Alice In Wonderland
On paper you’d think Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland would be a perfect fit for director Tim Burton. Its magical tale of a little girl lost in a land of fantastical beauty would seemingly have the elements which would be enhanced by his unique vision. Sadly it’s precisely because of his direction that Alice In Wonderland fails to deliver as the magic and wonder is over-ridden by unnecessary modern day realism.
Nineteen year old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) attends a garden party which forever changes her. Fleeing from an unwanted suitor, she follows a white rabbit who leads her to a magical burrow. Falling into its tunnel she arrives in Wonderland, a place she feels she has been before. Recognised by its inhabitants, including the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), Alice is lured into a quest in slaying the Jabberwocky, a pet of the dreaded Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). Upon its demise only then can the kingdom return to the rule of the White Queen (Anne Hathaway).
For all its fantastic costumes, production design and special effects, Alice In Wonderland falls apart due to its story. Its blending of Wonderland and its sequel Alice Through the Looking-Glass, leaves the screenplay awkwardly balancing between an adolescent and adult sensibility. This approach completely destroys any of the original’s graceful splendour replaced by charmless characters and a mean spirited tone. It’s really depressing seeing a beloved classic ‘re-imagined’ for modern audiences, which prevents the timelessness other tales have benefited.
Its biggest drawback is Burton’s self-indulgence. What the viewer sees is not an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s work but a Tim Burton production with all the plus and minuses it entails. Whilst he has the ability to craft a brilliant fantasy fable, Alice In Wonderland isn’t one of them. Even the performances are only of moderate interest, with Depp and company over-acting to distraction. Those seeing this in 3-D will be further disappointed as it fails to provide any depth or perception to the surrounds, which is hardly surprising as its technology was apparently added as an afterthought as if to tart up a mediocre film.
Alice In Wonderland unfortunately marks as one of the least of Burton’s output. Despite the great CGI and the trimmings only a massive $200 million budget would allow, it seems yet again little care has been spent on crafting a script where grey reality triumphs over colourful fantasy.
Rating out of 10: 4
The Men Who Stare At Goats
Some of the most memorable segments of the Don Lane Show invariably featured psychics. From Uri Geller’s spoon bending antics to Doris Stokes’ contacts with the ‘other side’, these moments usually led to much audience awe. This phenomenon has always held a fascinating appeal which The Men Who Stare At Goats looks upon with a twinkle. That it mostly succeeds in making psychics look cool would perhaps give noted sceptic James Randi nightmares.
Covering the Iraq war, reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) searches for a fresh angle which Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) provides. A soldier for the New Earth Army, a military outfit aimed at creating psychic warriors, Lyn is tasked with finding its former leader Bill Django (Jeff Bridges). Learning the bizarre history of this secret unit, Bob’s curiosity is sorely tested as herds of goats, psychic spies and lots of LSD reveals these combatants are the world’s last line of defence.
As silly as this film sounds, like any good comedy it has a basis in truth. Drawing from the reported use of psychics by the FBI in the 1950’s to fight Communism, the film spins this to its wackiest extreme. There’s nothing too serious here as everyone has a grand time at exploring the absurdity of the melding of new age philosophies with armoured warfare. Even in these sequences there is a nugget of fact in how the military will go to any lengths in gaining the upper hand over its opponents. That a desperate army would do this speaks volumes of the weird ideas coming from the supposedly intelligent tactical minds.
Although it offers a lot to enjoy it suffers from a dearth of plot. It’s a bit difficult to follow where the tale is headed as the cast have such a good time they seem to forget to actually tell a story. By the time the gist of the film is evident, the momentum slows down to an almost terminal degree. Despite this it’s such a strange film told with great enthusiasm that it seems a little churlish to criticise too much as the fun effectively translates from screen. Whether you believe in any of it is another matter, even it’s if based on a non-fiction book detailing such occurrences happening.
If you run with it The Men Who Stare At Goats can be a highly amusing experience. Bizarre but fun all at once, its shortcomings should be forgiven by the exuberance of its game and energetic cast.
Rating out of 10: 7