Scripted by veteran writer Peter Barnes (`Merlin' and `Noah's Ark' mini-series), Alice in Wonderland (1999) is a boring, tedious, overlong, loosely based version of two of the most imaginative books ever written. This made-for-television version contains dialogue and even whole scenes not found in Carroll's original works (Alice in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass) while omitting large portions of the real thing.
While Miranda Richardson excels in her role as the Red Queen, many of the performances come across as uninspired and fall flat; this is often the case when `big' stars are assembled to serve as an ensemble cast. The star-studded cast serves the worthy purpose of attracting viewers; however, it simultaneously deprives the story of all potential credibility/believability.
The worst and most glaring problem with the film is its representation of some of the animal characters as human figures bearing no resemblance to animals. In one of the funniest scenes in Carroll's Alice, Alice kicks Bill the lizard out of a chimney, sending him soaring through the air. In the TV movie, not only is the scene devoid of humor, it's also impossible to tell that Bill is a lizard character. The same applies to the Caucus-race sequence. The characters are animals in the book; however, this fact doesn't come across in the film.
Although special effects pervade the proceedings, they aren't especially attractive or appealing and don't always serve their intended purposes. After months of televised hype, Alice in Wonderland fails to deliver. The presentation is certainly original, but it's also unmemorable. While many directors have attempted to translate Carroll's stories to film, both live-action and animated, none have managed to create a definitive version...and this new TV rendition certainly is not it. Read the books.
While Miranda Richardson excels in her role as the Red Queen, many of the performances come across as uninspired and fall flat; this is often the case when `big' stars are assembled to serve as an ensemble cast. The star-studded cast serves the worthy purpose of attracting viewers; however, it simultaneously deprives the story of all potential credibility/believability.
The worst and most glaring problem with the film is its representation of some of the animal characters as human figures bearing no resemblance to animals. In one of the funniest scenes in Carroll's Alice, Alice kicks Bill the lizard out of a chimney, sending him soaring through the air. In the TV movie, not only is the scene devoid of humor, it's also impossible to tell that Bill is a lizard character. The same applies to the Caucus-race sequence. The characters are animals in the book; however, this fact doesn't come across in the film.
Although special effects pervade the proceedings, they aren't especially attractive or appealing and don't always serve their intended purposes. After months of televised hype, Alice in Wonderland fails to deliver. The presentation is certainly original, but it's also unmemorable. While many directors have attempted to translate Carroll's stories to film, both live-action and animated, none have managed to create a definitive version...and this new TV rendition certainly is not it. Read the books.