wonderland meh
Mar. 11th, 2010 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivendellroseSo, The Boy and I decided that seeing Alice in Wonderland would be a good use of our Thursday date-night tonight. It was. It was very nice getting out of the house and out to a movie.
That said, it was not the most brilliant movie we've seen, by a long stretch.
I seem to have a problem lately with movies that are exceptionally pretty, but otherwise completely fail to ping me in almost any way. I felt that way with Avatar - exceptionally pretty movie, I even really enjoyed it, but walked away with a feeling something on the order of "Well, that's done. What next?" Which, as will be obvious to friends who have seen me after a movie I really like, is a sure sign that it didn't exactly capture my imagination. After a movie I really like, I generally can't shut up about the movie for at least a few hours. So... yeah.
Mia Wasikowska was a wonderful Alice - very sweet and charming and adorable without being twee or annoying, and very believably spunky without the annoying sort of "LOOK AT ME, I'M A SPUNKY GIRL!" thing that's so damned popular among movies and tv shows that are interested in paying lip service without creating an actual character. I very much liked her - particularly in the bit with the armor. I am weak to girls in armor, and that was quite lovely.
Johnny Depp did his usually spectacular job at acting. I'd been very worried that I wasn't going to like him in this precisely because they'd gone and inflated his part so much - I don't like the feeling that it's the Johnny Depp show purely because everybody loves Johnny Depp. Don't get me wrong, I love Johnny Depp... but sometimes it gets annoying how much people think that they can do anything, absolutely any piece of crap, without thinking or writing a plot or anything, and it'll work so long as he's in it. Which, admittedly, might be true. But it annoys me that people try to get away with that. Aaaaanyway, I liked him very much, although I must say that the pasted-on romantic vibe between him and Alice was... strange.... I do not approve of romantic vibe with Johnny Depp purely because he's Johnny Depp. Particularly when he's wearing so many layers of makeup that I keep getting distracted by thinking "oh, look how they've highlighted his nose there, that's very interesting."
Stephen Fry as the voice of the Cheshire Cat is love. That is all. ♥ ...Actually, not quite all because I have to say that I loved him (...the cat, not Stephen Fry) kneading on the Hatter's Hat. That was adorable.
So too is Alan Rickman as the voice of the Caterpillar. ♥ Very... him. I love any chance to hear his voice, of course.
Helena Bonham-Carter - I thought the inflated head thing would annoy me, but it turned out just fine, and I very much liked her. No matter how much makeup and weirdness is piled on her, I always find her adorable... even when she's slightly evil. She's just so good at being evil while being oddly sympathetic.
...Which, in this case, was slightly unfortunate, as I did not find Anne Hathaway as the White Queen particularly sympathetic at all, so while I knew we were meant, sort of, to be rooting for her (as much as for anybody other than Alice), I found the White Queen simply boring. There was a moment when we first met her where she's being all proper and obviously-played and "on-stage" sort of thing, and then she sends away the courtiers and drops the act and runs to the bloodhound (...Timothy Spall in an actually sympathetic part? Go figure!), where I thought "Ah! This will be okay, she won't be bad at all!" ...And then that never came back again, and she was always playing up the Disney Princess act, and while I knew it was meant to be meant, if you get what I mean - intentional and an act - it just... god, it made it so hard to give a crap about her. She reminded me a bit of Galinda in Wicked, but without all the endearing parts - just the parts that make you want to wring her neck and beg her to do something real just once.
Apparently Marton Csokas was Alice's father. I did not recognize him. Actually, I had to go look at a picture of him just now to confirm that yes, I was definitely thinking of the right person (Haldir Celeborn! (dear god, I probably shouldn't be all that disturbed by screwing that up late at night, but I am!) from Lord of the Rings).
And of course Christopher Lee's two whole lines as the Jabberwocky were... there? Poor man, even when he's not cut from things, these days, it seems he's down to barely a cameo. He might be a bit of a pompous jerk in interviews (...I've never forgiven him for some of the snide, passive-aggressive remarks toward Ian McKellan in the Lord of the Rings interviews), but he's still one of the greats, and I hate to see him misused. It was still a nice bit, though.
The Bandersnatch galumphed. That is the only word for the way it moved. I loved Alice riding it, I loved the way it moved... I was not enamored of its face. It reminded me of that cat macro, now that I think of it - the one with a shark's mouth photoshopped onto a cat? It looked like that, but with a dog. I think that's why it failed for me. Well. That and the fact that it's such a truism/cliche that all you have to do is be nice to the big monster and it will help you. The fact that its appearance (and its part in the movie) reminded me of the... thingy that also looked scary until someone was nice to it in Labyrinth. I keep coming up with "Greebo," and of course that's wrong. Greebo (in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books) is not nice even to people who are nice to him. Unless that person is Nanny.
The CGI was very good, the characters were well-animated, the art direction was very nice, and the writing... needed work. I couldn't even tell you exactly what it was - I still haven't figured it out. In the end, I guess, it all just felt very... fake? Artificial? Like they were trying too hard? One of the reviewers said that it felt more like a film done in the style of Tim Burton, almost a Tim Burton pastiche, more than an actual Tim Burton movie, and... I can see that, I suppose. I'd stick with saying that it didn't feel very alive, it didn't feel like it had a heart. Or maybe just that it didn't push my buttons.
...How something with Alan Rickman, Johnny Depp, Stephen Fry, Helena Bonham-Carter, and a pretty girl in shining armor carrying a sword can not push my buttons is a totally other question, the answer to which I am looking for with a good deal of perplexity.
That said, it was not the most brilliant movie we've seen, by a long stretch.
I seem to have a problem lately with movies that are exceptionally pretty, but otherwise completely fail to ping me in almost any way. I felt that way with Avatar - exceptionally pretty movie, I even really enjoyed it, but walked away with a feeling something on the order of "Well, that's done. What next?" Which, as will be obvious to friends who have seen me after a movie I really like, is a sure sign that it didn't exactly capture my imagination. After a movie I really like, I generally can't shut up about the movie for at least a few hours. So... yeah.
Mia Wasikowska was a wonderful Alice - very sweet and charming and adorable without being twee or annoying, and very believably spunky without the annoying sort of "LOOK AT ME, I'M A SPUNKY GIRL!" thing that's so damned popular among movies and tv shows that are interested in paying lip service without creating an actual character. I very much liked her - particularly in the bit with the armor. I am weak to girls in armor, and that was quite lovely.
Johnny Depp did his usually spectacular job at acting. I'd been very worried that I wasn't going to like him in this precisely because they'd gone and inflated his part so much - I don't like the feeling that it's the Johnny Depp show purely because everybody loves Johnny Depp. Don't get me wrong, I love Johnny Depp... but sometimes it gets annoying how much people think that they can do anything, absolutely any piece of crap, without thinking or writing a plot or anything, and it'll work so long as he's in it. Which, admittedly, might be true. But it annoys me that people try to get away with that. Aaaaanyway, I liked him very much, although I must say that the pasted-on romantic vibe between him and Alice was... strange.... I do not approve of romantic vibe with Johnny Depp purely because he's Johnny Depp. Particularly when he's wearing so many layers of makeup that I keep getting distracted by thinking "oh, look how they've highlighted his nose there, that's very interesting."
Stephen Fry as the voice of the Cheshire Cat is love. That is all. ♥ ...Actually, not quite all because I have to say that I loved him (...the cat, not Stephen Fry) kneading on the Hatter's Hat. That was adorable.
So too is Alan Rickman as the voice of the Caterpillar. ♥ Very... him. I love any chance to hear his voice, of course.
Helena Bonham-Carter - I thought the inflated head thing would annoy me, but it turned out just fine, and I very much liked her. No matter how much makeup and weirdness is piled on her, I always find her adorable... even when she's slightly evil. She's just so good at being evil while being oddly sympathetic.
...Which, in this case, was slightly unfortunate, as I did not find Anne Hathaway as the White Queen particularly sympathetic at all, so while I knew we were meant, sort of, to be rooting for her (as much as for anybody other than Alice), I found the White Queen simply boring. There was a moment when we first met her where she's being all proper and obviously-played and "on-stage" sort of thing, and then she sends away the courtiers and drops the act and runs to the bloodhound (...Timothy Spall in an actually sympathetic part? Go figure!), where I thought "Ah! This will be okay, she won't be bad at all!" ...And then that never came back again, and she was always playing up the Disney Princess act, and while I knew it was meant to be meant, if you get what I mean - intentional and an act - it just... god, it made it so hard to give a crap about her. She reminded me a bit of Galinda in Wicked, but without all the endearing parts - just the parts that make you want to wring her neck and beg her to do something real just once.
Apparently Marton Csokas was Alice's father. I did not recognize him. Actually, I had to go look at a picture of him just now to confirm that yes, I was definitely thinking of the right person (
And of course Christopher Lee's two whole lines as the Jabberwocky were... there? Poor man, even when he's not cut from things, these days, it seems he's down to barely a cameo. He might be a bit of a pompous jerk in interviews (...I've never forgiven him for some of the snide, passive-aggressive remarks toward Ian McKellan in the Lord of the Rings interviews), but he's still one of the greats, and I hate to see him misused. It was still a nice bit, though.
The Bandersnatch galumphed. That is the only word for the way it moved. I loved Alice riding it, I loved the way it moved... I was not enamored of its face. It reminded me of that cat macro, now that I think of it - the one with a shark's mouth photoshopped onto a cat? It looked like that, but with a dog. I think that's why it failed for me. Well. That and the fact that it's such a truism/cliche that all you have to do is be nice to the big monster and it will help you. The fact that its appearance (and its part in the movie) reminded me of the... thingy that also looked scary until someone was nice to it in Labyrinth. I keep coming up with "Greebo," and of course that's wrong. Greebo (in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books) is not nice even to people who are nice to him. Unless that person is Nanny.
The CGI was very good, the characters were well-animated, the art direction was very nice, and the writing... needed work. I couldn't even tell you exactly what it was - I still haven't figured it out. In the end, I guess, it all just felt very... fake? Artificial? Like they were trying too hard? One of the reviewers said that it felt more like a film done in the style of Tim Burton, almost a Tim Burton pastiche, more than an actual Tim Burton movie, and... I can see that, I suppose. I'd stick with saying that it didn't feel very alive, it didn't feel like it had a heart. Or maybe just that it didn't push my buttons.
...How something with Alan Rickman, Johnny Depp, Stephen Fry, Helena Bonham-Carter, and a pretty girl in shining armor carrying a sword can not push my buttons is a totally other question, the answer to which I am looking for with a good deal of perplexity.
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no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 07:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 10:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 08:00 am (UTC)Oh, and I think that you're thinking of Ludo btw for Labyrinth, yes?
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 10:06 pm (UTC)I haven't seen much of the American McGee stuff, just the concept art, but I do think you're right - it's less overtly creepy than his stuff (the Cheshire cat doesn't look starved, for insance, for which I thank them deeply), but it's got that same "something is not quite right here" kind of feeling.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 08:06 am (UTC)Did you ever see the recent SyFy version? It was more of a steampunk interpretation and really cleverly done.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 10:08 pm (UTC)I've not! I generally avoid anything on SyFy, honestly... but I've heard enough people go on about that version of Alice that I should really look it up. Sounds like it was very fun, and the picture I saw of the Hatter looked awfully cute.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 09:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 01:01 pm (UTC)The geek in me just wanted to point out that Marton Csokas' role in LotR was as Lord Celeborn, not Haldir. *scurries away*
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 03:42 pm (UTC)Can I blame being tired and we can both forget this whole thing? :P I feel like I ought to... I don't know, go watch the commentaries, or read the Silmarillion again to make up for this. My geek cred must be restored!
Oh, and I have to say - I believe it was you who said Helena was channelling Queenie from Blackadder in this? So very right. ♥
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 03:46 pm (UTC)Yes, I made that observation. Good to know I wasn't imagining it!
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 03:54 pm (UTC)Anyway, I shall indeed - the Boy is almost finished reading Fellowship for the first time, and we're going to watch the extended editions again as he finishes the books. So I will soon have my chance for repentance! ;)
Director's cut?
Date: 2010-03-12 11:03 pm (UTC)The White Queen particularly bothered me...they kept hinting that she was darker she appeared on the surface, but then they never developed. I wanted her to be a little more substantial of a character.
Other than that, the only thing that really bugged me was the knave; I kept having the feeling that there was a back story that I was missing that would make him make more sense.
I liked the Hatter, though. I was worried from the previews that it was going to be all centered around him and Alice would be tangential to his story. I thought they did a good job working him in enough to get some good Depp-ness but not going over the top. Even the love story didn't bother me...I was SURE they were going to have her meet someone when she returned to the real world that was an obvious Hatter analog, but they thankfully didn't fall into that pile of cheese! (Unless that, too, hit the cutting room floor).
I also liked how Alice became more likable throughout the movie...at the beginning she was just...drippy. Her little rebellions seemed out of place with the dishrag she was, and I liked how they had her slowly get her 'muchness' back. It was much more realistic than having her be spunky from the get-go.