Movie review: Wonders in 'Wonderland'

As I was watching "Alice in Wonderland," I kept thinking about the Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit" and expecting the Dormouse to sing "Feed your head" in Grace Slick's voice. Maybe I've had one too many mushrooms.

Based on the books "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass" by Lewis Carroll, this film comes packed with '60s psychedelic images including a hookah-smoking caterpillar and a floating cat. Imagine "The Wizard of Oz" on hallucinogens and you have an idea of how trippy the film looks.

And who better to bring Carroll's surreal fantasy world to life than the crown prince of the peculiar, Tim Burton. Talk about the perfect union of director with material.

Burton creates a visual tour-de-force here, employing vibrant colors, fractured landscapes and a menagerie of strange characters, all amplified by 3-D technology, to set the stage for Alice's adventure in Wonderland, or Underland, if you prefer.

While "Alice" has been filmed multiple times before, Burton alters the tale, advancing Alice in age from 9 to 19 and combining elements of "Looking-Glass." This Alice, played by the Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, has arrived at a Victorian party where an aristocratic fop named Hamish (Leo Bill) has proposed to her. A strong-willed, independent sort -- she doesn't wear a corset or stockings -- Alice doesn't know what to say. Instead, she flees, falls down a rabbit hole and begins living her recurring dream populated by oddball characters.

The inhabitants of Underland aren't sure if she's the real Alice, however. This perplexes the feisty girl because it's her dream, or at least she thinks it's a dream. Alice wrestles with self-doubt as characters question if she has the "muchness" to fulfill her destiny, which requires her to slay the fearsome Jabberwocky (voice of Christopher Lee).

Aware that Alice poses a threat to her powerful beast, the malevolent Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) sends Stayne, the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover), to capture her. Coming to Alice's aid is the severely unbalanced Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), who wants to see the Red Queen deposed and her benevolent sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), returned to power.

The actors have a field day in this whacked-out world, especially Carter, who gets fitted with a bulbous noggin as the despotic Red Queen and yells "Off with his head" with sadistic gusto. Glover, who's made a career out of playing eccentric characters, can add the sleazy Stayne to his resume. The real scene stealer, though, is the Cheshire Cat (voice of Stephen Fry), whose wide grin brims with mischief. The twins, Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas), add to the comic mix. Hathaway, however, gets little to do except appear beatific.

The relatively unknown Wasikowska, who looks like Gwyneth Paltrow's younger sister, acquits herself well surrounded by some heavy hitters. Her Alice has moxie, though one might have expected her to show a little more bewilderment and fear after falling into this bizarre universe.

Depp, who makes his seventh film with Burton here, has done off-the-wall characters before yet more effectively in other movies. In "Alice," the script by Linda Woolverton fails to flesh out the Mad Hatter beyond portraying him as slightly schizoid.

As with "Avatar," another 3-D visual stunner, "Alice" also lacks in the narrative department. The story goes from set piece to set piece without building a palpable sense of drama. The ending is particularly anti-climatic. You may ask yourself what was the point, other than to showcase dazzling special effects?

The relationship between Alice and the Hatter also suffers from superficiality so that when they part, no sweet sorrow gets felt. Contrast this to Dorothy's departure from Oz or Max's exit from the creatures in "Where The Wild Things Are."

Though "Alice" is a Disney movie, parents of young children should know that the Jabberwocky is one scary critter. This is also a Burton film so they should know that it has its dark side. "Mommy, what does he mean by saying all the best people are bonkers?"

That said, older children should enjoy the talking animals and the visual treats, from the army of playing cards to the Queen using a bird and a hedgehog to play croquet. The MSPCA will not be amused.

"Alice" is basically a fun frolic. To see Burton at his best with weirdness, see "Edward Scissorhands." There, visuals serve the story rather than dominating it.

"Alice in Wonderland"

Starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway

Rated PG (for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations), 109 minutes

Directed by Tim Burton

Grade: B

Bob Tremblay writes for The MetroWest Daily News