Alice in Wonderland

Editorial

Burton has concocted a magical kingdom. Familiar characters from Lewis Carroll's much-loved tome are brought to vivid life as the director uses every modern technique under his Mad Hatter's hat to distort and disfigure his cast. Whether it's the bulbous head of Helena Bonham Carter's Red Queen, Crispin Glover's gangly Stayne Knave of Hearts or Matt Lucas' rotund Twiddle Dum and Twiddle Dee, the technical virtuosity on display is breathtaking.

The film is actually a sequel of sorts as Alice, now 19 years of age, returns to Underland a teenager at the crossroads in her life. Anyone who has seen Mia Wasikowska in In Treatment will more than know what this young actress is capable of, and while she often struggles to be heard against the garish visuals and over the top performances that surround her, she makes for a refreshing heroine.

Of the denizens of Underland, Johnny Depp is suitably befuddled as the Mad Hatter, his shocks of orange hair and constantly moving eyeballs show a mischievous glimpse at the madness within. Anne Hathaway's transcendent White Queen exudes an ethereal beauty and is the perfect antidote to Bonham Carter's venomous Red Queen, but like many of the supporting cast the characterisation is slight. The vocal talent actually fairs better - Stephen Fry's constantly dematerialising Cheshire Cat is fraught with feline menace, and Alan Rickman gives his Blue Caterpillar educated gravitas. But in Burton's alternate reality, the visuals always rule.

David Michael Brown