Alice (2009)

With a title 'Alice' and it's main title image, I assumed it was an adaptation of the original, well it's more in Essence of another thing I noticed was its 'Barberella theme, which was confirmed when jacks blond girlfriend came on ha ha! It's very futuristic/postmodern with its swinging 60's style, it's entertaining and definitely different which makes it tat bit more watchable, reasonably good story,kids loved it, my eldest being 7+11

A few years ago, striking when the iron was hot in the wake of the "Wicked" phenomenon, the SciFi channel released a miniseries entitled "Tin Man", which put a darker, more science-fictiony spin on the classic Oz tale. This "Alice" effort, once again capitalizing on the buzz surrounding the Johnny Depp-starring Alice movie that is soon coming to theaters, does much of the same, but fails to maintain the bar set by its predecessor.The biggest problem comes in the area of acting. Though the "Alice" cast is by no means terrible, they pale in comparison to the great actors in "Tin Man". While Caterina Scorsone plays a decent lead character as Alice, she doesn't bring the sort of energy that Zooey Deschanel brought to Dorothy, by comparison. The series also suffers from a lack of a very interesting, likable main character, with "Hatter" once again not living up to the performance of Dorothy's side-kick "Glitch".Another area where this film is lacking is in the emotional department. At the end of "Tin Man", I actually felt as if I cared about each of the main characters and really wanted to see how they would "turn out". I had no such feelings at the end of Alice, as even a superb final scene couldn't change the fact that the characters hadn't really been developed enough to really feel for them.So, while this miniseries did provide the usual fare, such as crazy creatures and nice little nods to Lewis Carroll's classic tale, it didn't do much else in terms of character development or outstanding plot points. If you're into the homage sort of thing than you will find it decent, as I did, but don't expect to be blown away.

I have to say I had very low expectations of this movie/series. They were giving away free DVDs of the full "Alice" series at work and I figured I'd watch it then try to make extra cash by selling it. I was delightfully surprised when I finally watched it. First of all you must be very open minded to the Story of Alice in Wonderland and be free of any expectations. This movie will give you an insane ride and outlook on a whole 'nother adaptation of the story. The overall story and connections are very creative. This movie is action packed as well as filled with twist turns and emotions. Sure, there are moments certain spots in the plot are shaky and some of the graphics get a little ghetto with a full obvious green screen, but overall a great watch. Not only was I impressed by SyFy's script but their choice for casting was amazing! Caterina Scorsone puts spice and attitude into the adapted Alice role, yet at the same time is also very endearing. She portrays the inner emotional struggle of Alice in an amazing way. I loved that SyFy allowed Alice to not be just a helpless girl but one who was "fiercely independent". Scorsone did a great job on fight scenes and stunts. Her overall performance is what keeps us pulled in. Andrew Lee Potts was also a great cast as Hatter. His portrayal of the modern Mad Hatter was slick and humorous. His relationship with Alice is what really drives the story and you can't help but hope everything works out. As a result, despite their low budget and lack of publicity and screen time, this is a MUST SEE movie! Anyone who's interested in fairy tales and action and adventure should consider this movie. HIGHLY Recommended.**May not be best for children 13 and under, mainly due to the use of guns and violence. **

Alice follows a man through a mirror into Wonderland, which is not the joyful place from the story. It is now ruled by an even more merciless Red Queen, and the inhabitants have a strange sort of addiction to "tea" that is drained from humans outside of Wonderland. Can Alice get back home?Writer-director Nick Willing has previously worked on "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" -- he made a version starring Tina Majorino back in 1999, which was one of the closest adaptations ever. A bit dry, but Willing's love of the characters was obvious. Here he returns with a modified story, much less dry, and a whole new spin... this is the masterpiece.All the cast is pretty great, even Caterina Scorsone (Alice) who flails her arms wildly when she runs. Andrew Lee Potts (Hatter) does a great male lead, being both handsome and understandable. Cult icon Matt Frewer is a wonderful White Knight, though they might have used a better beard. Having Colm Meaney (King of Hearts) show up was good, though his role was not made all too clear.The situations were brilliant. The "tea party" being more like a stock market was a good modification, though I don't know why the Dormouse was a woman with a mustache. The room with Doctors Dee and Dumb was genius, and I really liked Mad March (though the Brooklyn accent was a bad choice).Three casting choices failed for me. Philip Winchester (Jack Chase) did not have the charisma he should have to play the romantic interest. He just did not make a strong hero. Tim Curry (Dodo) was doubly wronged: his Dodo made little sense (why the Dodo?) and a character actor of his caliber deserved a bigger role. Lastly, Kathy Bates (Queen of Hearts) was wasted. Anyone could have played the Queen the way she was written (very flat)... using Bates was overkill. This is probably the best thing SyFy did since picking up the rights for "Mystery Science Theater". What is normally a worthless network was spared by this film.