Tim Burtons magical Alice in Wonderland in 3D

By Mark Monahan Published: 8:49AM GMT twenty-six February 2010

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Really! You outlay decades watchful for a shade impression to try in to a kaleidoscopic, 3D, computer-generated land and rescue the inhabitants from an immorality oppressor. And afterwards along come two, probably holding hands.

Barely a integrate of months given James Cameron"s Avatar enthralled us in the imperilled sylvan universe of the Na"vi, we right away have Tim Burton"s Alice in Wonderland, a big-budget conflation and re-imagining of Lewis Carroll"s dear books Alice"s Adventures In Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. And the initial 45 minutes, at least, are pristine magic.

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After an enchanting voluntary in that we see Alice as an already energetic small lady with her father, the movie finish brazen thirteen years to a bleak grassed area party. Unbeknown to the stubborn Alice, the abominable toff with whom she is dancing is about to introduce to her, and the complete eventuality is in honour of her imminent nuptials.

She shortly finds out, however, and it is at this impulse of romantic predicament that the White Rabbit teasingly, splendidly initial catches her eye. And it is not prolonged prior to she finds herself plummeting headfirst down by the important rabbit hole to "Underland".

Prior to Alice"s fall, you roughly dont think about that you are examination a 3D movie, but that"s deliberate. It is usually once she loses her balance that Burton (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride) unleashes his full bag of digital trickery, and the experience as you run down, down, down with her is amazing.

Wonderland, as Alice calls it, is gloriously realised: not wholly distinct Avatar"s world, in fact. It is usually as beautiful, but some-more staid (in that oh-so-distinctive knotted, gnarly Burton manner), and someway rather some-more charming. Even the majority asocial grown-up will lamp with pleasure, too, so see all those informed characters rendered with such care, and with such apply oneself for John Tenniel"s strange illustrations.

The Cheshire Cat (silkily uttered by Stephen Fry), Tweedledum and Tweedledee (not usually uttered by Matt Lucas but brilliantly done in to dead-ringers for him), and Alan Rickman"s Blue Caterpillar all are delights. As are Mia Wasikowska"s Alice, Johnny Depp"s demented Mad Hatter, and Helena Bonham Carter"s Red Queen, a beachball-headed successor of Miranda Richardson"s memowably tewiffic Queenie from Blackadder II.

The film"s failings are that it pauses as well prolonged for breath median through, violation what for Burton is an scarcely clever account momentum, and that it relies as well heavily on Tolkein-lite clashes at the end. The Jabberwock, too, lacks the grievous welly even of Spielberg"s tyrannosaurus in Jurassic Park seventeen years ago.

But don"t be put off. Carroll"s story is a poetic car for Burton"s creepy-crawly medieval character and gusto for outlandish outsiders, and this movie should have relatives and young kids comparison laugh, gape, quiver and care.

Alice in Wonderland is on ubiquitous recover from subsequent Friday.

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