The collaboration of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp is nothing new. They’ve been together a total of nine times, and they’ve brought in some good money from the theaters. However, when Burton works with Depp, he has a tendency to remake a text, such as Alice in Wonderland, which is currently in theaters. At what point does this rewriting destroy or enhance the original text?
Movies based off of books have been happening since films first started, so this is not by any means a new concept to Hollywood. We must consider, though, that as movies are remade, so are the texts, and something new must be brought to the table to make the story seem fresh. The new version of Alice in Wonderland, starring Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp, treats the original textual script differently than many novel-to-movie treatments. In the end, it may end up enhancing the story.
First, let’s consider some of the films based off of novels that are ingrained in culture. To start with Tim Burton’s films, there’s the either fantastic or terrifically bad Sleepy Hollow, or the deservedly award-winning Big Fish.With the former film, we see an outlandish take on an old tale. With the latter, we see something very comparable to the original text. Arguably, we can say that the latter is better than the former because it is so close to the text. That’s the reason everyone liked Lord of the Rings, right? Other movies that are considered as greats are very similar to the original text: i.e. The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather.
In 1980, Stanley Kubrick (arguably one of the greatest directors to ever live) adapted a Stephen King book called “The Shining.” Rewriting it for the screen, Kubrick reinvented the story. It stands as one of the greatest films of all time, but it vastly surpasses the book in style, mood, and effect. The script ending up being very different than the original text, and the ending itself (considered one of the greatest film endings) is nothing like the ending of the novel. So, how are we to respond to a film that is vastly different than its textual influence, especially if the film surpasses the strength and effect of the novel? Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland indicates a direction that filmmakers must take to redefine the texts that influence their films.
Expand the world of the story. It is as simple as that. In Steven Spielberg’s grossly underrated film, “Hook,” he expands the world of Peter Pan and Wendy Darling by basing it nearly seventy years into the future. While still including the elements of the original story, we are able to see what happens later in the characters’ lives, and how the original text affects all of them personally. It’s a story we all know, but are able to enjoy a new story with the same charactersbecause we all recognize the original text. Alice in Wonderland approaches the same concept, by using the original two texts by Lewis Carroll and creating a new story with a familiar world and familiar characters.
In modern filmmaking, people watch a movie, read the source it was based off, then decide which was better: the film or the novel. Neither one should be superior; each has its own merit and its own interpretation. By expanding the world of the story, the characters seem more real, rather than contained within a brief period in their lives. We are able to see the world open before our eyes. Unfortunately, this could spawn the ultimate “sequel-syndrome” that Hollywood is currently in love with, but as viewers we must oppose this. Instead, we must prove that each story is a self-contained universe, and each universe should be explored and portrayed to audience.
Whether or not Alice in Wonderland is a good movie is debatable. It has moments of epic adventure, while other times it has outlandish humor. If this fits into the original Alice in Wonderland however, is irrelevant. Tim Burton and the screenwriter, Linda Woolverton, created a new story, based off of a classic text. And a door should be opened. A door to familiar stories being revisited and continued. Let us see what happens to the Beast and Belle years after Gaston has been killed. Or what happens to Sherwood Forest as Robin Hood grows older. Let the characters flourish, spread, and create a world in which they can live. Hollywood has done enough rehashing of classic stories. It’s time to pay homage to these stories, and to open the doors to a new form of textual influence.
Alice in Wonderland is a fun adaptation of a classic, and interestingly continues the story that everyone is familiar with. However, Burton's is a tad overambitious in his use of the CGI, and it whittles down the story to a mass of colors and details. Fun to look at, but not fun to listen to.
Rating: 6.5/10
Extra: Tim Burton needs to get away from Disney. Only then can we have an adaptation on par with something as epically fantastic as Sleepy Hollow.
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