Alice

TV movies are usually...well, TV movies. But I was quite impressed with the SyFi's original production of Alice. I caught this the last two nights and became quite engrossed with it, just as I had been with last year's twisted-tale production of OZ.

Sure, the story has its flaws (exactly how did Hatter get the boat back? Of course she hid the ring!), but the sucking out of human emotions was quite a novel SyFi twist on this old tale, and I have to say it's one that I enjoyed. Forgive the flaws and enjoy the ride.

I must admit I kept staring at Hatter and trying to place him. Andrew Lee Potts does a great job with his character and shows a fine comedic as well as a wonderfully sensitive side, and I couldn't take my eyes off him in scene after scene. I hope to see more from this Brit actor in the future!

The first thing that must be said is that this is not the original Alice in Wonderland. Honestly, anybody who thinks it is... They said it in the very first commercials that this was "different" so from the get go you shouldn't expect Carrol's book.

This is a completely different take on Wonderland and Looking Glass - and it's good! It presents us with a headstrong and kind of reckless Alice who is capable of taking care of herself. And Hatter is just awesome, he really is. The Queen makes me want to punchasize her face (which is a good thing, it means Bates played her role well) and the White Knight... Ah, what can I say about the White Knight besides, "Most awesome old guy ever?" Some people have complained about the CGI but honestly... I expected it from Sci-fi (or Syfy, whatever). But that doesn't stop this from being a good miniseries. It was well acted, well written, and fun! I must reiterate: This wasn't meant to be the children's story, it was meant to be a different take on the story and aim it towards a different audience! A good miniseries and well worth watching if you can accept that this really is "a different kind of Alice."

If, like me, you are mildly-to-neurotically obsessed with hunting down and ingesting every version of Alice in Wonderland ever created, don't pass this by. "Alice" (2009) is a very creative spin on the classic storybook setting it in modern day, now 150 years after the original tale, but in Wonderland terms--since evidently their scientists are smarter than ours--the technology is more like something you'd expect 150 years from now. Hover cars (er... hover "flamingoes") zip through the sky over urban cityscapes built so high you can't see the ground. People are hooked on "tea" which is a spectrum of synthetic drugs harvested by... (I won't ruin it), and the Red Queen's palace is a bizarre neon-adorned casino where the extravagance of the reigning class contrasts sharply against the post-apocalyptic world of subjects in the cities. I know right? Lewis Carroll not only got modernized, he got a botox face lift and bionic limbs in this original spin.

Another notable difference between this and other tellings is that the character "Alice" is pretty badass, introduced in the beginning as a martial arts black belt instructor, so she carries an air of physical authority throughout the story. There aren't a whole lot of fight scenes, but it's understood that she doesn't need anyone to defend her. And that subtle twist is what alters the tone of this fairytale significantly. Here the story isn't so much about Alice in distress as it is about Alice on a mission. And, Wonderland fans help me out here, that hasn't really been done before has it?

What follows is a roller coaster ride full of colorful characters, satisfying nods to the book, quirky humor, action, a creative original plot, and a scifi spin that truly bridges the gap between the 1800s, the 1900s and the century of the near future.

Gotta say, I Hatter really fun time watching this. But I'll quit my Jabber. Wocky self down to your nearest video store and grab a copy. Duchess sit there, go watch the movie already.

Yet I did. First and foremost Andrew Lee-Potts. That is all that needs to be said. Just take one look and the beauty and utter gorgeousness explains it all. Plus his amazing acting talent. Caterina Scorsone I have seen in numerous things but it was awesome to see her in a role like this. She was so phenomenal as was the rest of the cast. You could have expected more because the roles were casted wonderfully and everyone so believable. Matt Frewer shocked me in this role because Honey I shrunk the kids is what I best know him from and he was surprisingly great and wonderful to watch. Philip Winchester was not on scene enough but the time he was, was terrific and he had you questioning him the whole movie. Kathy Bates, Harry Dean Stanton, Tim Curry, Timothy Webber and Colin Meaney all lived up to their wonderful talent and long standing careers. Zak Santiago was awesome and this was a great role to see him and was surprised when I first saw him in this kind of film but loved how well he portrayed the character. The storyline was wonderful. I did not expect any less from director Nick Willing (Tin Man). What I did enjoy though was the fact it was not as dark as Tin Man. This film went more storyline and was creepy and kind of dark without over doing it. Also the lack of makeup and costumes which were used more in Tin Man and less this one helped by not taking away from the story. All in All great film definitely a family film but some scenes may be a little scary or confusing to young children say under 13. Wonderful film recommended to those that are a fan of the 10th Kingdom or just any fantasy type of stuff. Once again Andrew Lee Potts!~!

I will say right now, I wasn't expecting this to be perfect, because to me perfection is a rarity. Was it perfect? No. Is it worth watching? Absolutely! This mini-series does have its flaws, but as a 17 year old female, who grew up on animation and likes her fair share of classic film, I really liked it, after seeing it on YouTube today. I respect everybody's opinion, but there is some of the harsh negativity that I don't get. This is not an adaptation, this is like what happens many years later hence the contemporary feel to it. I haven't seen Tin Man, so I can't compare.

For one thing, I liked how it was filmed. The sets are picturesque looking and the costumes are wonderful, Mad Hatter's was a delight, but I particularly loved Dodo's, it made Tim Curry look suave and debonair. The special effects for a mini series are not that bad at all(I have seen a lot worse in films like Addams Family Reunion that make the film itself look cheap). In fact, in terms of effects, the only disappointment was the Jabberwock, somehow I was expecting it to be more scary looking, despite looking exactly as he is described in the books. The music was above decent, with some eerie sound effects and a contemporary sound that worked for this.

The story is fast paced in general, and is exciting enough. Of course it has a couple of holes, like how did Hatter get the boat back. I did like the references to the original books, which I adore, while putting its own contemporary spin on it. The script has its weak spots too, Alice saying something about getting a black belt in karate or something or other was a tad random, but there are some nice witty exchanges particularly between Alice and Hatter that really did sparkle. There are some effective scenes too, like Alice's reconciliation with the man who turns out to be her long-lost father.

That just leaves the acting. Well there were one or two disappointments, not because the actors gave terrible performances or anything like that, but it was all to do with screen time. Harry Dean Stanton as the Caterpillar just didn't get enough screen time to shine. Tim Curry as Dodo was better, as I've said already I loved his costume and he is a truly wonderful actor, plus there is a really cool fight between him, Hatter and Alice in her attempt to escape. But then afterwards, you don't see him again after that, the character of the Dodo just disappeared just like that without explanation. And while he was better in the second half, as the White Knight, at times I felt Matt Frewer overacted, but there were also parts when he was indeed entertaining.

That said though, I really liked Caterina Scorsone as Alice. I liked the fact Alice was spunky, determined, pretty and headstrong. These are qualities that I love in heroines, and qualities that I myself would strive for. Kathy Bates is deliciously frosty and icy as the Queen of Hearts, and Phillip Winchester was good and very low-key as Jack. But my favourite performance in the whole mini-series, and do forgive me if I repeat what others have said, was indeed Andrew Lee Potts as Hatter. He was funny, he was charming, he was witty, he was handsome, he was perfect. He and Scorsone had great chemistry, and the look on his face when Alice went with Jack instead of him made me feel ever so sorry for him.

All in all, this mini-series is not perfect, but it is well above average and if given the chance it is worth the watch. If you don't like it that's fine, as people have different opinions on everything, so long as you don't go thinking it's only your opinion that matters. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox