Tim Burton's Alice is a girl who, like her late father, imagines Six Impossible Things, sees them come to life and uses their existence to embolden her in facing the greatest challenges of her life - in our world, the pressure to betray herself in order to fulfill familial and societal expectations and, in Wonderland, a monster just as deadly.
The counterplay between the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) and the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) is fantastic. Whereas the White Queen is chaste, mystical and dreamy, the Red Queen is rutty, malevolent and grotesque. Each is aiming for supremacy. Who will be their champions?
Alice's appearance brings hope to a Wonderland gone badly awry. Throughout her journey, Alice is challenged to accept a new role in life. Again and again, Alice denies her strength, doubts her ability and struggles with the inevitable. In the end, it is Alice alone who can choose to claim or to reject her power.
In short, this is a film about growing up.
I highly recommend seeing it with a 'tween or teenaged daughter as it provides a powerful message that one can find profound strength in choosing to do what is right and in being true to one's self in the face of obstacles - and even grave danger.
I could have lived without Johnny Depp's atrociously rendered scene near the very end but few films are perfect. All in all, I'm so pleased that Tim Burton and his excellent cast and special effects crew brought this script to life. It's well worth seeing.
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