Alice, are we in Wonderland again?

There are times when a film maker just gets it. Tim Burton the creative genius behind Edward Scissorhands and Sweeney Todd, is really one of the best directors of his time. His dark, gloomy, dramatic, over the top, insanely creative movies have been wonderful showcases for talented character actors like Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. See, Tim gets it. He finds a story, arranges for a top notch screen play, enlists some of the the most creative and innovative actors of all time and makes a movie.

Over the weekend, I saw "Alice in Wonderland". I was a little apprehensive, as I have this thing about eyes and when I saw previews of Johnny Depps' Mad Hatter and how they did his eyes...well, lets just say that I was almost ready not to see this film until it came out on DVD. That being said, I am really pleased that I took the plunge and watched this in 3D on the big screen. It was excellent.

The story is about Alice who ends up back in Wonderland after many years and what task she must take on. She reconnects with all those original characters and now there are more to enjoy. Burton's version of this story includes parts from both books, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. His talent for picking his actors is really second to none. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter was able to make himself sympathetic while carefully crafting crazy. Helena Bonham Carter (Burton's real life partner) as the Red Queen, has some serious family issues that she needs to address. One of my personal faves, Anne Hathaway as the angelic White Witch and the lovely Mia Wasikowska as the demure yet outspoken Alice. The always scary Crispin Glover as the Red Queen's right hand man, Stayne is also excellent.

Some of the additional actors that are attached to this film through their voices are Timothy Spall, Michael Sheen, Stephen Fry and the absolutely perfectly voiced Blue Caterpillar by Alan Rickman.....'whoooo arrreeee yooooou?' Shiver....the voices were perfect. Did I mention that the voices were excellent?

I enjoyed many, many things about this film. It wasn't overly violent - the last Burton film that I saw was Sweeney Todd and that was a bit too violent for me. It was also visually appealing. The colours that pop off the screen and right into your 3D glassed eyes were fantastic. The backgrounds, the make up, the costumes, the voices, the script, the music. Ahhh, I almost forgot about the music...which matched the film perfectly. It really was an integral part of the story telling and I appreciate the creativity that it took to match music with such an script.

I realized last night when I was watching this film that I was really at a loss for words. It captivated me for the entire time. I didn't lose my focus or check my watch. For me - that's quite a feat. I didn't know how many ways that I could express my amazement and enjoyment without completely boring you all to death. It was very much like a bed time story for adults, except that it didn't make me sleepy. It renewed my appreciation for Mr. Burton, strengthened my adoration for Johnny Depp and gave me a new understanding for the 3D world. Go see this film. It's worth the time and effort to see it on the big screen. It'll be in my dreams for a long, long time.