Movie: Alice in Wonderland

A VERY IMPORTANT DATE: Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland.

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It's not too much of an understatement to say that Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is a trip. Burton's possibly the only director working today (with the exception of maybe Guillermo del Toro) who could take on something like Alice and turn it into a real wonderland.

Burton's Alice is – at the same time – exactly what we would expect, and nothing like we would expect.

The original Alice in Wonderland, as written by Lewis Carroll, has a very young Alice falling down the rabbit hole and having a series of adventures that, eventually, lead her back home again.

For the movie, screenwriter Linda Woolverton has added a narrative thread, giving the audience something to hang their movie experience on, and it does work to a certain degree.

Alice is now 19 and has forgotten her previous experiences in Wonderland.

However, when the uptight son of a "good" family proposes to her in front of everyone, all Alice can do is run away ... and she finds herself down the rabbit hole once again.

Alice in Wonderland is a bit like director Tim Burton's personal playground: Johnny Depp is the Mad Hatter; Helena Bonham Carter is the Red Queen, and Matt Lucas (Little Britain) is Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

And it's both what's right about Alice in Wonderland and what's wrong with it.

You go in with Burton-esque expectations of what you will see, and you are certainly not disappointed.

Depp as the Mad Hatter is wonderfully over the top, and slightly frenetic as he cavorts through Wonderland, but it's exactly what you would expect. His Hatter borders on the lunatic at times, but he manages to pull it back when he needs to, which is a real testament to Depp's skills as an actor.

But because it's exactly what you expect to see, there aren't as many surprises as perhaps there could be, although Burton's care and attention shines through the whole movie.

Relative newcomer Mia Wasikowska is fine as Alice; spirited when she needs to be and smart and resourceful as always. Bonham Carter chews up the scenery as the Red Queen, and she's in fine form.

The oddest role, which is saying something given that this is Alice in Wonderland, is perhaps Hathaway as the White Queen. She's very studied and mannered, which I assume is deliberate, but it is a little bit distracting.

The visuals are stunning, and it's a real shame Invercargill doesn't have 3-D capabilities. Alice would be amazing.

- © Fairfax NZ News