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ALICE IN WONDERLANDMovie Reviews
Adventure fantasy based on Lewis Carroll's book of the same name in which a 19 year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventures. Cast:Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt LucasDirector:Tim BurtonRelease Date:March 5, 2010DVD Release:June 1, 2010From:Walt Disney PicturesRating:PGLength:1 hr. 48 min.
Alice in Wonderland played to good reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Tom Long wrote in the Detroit News, "...an undeniable visual marvel and the best use of Burton's eye in at least a decade." • And Carrie Rickey wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Carroll purists are likely to dismiss this 'Alice' as spuriouser and spuriouser. But who expects a faithful adaptation of a literary classic from Timothy Beetlejuice?" More Reviews Below...
Alice in Wonderland Positive Reviews (48 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Johnny Depp steals the show as a sweetly psychotic Hatter. By turns heartbreaking and scary, he provides the inspired lunacy the rest of the film needs."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 153 words, 03/04/10
Richard Corliss, Time: VERY GOOD "Burton has been making variations on Carroll his whole career. 'Alice in Wonderland' is just the official version.... So how's the movie? Mostly frabjous."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,127 words, 03/05/10
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "Burton has beefed up the original story so that it feels less personal and more like the many action films about young, maturing heroes who must slay a giant villain."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 732 words, 03/04/10
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Spunky Wasikowska engages beautifully with Depp, who brings empathy to what could have been a cartoon character.... a visual feast."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 104 words, 03/04/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...brings a fresh perspective to the 'Alice in Wonderland' chronicle while remaining principally faithful to the source material, at least in spirit if not in all the particulars."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 944 words, 03/05/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...magic only fitfully comes.... if you're looking for the trippy bounce of Jefferson Airplane's 'White Rabbit' with its wisdom in the shrooms, it can be found."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 03/05/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...its menagerie of characters range from mildly loopy to certifiably insane. But they're immensely fun, and what they have to say has charm and verve."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 581 words, 03/05/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "The film is enchanting in its mordant way until, unfortunately, it arrives at its third act.... Why does 'Alice in Wonderland' have to end with an action sequence?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 886 words, 03/04/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "Mr. Burton's heroine is a wan figure to hang an entire world on, and Ms. Wasikowska barely registers among Mr. Burton's clanging and the computer-generated galumphing."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,159 words, 03/05/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...tends to get lost in its own delirium... the plot is mostly a device on which the director hangs his visual fantasies..."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 361 words, 03/05/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...middling... It has its successful moments but it's surprisingly inert overall, more like a Burton derivative than something he actually did himself."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 750 words, 03/05/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a little rough for preteens, and it doesn't throw many laughs the audience's way -- but along with 'Sweeney Todd,' this is Burton's most interesting project in a decade."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 693 words, 03/05/10
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "The film's brightest spot is Johnny Depp, whose garish makeup and wild green contact lenses somehow heighten his range of genuine emotions..."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 335 words, 03/05/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "The film is enchanting in its mordant way until, unfortunately, it arrives at its third act.... Why does 'Alice in Wonderland' have to end with an action sequence?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 886 words, 03/04/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...casually absurd, off-handed in its violence.... a straightforward allegory of female actualization.... seems a trailer for a Wonderland computer game -- and it is."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 772 words, 03/03/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "This new telling of 'Alice In Wonderland,' is, in a word, frabjous. That's a Carrollian term Wikipedia defines as 'possibly a blend of fair, fabulous and joyous.' "(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 810 words, 03/05/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Burton gets the visuals right, but he fails to bring them to life, leaving Wasikowska to wander through a series of digitally superimposed sets..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 380 words, 03/04/10
KEY CITIES (17 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Depp's performance turns out to be one of the most subtle and magnanimous in recent years... the film is dominated by the breakout performance of Mia Wasikowska."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 822 words, 03/05/10
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "Carroll purists are likely to dismiss this 'Alice' as spuriouser and spuriouser. But who expects a faithful adaptation of a literary classic from Timothy Beetlejuice?"(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 03/05/10
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: WEAK(cg) "...a 3-D, CG-enhanced extravaganza of boring and time-worn fantasy conventions. It isn't often a 3-D movie almost puts me to sleep."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 03/05/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the sense of dark fun and adventure is unmistakably Burton, who proves with 'Alice in Wonderland' that he, for one, is in no danger of losing his muchness."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 755 words, 03/05/10
Claire Martin, Denver Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Staggering, sometimes disconcerting and occasionally truly magical.... Burton and Disney have found a glorious way to interpret fairy tales and fantasies."(See all of Claire Martin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 617 words, 03/05/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "In its big-budget extraordinariness, 'Alice' is awfully... ordinary.... There are sublime inventions... But the visuals are just as often busy without being interesting..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 868 words, 03/05/10
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: MODERATE(cg) "I liked the idea of this film project much more than the actual film.... alas, the finished film is not terribly inspired or compelling. It's a bland, rather forgettable endeavor."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 03/05/10
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...bursting at its seams with color and imagination... not a literal reinterpretation of Lewis Carroll's books but rather takes their playful yet dark spirit and dances with it."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 663 words, 03/05/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...strangely passive... Absent a sense that Burton is connected at a personal level to the material... He's present in this film, sure, but he never feels truly invested."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 03/05/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "Somehow, a children's fable about playful language and imagination has become yet another overblown fantasy about a teenager who's been prophesied to lead an army..."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 372 words, 03/05/10
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a wondrous sight... succeeds at what most literary adaptations don't even attempt; moving the text forward into something richer..."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 03/06/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an undeniable visual marvel and the best use of Burton's eye in at least a decade. If its trajectory is a bit too familiar, its attitude, look and execution make up for it."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 03/05/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...there is considerable fun to be had... particularly in the movie's second half, if you're willing to look past the cliches and savor Burton's inventions..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 03/05/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...casually absurd, off-handed in its violence.... a straightforward allegory of female actualization.... seems a trailer for a Wonderland computer game -- and it is."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 772 words, 03/03/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "...bears as much resemblance to Lewis Carroll's two 'Alice' books as the video-game version of Inferno does to Dante's epic poem."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 651 words, 03/11/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Burton gets the visuals right, but he fails to bring them to life, leaving Wasikowska to wander through a series of digitally superimposed sets..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 380 words, 03/04/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Burton and scripter Linda Woolverton offer an imaginative riff on Carroll's settings and characters... [but] 'Alice in Wonderland' isn't as warm or humorous as you'd hope."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 689 words, 03/05/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "The most surprising thing is its general lack of surprise. Was Mr. Burton so distracted by the demands of the complex effects that he had to settle for conventionality?"(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 934 words, 03/05/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "Mr. Burton's heroine is a wan figure to hang an entire world on, and Ms. Wasikowska barely registers among Mr. Burton's clanging and the computer-generated galumphing."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,159 words, 03/05/10
David Edelstein, NPR Fresh Air: VERY GOOD "...the plot is one part C.S. Lewis to one part 'The Wizard of Oz'.... If you can get past the Hollywood revisions, 'Alice in Wonderland' is rather wonderful..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 349 seconds, 03/04/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...middling... It has its successful moments but it's surprisingly inert overall, more like a Burton derivative than something he actually did himself."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 750 words, 03/05/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...feels far more conventional than it should; it's a Disney film illustrated by Burton, rather than a Burton film that happens to be released by Disney."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,277 words, 02/25/10
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "Burton has delivered a subversively witty, brilliantly cast, whimsically appointed dazzler that also manages to hit all the emotionally satisfying marks."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 547 words, 02/25/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...middling... It has its successful moments but it's surprisingly inert overall, more like a Burton derivative than something he actually did himself."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 750 words, 03/05/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "...in individual sequences, the movie soars to Hollywood's highest level of creativity. And yet something is missing... call it heart and gravity."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,550 words, 02/25/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "Mr. Burton's heroine is a wan figure to hang an entire world on, and Ms. Wasikowska barely registers among Mr. Burton's clanging and the computer-generated galumphing."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,159 words, 03/05/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "The most surprising thing is its general lack of surprise. Was Mr. Burton so distracted by the demands of the complex effects that he had to settle for conventionality?"(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 934 words, 03/05/10
20.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Alice in Wonderland's reviews are separated by an average 20.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Alice in Wonderland (48 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Alice in Wonderland's reviews cover 94.4% of potential readers (average is 68.0%). Volume:The film's reviews total 31,266 words involume (average is 20,221 words). Length:The film's reviews average 651 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Alice in Wonderland Coverage, Volume & Length (48 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 20.0 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.3 Release)
Alice in Wonderland's reviews on average broke 20.0 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.3 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Alice in Wonderland's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Alice in Wonderland (48 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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