There have been many, many, versions of Lewis Carrol’s story adapted for the screen, one of the most popular being Disney’s 1951 animated version, and this one is most definitely darker than the children’s story. Even the characters comment on it. The darkness, and the aging of Alice works surprisingly well. I don’t know if I can express how much I enjoyed this version of the Alice story. It’s interesting to see Wonderland evolve in the same way a real community does, but with such a great fantasy twist. The science takes leaps forward, economics and politics have become more complex, and there are rebels who think the monarchy needs to be overthrown. It is a very different world than the one “Alice of legend” visited over a century ago.

Visually, it is stunning. Wonderland has cities that are built straight up from the ground. I’m not talking skyscrapers like in the big cities here. I’m talking one city block, complete with sidewalks and grass, piled on top of another, higher and higher from the ground. It provides a really cool effect. Scenery aside, the special effects do leave a little bit to be desired, but this is generally true for any film made on a television budget. There are the obvious green screen moments that could have been better, and some of the choices for what to do when Alice enters the “truth room” are a little odd, but that entire sequence is meant to be odd.

What really makes this movie stand out is Hatter, played by Andrew Lee Potts. He is brilliantly sarcastic and has an edge, but he is in no way mad. It’s a nice change from the usually mentally unstable man throwing tea parties. He is working with the resistance to fight the Queen of Hearts, but he also plays the other side of the fence when it suits him. Hatter does seem to be a morally ambiguous character throughout the two parts of the film, but he does go through a great deal of growth, due in large part to his attachment to Alice. He makes it his mission to insure that she is able to return to her home safely, and it is their chemistry that really carries the film.

I have to admit, this is definitely aimed at science fiction/fantasy fans. If you aren’t a fan of the genre, you probably will have a tough time enjoying it. It also not a light retelling of a fairy tale. As I said, it is much darker and some people might be turned off by that. If you get the chance though, and you are open to that darker interpretation, give it a shot.