Alice in Wonderland, Johnny Depp, Mad Hatter, makeup, shotgun, Revlon

Discussion (22) ¬

  1. Molnek
    Molnek

    Tom I love the look on the make up guy’s face in the last panel. It’s a very ‘job well done’ look that made me smile. As for Depp are you sure you just don’t wish you got paod to prance around?

  2. Manda
    Manda

    Lol! I love your pre-Hatterized Depp in the second panel. Perfect!! 😀

  3. WG
    WG

    Personally, I want to see it being a Johnny Depp fan. From what I have gathered, this isn’t just a re-telling of the story. It’s a return to wonderland. Something about alice wanting to escape a marriage, and goes for a tumble down the rabbit hole again, to see that everything has changed, that’s even evident that it’s a return in the previews when the hatter says “Alice, I’d recognize you anywhere!”.

    I think that’s what it’s about, don’t quote me on it, but it’s a twist of the original story. It looks a like a decent movie to just go and turn your brain off and (hopefully) be entertained for 90 minutes or so.

  4. wren1313
    wren1313

    I’ve always got a sense that the insanity in AiW (all versions) was more a protection mechanism than true insanity. A protection from a world that is changing too much & is too tyranical. If one is crazy, others will not want to disturb or expect anything from you. I think the SyFy version really drove this fail safe insanity home. I think Depp has always relished in the fail safe insanity roles & will do well as the Hatter.

    As for Burton, he knows his core audience, gothlings, & gives them what they want. (I didn’t get a chance to post on Wednesday)

  5. Tyler H
    Tyler H

    hey thats exactly like this one the simpsons episode…oh…oh…he knows.

    that was my general thought line. its a good thing that you discuss almost every comic below 🙂

    well played, sir

  6. Steve
    Steve

    This comic made me laugh good. Real good. I now believe that’s exactly how they did his make-up and hair, all in one shot.
    I won’t be seeing it. I won’t be in the theater until Green Zone. Sure, it may have a Bourne feel to it because of the same actor/director combo, but I think that will be where the similarities stop. The story sounds unique and interesting, and I think the fact our character is a soldier in a war zone using guns will lend to some different action that the specialized, covert Bourne.

  7. Edly
    Edly

    It did very well at the midnights we had last night. Both 3D shows sold out, and one of the 2D ones did.
    I haven’t seen it personally, but the only thing I have against it going in is how much trouble it gave me going onto our third server (darn Dolby Showstore kept quitting in the middle of the ingest!)
    The Tron Legacy trailer is really good though! Turned me right into an 11 year old again!
    -Edly

  8. Tom
    Tom

    I think “pre-Hatterized” is my new favorite term.

  9. Relaxing Dragon
    Relaxing Dragon

    Hah, I got that reference before I scrolled down. Good Simpsons fan here 8)

    And despite the many negative reviews I’ve been seeing for Wonderland (and my general dislike of what Johnny Depp looks like in the movie), I still want to see it. I like my Wonderland stuff a lot, and it still looks to be a fairly entertaining movie. And yes, WG is right, this story is more a sequel to the original than another retelling.

  10. Creepy McGee

    Hehe, I loved the Simpsons reference as well!

    Interesting fact is that Danny Elfman composes for the Simpsons as well as Burton – maybe he adapted the makeup gun for real life!

  11. Gray
    Gray

    I’m torn.
    On the one hand, I like most of Tim Burton’s movies. But on the other hand, I absolutely loathe the source material.
    What to do? What to do?

  12. MJH
    MJH

    I saw a 3d screening of the film last night (downunder in Australia, no less!). They do go deeper into Depp’s character a COUPLE of times, even possibly making us feel sorry for the Mad Hatter! The character that annoyed me the most was Hathaway’s White Queen. Watch the film and you’ll understand.
    I went into this film expecting the worst, and walked out thinking “it wasn’t that bad!”. i think that’s the trick when going to see a film like this.
    I think Burton relied too much on CG for this film, stretching actors bodies around so much that you wonder if they even needed to be there in the first place. Seeing it in 3d was fine, but I’m sure nothing would be missed in 2d. It seemed like it really didn’t need to be in 3d, which will become a trend in movies to come, i feel.
    Ah well, kept me entertained while i wait for Iron Man 2!!!! I’ll be expecting lots of zany comics during the leadup to IM2’s release, Tom!!!!

  13. j00ky
    j00ky

    A+ comic. 10/10

  14. Scott
    Scott

    Tom, Just got back from seeing Alice in IMAX3D and I will say that it was incredibly good. I really enjoyed everyone’s performances and Depp was not completely over-the-top insane in it. Extra cheers to Paul Whitehouse as the voice of the March Hare, man did that CGI screwball steal some scenes from Depp.

    One other thing, there was not a single Goth at the showing my wife and I went too. Granted, it was a SAT afternoon showing so that might explain that…

  15. Scott
    Scott

    Oh, one other thing to MJH, I agree and revise my statement. the only person I did not enjoy in the movie was Anne Hathaway. She played it incredibly aloof and almost air-headed and it came off goofy and stiff at the same time. I will also say in my opinion that why I am a big fan of Helena Bonham Carter, she was not particularly amazing or special as the Red Queen, and any number of actresses could have done as well or better in the role.

  16. Chris M. Cantrell

    Depp really didn’t take over the movie like the trailers would lead you to believe. I mean, he’s a main part of the film but the other characters appear regularly throughout the film. Also, he speaks much deeper than in the trailers and he doesn’t go “Jim Carrey” nuts.

    Overall, I enjoyed it and will definitely be adding it to my Blu-ray collection.

  17. Jullian
    Jullian

    I had the pleasure of screening this film the day before it came out, and I think it was better the second time I saw it with friends. Because I got most of the jokes that I missed, mostly i think it was due to some of the characters accent which i am not accustomed to.

    There wasnt a TON of madhatter scenes, which was a plus. but yes it does spend a bit of time on him. and it kinda Irked me a bit that when the credits start rolling his name was the first mentioned, instead of Mia Wasikowska, who by the way did a fantastic job as Alice.

    Lastly, Most of the Non-wonderland Parts were a bit awful. Many scenes they had were unnecessary, and just there to confuse and waste film.

  18. Chris

    This is one of my favorite theatre hopper comics, even though the joke was lifted, I think it fits perfectly here.

  19. Stemple
    Stemple

    “Women will like what I TELL them to like.”

  20. MzGambit
    MzGambit

    Saw it.
    Dont’ regret seeing it… however i’m not exactly moved to tell others to check it out. i felt like i was watching the cliffnotes version of Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass. There really wasn’t much detail of a story line. the whole thing seems just GENERAL. Alice is easily distracted… Alice falls down hole… Alice eats and drinks things without thinking twice… Alice doesn’t understand where she is or the characters she’s talking to… Alice offends everyone… Alice meets queen… Alice learns lesson… Alice reappears in old world. yeah we got that. how about some filler details? better yet… how about RELEVANT filler details? Rather than Wizard of Oz-ing it through the movie, how about really getting to the point? I feel this movie would’ve been ridiculously awesome if directed by a collaboration between Tim Burtons Vision and Atmosphere but through Quentin Taratino’s storytelling. THAT is true wonderland. THAT is an explination. and THAT covers all angles. it’s moments like this that a RESET/REDO button in time would be wonderfully effective.

    Also. Mad Hatter???? I LOVE Johnny Depp however…. eeeeeeeh… the Mad Hatter was merely Sweeney Todd (mood swings, crazy hair), Willy Wonka (makeup, sillyness, and sometimes voice), and Capt. Jack Sparrow (obsession with his hat, however being the mad Hatter i can’t really say that’s blameable in this instance, how he walked, how he ran, and his costume) blended into one. He needs to work on creating a different persona for each of his characters. It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between them as of lately.

    “Why is a Raven like a writing desk?” ~ Mad Hatter
    i will credit this movie for looking wonderful on screen though. This would be the first movie i’ve comfortably watched in 3-D. Visually it painted a beautiful portrait and with the assistance of 3-D technology it truely felt like a walk in a park. a very very weird park, but i think you get the point.

    and FYI the Jabawockee REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY shoulda just ate Anne Hathaway’s character and put us all out of our misery. it was painful. it was Just as painful as looking at her Peter Gallagher-ized eye brows in HD 3D for her 20 minutes of screentime…. *bottom lip quivers* i can’t get that image out of my head!!!!!!!! *weeps gently*

  21. LeAnna
    LeAnna

    I went to see it Saturday and I loved it. It was just as I expected it to be from Tim Burton. Yes, Johnny Depp was insane, but he was sort of a lovable-insane. There was one cheesy line at the end, but that was it for what I disliked. Also, I love the White Queen’s little facial expressions when she encountered something gross.

  22. Shai Destino
    Shai Destino

    I saw it over the weekend, and loved it. Mia Wasakowski was brilliant as Alice and Depp did an awesome job as the Hatter. As Tom said in his blog, he was used to Depp’s other characters all being aware of their insanity and using it, and the Hatter did actually do that here in the movie. They show many times that the Hatter uses his madness to hide from his crushing depression over the real Underland under the Red Queen, and when confronted with reality he flips out and lashes out at things around him. A central theme in the movie is that every character is trying to hide from reality in their own little fantasy, ranging from Alice to both Queens and everything in between.

    Speaking of the queens, the White Queen is the low point of the movie hands-down. She is so obsessed with her hands that she moves them non-stop and stares at them blankly. In all seriousness, she literally stares at her hands while trying to deliver serious lines and the audience cares nothing for her or her rulership, just as long as the Red Queen is gone. Thankfully she has very little screen time.

    Alice herself was wonderful though. She is played as a girl whose imagination is endless. A major line from her is “I often believe 6 impossible things before breakfast!” As such, she is at home with her crazy new world even though she has no memories of being in Underland before. She is even comfortable with scary beasts and the Red Queen instantly, and was far more uncomfortable in the real world trying to be noble and proper. This was a large improvement over every other “lost in a fantasy world” movie trend of having the main character freak out at everything unusual they see.

    Lastly, the CGI characters were all well done, with the Cheshire Cat actually being given depth. The effects were splendid as were the character designs, even to the point where the Red Queen’s card army was one of the scariest armies I’ve seen in movies. Most people would struggle to make an army of heart playing cards look evil and demonic, but apparently not Tim Burton.

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