Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Movie · 2010 · Family, Fantasy, Adventure · 1h 48m · English

Curator score: 3.3/10 (1.9M ratings)

You're invited to a very important date.

Overview

Alice, now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny.

Ratings

Director

Tim Burton

Production

Walt Disney Pictures, Roth Films, Team Todd, Tim Burton Productions, The Zanuck Company

Cast

Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Christopher Lee, Paul Whitehouse, Barbara Windsor, Michael Gough, Imelda Staunton, Marton Csokas, Lindsay Duncan, Geraldine James, Tim Pigott-Smith, Leo Bill

Where to watch

Disney Plus

Curator Review

Verdict

A visually ambitious, highly stylized fantasy that’s more interesting as a Burton mood piece than as a faithful or emotionally rich adaptation. It has memorable production design, a strong sense of oddball pageantry, and a committed lead performance, but the story is thin and the CGI-heavy look is divisive.

Best for

  • Tim Burton fans
  • viewers who like dark, glossy fantasy worlds
  • people who enjoy eccentric production design over plot fidelity
  • families with older kids who can handle a slightly eerie tone

Skip if

  • you want a faithful adaptation of the book
  • you’re sensitive to heavy CGI and digital environments
  • you prefer warm, character-driven family fantasy
  • you dislike stylized whimsy with a gloomy edge

Overview

This is one of those blockbuster fantasies that lives or dies on whether you buy the vibe. The film leans hard into Burton’s gothic-curious aesthetic, turning Wonderland into a strange, ornate, sometimes ugly, sometimes gorgeous dreamscape that feels more like a fevered sequel to childhood memory than a straight retelling.

Worth noting

Mia Wasikowska gives the story a steadier center than the script deserves, and the supporting cast is packed with exaggerated, theatrical turns. But the movie is mostly carried by design, color, and attitude; the narrative itself is familiar, rushed, and often secondary to the spectacle.

Bottom line

If you like your fantasy a little off-kilter and don’t mind a glossy digital sheen, there’s enough personality here to make it worthwhile. If you want charm, warmth, or a truly magical sense of wonder, this one may feel more like an elaborate costume than a fully alive world.

Top Letterboxd reviews

olivia 🧸🍊 (3★) · 4486 likes

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m weird. I’m a weirdo. I don’t fit in. And I don’t want to fit in. Have you ever seen me without this stupid hat on? That’s weird.”

˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗ (3.5★) · 4314 likes

i think this film is actually pretty neat and i should be allowed to say that

bhadbhabiefan69 (5★) · 3229 likes

What do you all gain from hating in this movie? I hate you bitches. Anyways I’ve had 4 vodka sodas

David Sims (0.5★) · 2800 likes

The worst-looking movie ever made

lauren (3.5★) · 2733 likes

even if you held a gun to my head i still could not tell you why i like this movie so much. it just...sits right with me

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Topics

fantasy, family adventure, gothic whimsy, surreal visuals, coming-of-age, dreamlike, dark fairytale, CGI spectacle, eccentric tone, 2000s blockbuster

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