6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
19-year-old Alice returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen's reign of terror.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin GloverAdventure | 100% |
Family | 95% |
Fantasy | 82% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Chinese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Korean: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese audio on 3D version only
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Malay, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai, Vietnamese
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (2 BDs, 2 DVDs)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
BD-Live
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It's only a dream.
No filmmaker makes it easier to pick his or her films out of a lineup than the master of the truly insane as art, Tim Burton. Burton's films --
whether live action, animated, or somewhere in between -- have fascinated audiences all the way back to Pee-wee's Big Adventure and on
through to movies like Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, and Sweeney Todd, all of them existing in some richly-realized fictional world
where up always seems down, where right always seems left, and where flamboyant color and dense shadow collide in some kind of modernist
collage of weirdness that more often than not works as some appealingly perverse but generally, in some form or fashion, family-friendly façade, if
that family happens to be named Adams, anyway. With that in mind, Alice in Wonderland seemed the perfect story for a Tim Burton movie.
Here's a world -- based on Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -- where sometimes up really is down, where right
really is left, where bright colors and dark shadows converge, and where nothing is as it seems or as it should be. Wonderland -- or "Underland" as
the case may be -- is just that, a playground for both Burton's awkwardly creative eye and the mesmerizing special effects that are the results of the
wonders of modern technology. Still, for as good as Burton's final film looks, it lacks, well, something that didn't quite make it down the
rabbit
hole with good old (and in this version, "old" isn't a bad descriptor) Alice.
Alice isn't too happy that she's not the main attraction in her own movie.
Alice in Wonderland's Blu-ray 3D transfer is incredibly impressive considering the film was shot natively in 2D and later converted to 3D. It
certainly fares much better than either of the current poster children for subpar 3D conversion on Blu-ray, Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender, so much so that it's hard to imagine Alice
not being a native 3D film. It takes its cues from Blu-ray 3D's best, Avatar, by offering up an incredibly steady 3D image that offers good
depth that's oftentimes realistic but never forced. The image is perceptibly deep only when it needs to be; shots out into a crowd at the beginning as
Alice is confronted with her marriage proposal show almost countless rows of people stretching back into the depths of the television, and of course
the many visual splendors around Underland offer up the opportunity for some great 3D imagery as various trees and foliage appear perfectly layered
one against another while grandiose throne rooms and other visually rich locales seem to stretch on and on. There are also a handful of neat little
effects,
such as when a tea cup comes hurtling towards the audience or when fire appears blasts forth from the front of the television, but such occurrences
flow
naturally
from the story and don't seem at all gimmicky. "Ghosting" is also only minimally intrusive when the film is replayed on Panasonic's first-generation
Blu-ray 3D hardware.
Alice in Wonderland also features a wonderful color balance that handles Tim Burton's unique scheme rather well. The image is suitably dark
where it needs to be and bright when the occasion calls for a splash of the film's many exquisite hues. Any scene in Underland is as good as any other
to critique, but take, for instance, Alice's arrival into Underworld as she leaves the cramped room a smaller person and meets her friends; the dreary
overcast sky, gray pathway, and other assorted dark corners of the image are perfectly balanced by several extraordinarily bright flowers. The image
finds a wonderful harmony between light and dark throughout, and colors never seem diminished when watching through the 3D glasses as compared
to the standard 2D presentation. Alice in Wonderland does look a bit soft at times, but almost deliberately so, it seems. Alice's face and skin
always appear just a bit on the smooth side, almost giving her something of a slight otherworldly feel. Otherwise, detail is quite strong and
sometimes borderline exquisite in clothes, buildings, digital characters (particularly the Cheshire Cat), and other assorted elements scattered about the
film. Blacks are quite good, never veering too
far into a debilitating, detail-destroying shade, but instead, for the most part, serving as a fine compliment to the movie. All told, Disney has done a
remarkable job with Alice in Wonderland; one can only wonder what went wrong with the 2D to 3D conversions of the aforementioned films
and what went right here.
Please note that all screenshots were captured from the 2D Blu-ray included in this package. Also, note that there is no pop-up menu during 3D
playback, and scene selection is limited to pressing the chapter skip button on the remote.
Alice in Wonderland dazzles in the audio department with its faultless DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Longtime Burton collaborator
Danny Elfman provides the picture's magical score, and every note is precisely and vividly realized; Disney's lossless presentation spreads the music out
perfectly, with every note both high and low and light and potent seamlessly spilling from the entire soundstage, with the bulk of the musc handled up
front but the back channels carrying their fair share of the action. Alice in Wonderland is also packed with extensive sound effects, each and
every one properly balanced and perfectly integrated into the 5.1 experience. With its more subtle elements like the rattling and creaking of a
horse-drawn carriage early in the film or environmental ambience in the form of rustling leaves and chirping birds that play as a bit more pronounced
than normal within the confines of Underland, Alice in Wonderland consistently plops the listener into the middle of Tim Burton's magical world.
On the flip side, more pronounced sound effects -- the roar of powerful beasties or the general din of dangerous hand-to-hand combat at film's end -- are
spaced and focused just so to create a seamless 360-degree wall of sound that, along with the track's prolific bass, delivers a consistently immersive
experience. Indeed, everything from the most ear-piercing highs to the most destructive lows are handled with the precision and accuracy reserved for
the finest tracks. Dialogue, too, is focused and impressive, remaining tightly up the middle save for those occasions when it effortlessly bounces around
the walls of the Red Queen's cavernous throne room. Disney's done it again with Alice in Wonderland, delivering a faultless listening experience
that, even considering this package's strong 3D presentation, proves the highlight of the entire four-disc set.
Please note that audio and subtitle listings above are for the 3D release only. Please refer to the Blu-ray.com listing of the original 2D only release for details on what it includes.
Alice in Wonderland's supplemental package consists of primarily two extras -- Wonderland Characters (1080p, 27:56) and
Making
Wonderland (1080p, 19:29), both of which break down into several morsel-sized extras with, generally, self-explanatory titles. All extras are
included on the 2D Blu-ray disc; nothing is included on the 3D platter.
Wonderland Characters
Alice in Wonderland is an overpowered and underdeveloped but nevertheless intriguing and generally fun film that's got it halfway right. Tim Burton's take on Lewis Carroll's make-believe world of Wonder(Under)land is lavishly realized down to the finest detail, but there's still something missing from it all that leaves the movie as devoid of meaning as a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth in a 14-1 ballgame. The film's visual excesses can't mask the underwhelming plot, the well-acted but poorly-scripted characters, and a long middle stretch where not much happens on the way to the predictably inevitable special effects climax. Alice in Wonderland is Burton's most visually arresting film, but it lacks the spirit of Batman, his finest movie where strong characters, a great story, and a pronounced yet balanced noir style all worked to cinematic perfection. Disney's four-disc Blu-ray 3D release of Alice in Wonderland offers up a strong 1080p 3D transfer, an even better lossless soundtrack, and some extras on the 2D Blu-ray disc. As a 3D release, this one's quite good considering all the bells and whistles, and it comes recommended for those who liked the movie well enough to buy it a second time in 3D.
3-Disc Edition
2010
2010
Limited Edition Film Cell Photo Frame
2010
Keyhole Slipcover with Character Cards
2010
Hardware Exclusive 3D-Only
2010
Sony Exclusive 3D Starter Bundle with 2 pairs of 3D Glasses
2010
2010
2010
2010
2010
2010
2014
2016
2019
2010
2016
2005
2018
Limited Edition Collector's Set
1986
2015
2014
85th Anniversary Theater Edition | Limited Giftset
1939
2010
2016
2013
30th Anniversary Edition | US Version
1984
2007
2010
2007
Exclusive Lenticular Packaging
2015
2010