Editorial
Front Page - Friday, March 19, 2010
The Critic's Corner
David Laprad
Modern moviemaking techniques have finally caught up with film director Tim Burton’s imagination. That’s a good thing, because even though Burton has one of the most fertile minds in Hollywood, the visuals in his films have often fallen short of what he appeared to be shooting for, perhaps due to budgetary and technological limitations.
But no more. Picture what “Beetle Juice” would look like if Burton made it today, or what an “Alice in Wonderland” film would look like if Burton were able to feed his thoughts into a supercomputer...
Wait a minute... You don’t have to imagine the last example because Burton has made that film! And it’s in theaters now! In 3D! Yes, I used exclamation points, even though it flies in the face of journalistic convention, because the notion of Burton being able to take what’s in his head and reproduce it on the silver screen is exciting.
Not only that, Lewis Carroll’s strange story of Alice’s trip down the rabbit hole seems like it would be the perfect match for Burton’s warped artistic sensibilities.
The good news is that Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” looks great. While the film doesn’t quite tickle the eyeballs like “Avatar,” the screen pops with color and detail, especially during the forest scenes. The animation is terrific, too. I was partial to the Cheshire Cat, who can materialize at will and then vanish into a twisted vapor. I also had fun watching the off kilter human characters, such as the Red Queen, played by Helena Bonham Carter. Somehow, the makeup and visual effects teams gave her a bulbous head, attached it to a tiny body and seamlessly animated the two.
Throughout “Alice,” it’s clear Burton had a great time with the visuals, like a kid playing in the biggest sandbox he’s ever seen.
Unfortunately, it seems Burton does his best storytelling under the constraints of a lower budget. For all of its ocular splendor, “Alice” tells a rather straightforward tale of a young woman who learns to pursue her own dreams rather than do what everyone else expects. There’s nothing wrong with the story, it’s just so... ordinary. And that’s a surprise coming from Burton, who has a knack for getting Hollywood to give him money to make movies that go against the grain of the mainstream. Remember “Edward Scissor-hands?” “Ed Wood?” “Big Fish?”
Burton’s “Alice” is not a remake of the book but rather a sequel that takes place after its titular heroine has grown up. While she’s as independent as ever, the rest of society frowns on her free spirited ways, including her mother, who expects her to accept the marriage proposal of a skeevish aristocrat. At the engagement party, though, Alice sees a rabbit darting through the bushes, a living fragment of what she’s come to believe was nothing more than a dream.
When her future husband kneels to ask for her hand, Alice spots the rabbit and chases him into the woods, where she falls down a deep hole. From there, things proceed much as they did the first time, with Alice drinking a shrinking potion to enter through the tiny door to Wonderland, meeting the Cheshire Cat, having tea with the Mad Hatter and so on. She’s convinced she’s asleep, though, and needs only to pinch herself to wake up.
It’s whimsical stuff, especially the pipe-puffing caterpillar, who tells Alice she’s “not quite Alice,” suggesting she has more growing up to do while she’s in Wonderland. Later, when Alice meets the caterpillar just as he’s slipping into a cocoon, and later still, when she sees the stunning butterfly he’s become, it’s evident his metamorphosis symbolizes the changes she’s undergone.
It’s a nice touch even children can pick up on. Indeed, the screenplay Burton directs is the purest essence of simplicity. For Alice to mature, for example, she must slay a terrible dragon the Red Queen has unleashed upon the land. When she does this, Wonderland will be free of the queen’s tyrannical rule and she will gain the strength to tell society to take a hike.
The only thing that bothered me about the script was Alice falling in line with the expectations of the creatures of Wonderland. How are they any better than the nagging ninnies back home? Perhaps because they’re not just trying to save their own necks but also have Alice’s best interests in mind.
I’m over thinking the movie, though. In the end, Burton’s “Alice” is charming, and not as creepy as I remember Lewis Carroll’s novel being. It also offers some basic lessons for youngsters. While older viewers might get impatient with the story, they can enjoy the magnificent world Burton has created.
That said, I’m more excited about what Burton will do once he starts combining today’s moviemaking techniques with his unique brand of storytelling.
Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald
.com.
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