DIRECTOR Tim Burton embarks on another adaptation of a literary classic this week in the eagerly anticipated Alice In Wonderland.
After an unexpected and unwanted social opportunity arises itself to 19 year old Alice (Mia Wasikowska), she finds herself coaxed back to the strange and mysterious Wonderland.
But things are not how they should be.
With the tyrannical Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) beheading subjects left, right and centre; and the world under constant tension, it is up to Alice to fulfil her destiny and face the menacing monarch’s ferocious Jabberwocky.
With the help of old friends including the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), can Alice succeed?
Book-bending
Ripped from the pages of Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland and Alice Through The Looking Glass, this book-bending transfer mashes the well-known characters into a pacey and witty adventure.
The surreal setting of warped Wonderland is a perfect haven for the macabre makeup of Burton’s imagination.
Gnarled scenery, bleak lighting and treacherous foes all add to the nightmare vision which Alice faces.
But rather than a string of unusual characters we ‘meet and greet’ once before moving on, Burton ties it all together into a far more engaging narrative.
Fans of the books will enjoy seeing the ‘frumious Bandersnatch’ and the Jub Jub Bird brought to life alongside the more well known Jabberwocky.
However, while the CG helps bring the strange and unusual awards to life, it’s abundance is occasionally off-putting and although technologically impressive, lacks the tangible authenticity of a physical performer.
Brits shine
A chiefly British supporting cast - including Stephen Fry’s surprisingly sound vocal work as the Cheshire Cat and Matt Lucas’ double turn as bumbling duo Tweedledee and Tweedledum - all put in solid performances.
But it is the ‘real’ characters who really shine.
Depp is as constant as ever and cranks the schizophrenic nature of the Hatter up to 11, while Bonham Carter’s petulant Queen is a delight.
But it is Wasikowska as Alice who ties the film together, and, with few physical sets for the actress to find her footing, still manages to draw together a quirky nature and steely determinism in equal measure.
Alice In Wonderland delivers what you would expect from a Tim Burton film: strangeness, intensely dark humour and a visual style drenched in gothic touches.
And with enough moments of eye-popping 3D to warrant the extra spend, it marks another solid journey to the third dimension.
7/10 - An outré adventure.