Hollywood hues
 Evergreen fable

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland blends the age-old Lewis Carroll story with fresh inputs
to make the fare as wholesome as it is lushly opulent, writes Ervell E. Menezes

AFTER the visual splendour and feisty sets of Avatar, here comes a sort of encore, thanks to designer Robert Stromberg’s participation in it. Director Tim Burton then adds his brand of individuality, which defies any kind of stereotype for this maverick filmmaker, who doesn’t believe in saying things straight. So in this new Alice in Wonderland we have a good blend of the age-old Lewis Carroll story with fresh new inputs to make the fare as wholesome as it is lushly opulent.

The film, which has a contemporary flavour, is easy on the eye and the special
The film, which has a contemporary flavour, is easy on the eye and the special effects merge with the frames

Hence, we have Alice (Mia Wasikowska), a runaway bride going down the rabbit hole once again to escape an inconvenient marriage. We also have the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) who doesn’t only wear green mascara but also his heart on his sleeve and the wicked Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), a ruler who doesn’t know whether it is better to be loved or feared? Is she really mean with her murderous "Off with their heads !" chant or is she just a victim of loneliness and rejection ? After all, she must have had a tough life growing up fat and ugly alongside her beautiful sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway).

There are also a bunch of animated characters, who throb with life and feeling with their excellent forms and charming voice-overs — the spooky Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), now visible now not, the erudite hookah-smoking caterpillar (Alan Rickman) and Bayard (Timothy Spall), the limpid-eyed dog who becomes a slave to the wicked queen because she holds his wife and pups captive. It is a whole new world that designer Stromberg has created and it is easy on the eye and somehow the special effects merge with the frames.

It is indeed a great parade of colourful characters to keep the viewer enthralled from start to finish. There is no bother of holding the viewer’s attention. It just happens. The near-surrealistic spiritualism of the White kingdom stands out in stark contrast to the dark mystery and gaudy hysteria of the Red Queen’s world. But Anne Hathaway fails to do justice to the part where the villainous Helena Bonham Carter is more believable. The Mad Hatter’s tea party is a real scream and Johnny Depp expectedly turns in a delightful performance ably supported by Alan Rickman and Stephen Fry.

Yes, this evergreen fable comes alive with mesmeric form and a whole new contemporary flavour. And you need not be a lover of fairy tales to enjoy it.

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