Andy Gapin

I’m disappointed. Alice In Wonderland wasn’t what I wanted it to be and I think Tim Burton is to blame. I never thought I’d ever say that, I generally love Tim Burton’s work, but this didn’t do it for me. It almost felt like Burton half-assed it instead of pushing himself forward and beyond previous work. Alice in Wonderland felt less like him adapting his style to the story and more like him adapting the story to a summation of is entire cinematic career over the last twenty or so years.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it, but I’ve been waiting for this movie for a long time and I wanted more. The visuals looked great, but they didn’t look new or original or inspiring or anything that you would expect from Tim Burton.

Both Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway were weak as well, not terrible, but not what we’ve all come to expect. I can’t put my finger on what was off, but it wasn’t all there, even though I think Johnny Depp is the perfect casting choice for Mad Hatter. However, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen was the one strong point to this film. The tones in her voice and her facial expressions were perfect and her scenes were both interesting and funny in the exact way that I wanted the entire film to match with.

Also, Hatter’s “futterwacken” dance was just weird and didn’t feel like it belonged with the rest of the film.

Rating: C

Okay, so I finally saw Avatar. I’m the last person on Earth to have seen this, I think. What’s left to say about it? Really? The effects were incredible. Nothing else is even remotely notable about it in either direction. It comes down to this, see it in IMAX 3D in the theater or don’t ever see it. Pretty simple.

Rating: Does it even matter at this point?