If one looks at this version of Alice in Wonderland - a star studded 3 hour mini series or a cut down 2 hour standalone movie - in isolation from Lewis Carroll's book(s), then one must come to the conclusion that it is an excellent piece of work - imaginative, beautifully designed, showcasing some stunning effects work, and populated with very good performances.
But it is almost impossible to look at an adaptation of Carroll's work without comparing it to the source material and, notwithstanding the strengths of the adaptation, one's attention is always drawn to the differences. And those differences (which, the makers will surely argue, are there because a literary work cannot be adapted literally for the screen) always - for Alice, always - are for the worse. The additions to the story - poor. The non-Carroll dialogue - poor. The inconsistent visualisation of characters - disconcerting and varying between good and poor.
Tina Majorino's Alice is a long way from my personal envisaged Alice, but is nonetheless very good. Her English accent is excellent.
But it is almost impossible to look at an adaptation of Carroll's work without comparing it to the source material and, notwithstanding the strengths of the adaptation, one's attention is always drawn to the differences. And those differences (which, the makers will surely argue, are there because a literary work cannot be adapted literally for the screen) always - for Alice, always - are for the worse. The additions to the story - poor. The non-Carroll dialogue - poor. The inconsistent visualisation of characters - disconcerting and varying between good and poor.
Tina Majorino's Alice is a long way from my personal envisaged Alice, but is nonetheless very good. Her English accent is excellent.