabbit hole, landing in Underland (or "Wonderland", as she believes it to be called), a magical realm that appeared in a recurring dream she's had since childhood.
Alice soon finds herself acquainted with various speaking animals and creatures, including the White Rabbit (voice of Michael Sheen), spunky mouse Mally (voice of Barbara Windsor), caterpillar Absolem (voice of Alan Rickman), dimwitted twins Tweedledee and Tweedledum (both voiced by Matt Lucas), and the mysterious Cheshire Cat (voice of Stephen Fry). Though Alice believes this all to be a dream, the characters she encounters seem to imply that it's not, and that she's also been here before.
It seems that these creatures are fugitives because of the current reign of the tyrannical and large-headed Red Queen Iracebeth (Helena Bonham Carter), who rules Underland with an iron fist. Prophecy states that a champion will soon arrive to challenge and behead the Red Queen's giant dragon Jabberwocky (voice of Christopher Lee), which will restore order and return the kingdom back to Iracebeth's kind and peaceful sister Mirana, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). When the Red Queen catches wind of Alice's return, she sends her army after the teenager, led by the one-eyed Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover).
But luckily, Alice encounters the crazed and eccentric Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), who serves as an ally to help overthrow the Red Queen, and Alice thus begins her dangerous trek to not only prove herself to be Underland's champion, but to also find a way back to the real world.
Many Carroll purists may be turned off by the fact that Burton's Alice isn't a true adaptation of the original book, but rather a combination of the two novels, cherrypicking and compositing of various story elements, and original material created by Burton. In fact, the film itself implies that Alice's travels into Wonderland/Underland is actually a follow-up to the story we're more familiar with, and thus offers Burton more creative freedom in the process. Unfortunately, the seeming preoccupation with making the film as visually weird and fantastical as possible takes away from the story and the characters' development and growth.
But that's not to say that the movie isn't a marvel to look at. Much like the novel, Alice is essentially one big acid trip in narrative form, but clearly toned down to accommodate the fact that the film is for children (a move that unfortunately but unavoidably removes any potential for true psychedelic impact). The visual effects, set decoration, and costume design are absolutely gorgeous, and once again, Danny Elfman delivers a truly quirky and unconventional score befitting a Burton film.
Australian actress Wasikowska does an admirable job as the title character, giving Alice plenty of depth in terms of her independence and ahead-of-her-time feminism. In his seventh collaboration with Burton, Johnny Depp is appropriately manic as the Mad Hatter, and even though Depp's megastar status has caused the Hatter's role to be expanded to top billing, Depp thankfully doesn't try to overshadow Wasikowska's performance. The various vocal performances are topnotch (especially from Rickman and Fry), and Helena Bonham Carter is absolutely delightful and a blast to watch as the irritable Red Queen, stealing every scene she appears in.
But the major flaw of Alice in Wonderland is how it attempts to make itself too conventional as a straightforward narrative. The very nature of the story warrants an almost avant-garde approach in its execution, where the audience is supposed to walk out of the theater feeling like they just had some bad granola. But there's just a creeping sense of formula here (not to mention a final Lord of the Rings-style battle that wasn't present in the source material), and even though the film has the usual Burtonesque flourishes, it just feels as though the heart and soul was replaced in favor of technical style and visual flair. And aside from Alice's brief familial struggles and a flashback detailing the Hatter's tragic background, there's very little emotional attachment to be had here.
Despite Burton's attempt to reinvigorate a timeless classic with the best that technology can offer, Alice in Wonderland isn't as engaging and entertaining as it could've been. It's a passable offering, but sometimes excellent visual panache isn't enough to make a film truly memorable.
Letter Grade: "C"
