ALICE IN WONDERLAND — ★★★ — Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter; shown in both the 2D and 3D formats, and in the large-screen format; rated PG (violence, brief drugs, slurs, brief gore, mild vulgarity); in general release
The new, visually stunning movie version of "Alice in Wonderland" is definitely not Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland."
For better or worse, this is director Tim Burton's version of the beloved and much-filmed Carroll tales, and all that entails.
Like most of Burton's works, this fantasy is bizarre and even a bit zany. Here, Burton uses a combination of live-action, motion-capture technology and computer-generated imagery to bring Carroll's characters to life, while adding some more modernist and peculiar touches to the material.
Also, it should be mentioned that there is some upsetting imagery and content, which begs the question of whether the movie should have gotten a PG-13 rating from the MPAA, rather than the supposedly more family-friendly PG rating.
Still, the first two-thirds of this film are as good and are as enjoyable as anything Burton has done in his career — even going back to such earlier works as "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (1985), "Beetle Juice" (1988) and "Edward Scissorhands" (1990). In many respects, this is the most crowd-pleasing Burton film in many years.
Burton's title character is Alice Kingsleigh, an imaginative and strong-willed teen — played by Mia Wasikowska, an up-and-coming actress who resembles both Claire Danes and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Alice is feeling pressure to conform and is being pursued, romantically, by a dull-as-dirt suitor, Hamish (Leo Bill). In a panic, she runs away from her engagement party and subsequently falls down a rabbit hole.
And that's where things — as they say in Carroll's books — get "curiouser and curiouser." The rabbit hole actually leads to Underland, a fantasy world that looks a lot like the place Alice has been dreaming of on a nightly basis.
While there, Alice has encounters with various members of what appears to be a "rebel army" consisting of a white rabbit in a waistcoat, a door mouse, a dodo, talking flowers, a caterpillar and a mischievous Cheshire cat.
She also befriends the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), who informs her that Underland is suffering under the yoke of the tyrannical Red Queen (the face and voice of Burton's off-screen partner, Helena Bonham Carter).
The Red Queen has seized the throne from her infinitely sweeter sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). There are prophecies, though, that suggest that Alice might be the hero who can finally end the Red Queen's oppressive reign.
It's disappointing to see Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton wrap up this story with such a conventional, Hollywood climax. (That includes a big battle scene that appears to have come from any number of big-screen movie fantasies.)
But there's no denying that Burton and his visual effects artists have created a distinctive vision for the various characters, creatures and settings (in this respect, it rivals the 1951 Disney animated feature and nearly puts it to shame).
And if nothing else, Burton has assembled a first-rate cast. His longtime collaborators Bonham Carter and Depp are clearly having a ball, as are Hathaway and Wasikowska.
That enthusiasm trickles down to the voice performers, who include Alan Rickman (the Caterpillar), Stephen Fry (the Cheshire Cat), Michael Sheen (the White Rabbit) and Christopher Lee (the Jabberwocky).
"Alice in Wonderland" is rated PG and features strong violent content and imagery (creature attacks, sword play, a beheading and violence against women and animals), brief drug content and references (various potions and elixirs, as well as hookah use), derogatory language and slurs (mostly dealing with intelligence levels), some brief bloody imagery, and some mildly vulgar references and humor (relating to various bodily functions). Running time: 108 minutes.
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com