Madness?

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Tim Burton directs this re-imagining/sequel/fan fiction/adaptation of Lewis Carroll's original Alice stories. Instead of a story about a little girl we now have a coming of age tale about a young woman returning to the imaginary land she has forgotten. The narrative starts out with Alice going to a party where some guy she does not like ends up proposing to her in front of everyone else in events staged by her would be mother in law.

Although it has been covered in other books and films I did really like the idea of framing the story as an adult returning to explore the imagination and dreams of childhood, it works especially well with the backdrop and characters of Wonderland. There are some really great things about this film, the casting, the depiction of Wonderland and the first two thirds of the film but I have some real problems with the ending.

In Wonderland Alice is told that it is her destiny to go slay the Jabberwocky and mirroring her real life situation she rebels against being forced into this. Paradoxically she resolves the dream plot by submitting to her destiny and “becoming Alice” but in the real life plot rebels by rejecting the marriage proposal and thus everyone else's plans for her destiny which is a pretty mixed message. We also have an implicit approval of imperial/colonial expansion in the Victorian period with the path Alice picks for herself.

Despite the flaws this film has enough about it to still give it a 4/5.