Alice in Wonderland

10.03.2010

Film Trailer

When Alice falls down a hole and enters Wonderland, a journey starts that will change her destiny forever. This is a great film version of the classic children’s books, but be aware that the movie contains a few scary sequences.

Plot
As a little girl Alice is tormented by nightmares. She sees a dressed rabbit and a number of weird creatures. Alice thinks she is about to go crazy, but her father comforts her. He tells her that she is completely insane – before he adds that all the best people in the world are crazy.

Many years later Alice has become a young woman. Her father is dead, and her friends and relatives expect her to marry the young Lord Hamish. During a lavish party Hamish proposes in front of all the guests, but Alice has doubts. She is also a bit preoccupied, due to the fact that the rabbit from her dreams seems to appear constantly in the nearby bushes. Alice runs away from Hamish and the guests, and follows the strange rabbit.

The pursuit leads Alice in to the forest, where she falls down a deep hole. Suddenly she finds herself in a marvellous world where animals can talk and she is able to both shrink and grow. She also meets all the strange creatures from her dreams – Absolem the caterpillar, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Chesire Cat and many more. In addition, it doesn’t last long until she is introduced to the weird and charming Mad Hatter.

Alice believes everything is a dream, and is convinced that it is absolute madness when she is told that her destiny supposedly is to defeat a horrible dragon and end the reign of the evil Red Queen. The Red Queen rules the whole of Wonderland, and in addition to having an army with red knights led by the creepy Stayne - Knave of Hearts, she controls the dragon Jabberwock. But even though Alice believes she is soon to wake up, she eventually has to realize that her many amazing adventures in Wonderland bring her ever closer to a final battle with the horrible dragon.

Quality and Theme
The ”Alice in Wonderland” books are among the great classics of children’s literature, and Tim Burton’s film version presents a fresh and imaginative take on the story. Burton is undoubtedly the right director for this project – his characteristic style gives Wonderland and all the great characters a slightly twisted, weird and “gothic” quality that is just right.

The build-up of the screen story is quite similar to that of several other movies in the genre, but the story’s charm and colourful characters, in addition to excellent performances by all the actors, make “Alice in Wonderland” a solid quality movie.

The message of the story is excellent as well. We get to know a young woman who both in the real world and in Wonderland is expected to accept the destiny that is presented to her. But Alice is determined that she can and will create her own future. She steers clear of the plans that others have made for her, resulting in her being able to live a different and rich life. At the same time all the great characters in Wonderland, and Alice herself, illustrate what Alice’s father told her when she was young and scared – there might actually be something to the idea that the best persons are those who are a bit crazy.

Suitability
”Alice in Wonderland” contains a number of scenes with scary mythical creatures that might disturb children. In addition, the mood of the movie is quite dark, even though the many fun characters and a number of humorous scenes to a large extent make up for this. Still, even though the movie has a “PG” rating, we primarily recommend it for children from 10 years.

Conclusion
”Alice in Wonderland” is an entertaining and action filled movie that will delight a large audience. As usual we recommend the 3D version, but be aware that 3D makes the scary scenes slightly more dramatic.

Director: Tim Burton Genre: Adventure Actors: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska, Crispin Glover and more Language: English Nationality: USA Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures Length: 1t 48min Production Year: 2010 Age Limit: PG Suitability: Children/Young people BBFC’s Consumer Advice: Contains moderate fantasy violence.

Our Assessment: Recommended