Malice in Wonderland

Viewed at the Marche du Film, Festival de Cannes 2009

With not a lot of money but a bundle of ideas, director Simon Fellows and writer Jayson Rothwell, have come up with a massively entertaining twist on the classic tale, Alice in Wonderland. Only this time it's a young woman with amnesia, a taxi-driver, assorted gangsters, druggies and weirdos who feature.

At the same time, Malice in Wonderland stays true to the novel on which its based, proving that old ideas can still be the best; same story, new version, as it were.

Maggie Grace makes an interesting Alice, here a young American on the run from (and also towards) something, if only she knew what. Some of the dialogue between her and Whitey, the taxi driver, is excellent. Scratch that! A lot of the dialogue is excellent, with some great lines to cut out and keep for future use.

It's clear that a low budget has been made to go a long way, but view it as a lot of bang for low bucks and not as cloth being cut too thinly. What surprises about this film is just how assured it is.

Quibbles? Nothing of note, really. It would, theoretically, be nice to have seen what would have resulted had the production budget been higher, but then the film would perhaps have lost some, if not all, of its edge.

As a calling card, Malice in Wonderland shows some real talent at work. The basic question, is it worth paying to see? Absolutely!

'MALICE IN WONDERLAND': Three Stars (Out of Five)

A modern day variation on Lewis Carroll's classic books 'MALICE IN WONDERLAND' tells the tale of a young student (played by the increasingly more impressive Maggie Grace, of 'LOST' fame) who's hit by a cab and transferred by the cab driver (played by Danny Dyer) to a bizarre alternate reality where she can't remember who she is and has no idea how to get home. Constantly in danger from a series of strange and even stranger characters she must solve the mysteries of herself and this new world before she loses her sanity, and of course she falls in love in the process.

The movie is very original and different, cleverly written and uniquely directed, but the material is way too incoherent and pointless which does make it a bit dull at times. Still it's definitely like nothing you've ever seen before and is certainly memorable. It also frequently contains emotional scenes that are touching and thought provoking. The movie is a mystery and so is the overall quality of the film! It probably would be a lot better and make more sense if you watched it wasted. Describing it reminds me of the way some have described my texts, tweets and facebook updates.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j95Zjdlcbe0

I had never heard of this movie so I had no idea what to expect (other than some Alice in Wonderland reference), and I was pleasantly surprised. I only know Maggie Grace from her role as one of the worst characters on Lost, so I was also surprised that I could see her on film without hoping she'd get hit by a bus (I guess that means she's a good actress?) There are some truly zany characters in the movie, and you just have to roll with some of the situations, but all in all it kept me entertained from start to finish. I was kept involved enough in the story and travels of Alice that I really didn't see the ending revelation until it happened (most of the info was alluded to but never really exposed). I wouldn't call it a romance, or an action flick (although there are some violent scenes), it sort of defies description, but it's worth a watch.

Though the film may lack a bit of depth, Malice in Wonderland is a visual treat that any fan of cinema or the Lewis Carroll stories can enjoy. Similar to Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, Malice in Wonderland is a modern day take on the Alice and Wonderland story that begins with a young blonde girl running from henchmen who is suddenly hit by a cab driven by a snarky but charming man named "Whitey" (the white rabbit) causing her to lose her memory. In a rush, Whitey throws her in his cab and takes her through a long tunnel (the rabbit hole) into his world of gangsters, neon lights, and house music. The entire film revolves around this woman trying to figure out who she is, where she is, and where she needs to be. Along the way meeting a handful of interesting characters: the caterpillar, the mad hatter, the queen, etc. The characters are a bit subtle and usually not formally introduced so a quick peak at the trailer will give you a good idea of who is who if you need it. I found myself extremely entertained throughout the entire film. Visually, this movie is fun and beautiful. It's pretty well acted, especially for a low budget film. The pacing is fast and keeps you interested. Though the ending was a bit of a disappointment (I wont spoil anything) and the story overall lacked a bit of depth, compared to other Alice book to film adaptations this is definitely my favorite (and I've seen almost all of them except Tim Burton's). Definitely worth a watch! Go see it!

It seems financially viable to release this now and an oversight not to, even if it is straight to DVD. With only a few short weeks until the release of Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland, anything bearing roughly the same name or subject matter is likely to gain more interest that it would do under normal circumstances. Lewis Carroll's version of Wonderland (and Alice, come to that) is altogether different here, however. This Simon Fellows directed version of the well-loved tale takes one step firmly to the dark side of humanity, edging further away from fantasy than either Lewis Carroll or Burton's interpretation of Carroll's undoubted masterpiece.

Simon Fellows gathers an eclectic cast ensemble and seems to have read through the story of Alice and then cherry-picked scenes that suit his cinematic vision and then chopped them together. Really, this boils down to two or three set pieces that make some sort of cohesive sense, with the rest just filler in-between. For all that, however, there are genuinely, but rare enjoyable moments throughout.

I'm not known for being a Danny Dyer fan, and still remain as unimpressed by him on the whole as I was before, having only been able to admire one of his delivered lines throughout the entire film. Maggie Grace plays the part of Alice, a poor little rich girl that has lost her memory after being knocked over by Whitey's (Dyer) taxi.   Sounds a world away from the usual fantasy fare, right? Well this version of Alice In Wonderland is set in modern day inner city. The White Rabbit is a taxi driver who is off to buy a cake and is very late for the party, Tweedledum and Tweedledee are both club doormen and stealing tarts in this movie is driving off in an eighteen wheeler with a collection of hookers in the back. An unusual take on the literary work, and if I'm brutally honest, more than a little bit of a mess.

The entire movie feels cluttered, unkempt and sprawling. This never feels like a fantasy, more the intermittent recollections of a hallucinating girl on a one night class A bender. It never feels magical nor enchanting or indeed any element that the original work instilled in its reader.

It would be fair to suggest that this is not at all what Felllows had wanted to do with the film, but then you do have to ask, just what was it that he was trying to achieve? From what he has delivered here, it is not easy to tell, apart from a simple circular tale that could have been about anything, at anytime, anywhere. If so, then why base it on a well loved children's fable? (See paragraph one)

The acting is roundly awful by the main players. Dyer is famous for his usually overtly violent films that require him to shout a lot, point angry fingers and throw his fists about and Grace is as wooden as another well loved children's character. Some credibility comes in the form of Pam Ferris, Fiona O'Shaughnessy, Matt King and Nathaniel Parker in their own oddly created cameos, but none make enough of an appearance throughout to save this film from its rightful place in the bowels of DVD purgatory.

In summary, avoid this if you have the option. If you have to sit through it, I'd pay it the attention it deserves and make sure you have a book handy, or if you are of an hallucinogenic bent, you may find this riveting after you have dropped a tab. I would never suggest illegal drug-taking for recreation, but really, you will need more than just your brain, ears and patience to get to the end of it.