Alice in Wonderland

Cast your mind back to March and you will recall the sensation caused by Disney’s release of Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton, which ended up becoming the second highest-grossing film of the year worldwide. Arriving just as the excitement surrounding 3D was reaching its peak, the film was widely admired for its stunning visual effects, which clearly leant themselves well to this new cinema phenomenon. The big names on the cast list, including Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway, also undoubtedly contributed to the film’s box office success. However, the merits of the film in its own right should not be underestimated.

Far from being a remake of the former 1951 Disney movie, nor even of Lewis Carroll’s original 1865 novel, the new film instead imagines a return of Alice to Wonderland (or ‘Underland’), ten years later. This older Alice, now a young woman, must help restore the good White Queen to her place as rightful ruler, through a series of altercations and battles with the Red Queen and her followers.

Overall, the film provides a convincing and compelling sequel to the original story of Alice; it is exciting, thought-provoking, and often very funny.