Customer Reviews

Alice (TV Miniseries)

5 star:		(97)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

There's a girl in a blue dress, a Queen of Hearts, and a a magical looking glass that whisks the heroine into a surreal Wonderland.

But beyond that, don't expect this SyFy miniseries to have much in common with Lewis Carroll's classic novel, "Alice in Wonderland." Instead, "Alice" is a whole different animal -- a deliciously gritty sci-fi adventure filled with action, romance, monsters psychedelic horrors, and a revolution against a drug-peddling queen. It's a little silly, but still immensely entertaining.

Alice's (Caterina Scorsone) dinner date with her boyfriend Jack (Philip Winchester) falls apart when he offers her an heirloom ring. When she chases after him, she sees him being dragged off by some suit-wearing thugs -- and promptly trips THROUGH a looking glass. Of course she ends up in Wonderland, a world of grimy urban ruins and art deco casinos. And it's ruled by the Queen of Hearts (Kathy Bates), a ruthless tyrant who keeps her populace drugged with emotions from kidnapped "oysters" (ordinary humans).

Alice ends up following the eccentric Hatter (Andrew-Lee Potts), who offers to take her to the Resistance -- but when they get there, they discover that Jack's ring is actually the Stone of Wonderland (which powers the transdimensional Looking Glass). Since everybody in Wonderland wants the Stone, Hatter and Alice end up on the run from both the Resistance and the Queen's assassin Mad March. Alice is still determined to rescue Jack and return home, but she soon finds that her boyfriend isn't quite what she thought -- and that one of her loved ones is the Queen's brainwashed slave.

The whole idea behind "Alice" is that Carroll's story was real, and that Wonderland has become a very different place in the last 150 years -- crumbling smoky cities, insectile airships, bunny-headed cyborg assassins, and a pair of sadistic interrogators called Dr. Dum and Dr. Dee. It's a far darker, more complex affair than Carroll's books, and that's what makes it so brilliant.

There's plenty of sci-fi action and chaotic battle scenes, including aerial chases, bombing runs and the occasional attack from the grotesque Jabberwock; and the writers keep the complex plot flowing along nicely. But they also keep the story grounded with a love triangle between Alice, Jack and Hatter, as well as Alice's quest to free the oysters and a long-lost family member. And there's just enough humor to keep it from being excessively grim ("We don't have to use a user manual, do we? I HATE user manuals").

Problems? A few of the homages (the grinning cat, the "drink me" bottle) are pretty superfluous, and the siege of skeletal soldiers is kind of silly (especially the "Hit them with everything we've got").

Scorsone makes an excellent modern Alice -- intelligent, capable and capable of butt-kicking her way out, but still vulnerable and young ("You don't remember me!"). Potts makes a deliciously quirky, sexily disheveled Hatter, and Frewer rounds out the main trio as a mildly insane White Knight. Winchester and Colm Meaney are also excellent, Tim Curry is brilliant but underused, and Kathy Bates absolutely rules as the casually cruel, petulant Queen. And yes, she does say "off with his head!"

I don't know what beloved children's story will get reworked next, but "Alice" does a great job with Lewis Carroll's classic novel -- lots of action, a touch of romance, and just enough surreality.

This "Alice" is certainly NOT for the children of the household! This is not a tarted-up Disney movie. There is violence, drug references, war, intrigue, abductions and a lot more you really don't want to have to explain to your younger offspring. (Or have them have to explain to YOUR parents.)
I was truly awed by the show. The physical sets were very well-crafted and remarkably realistic in the CGI scenes. The story was gripping and very plausible for a fantasy tale. The many references to "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" were often very subtle (see how many of you can find the "Mock Turtle" on the first try... (hint: look for a little lady and a BIG gun!)). Some were patently obvious and unnecessary to drive the story. Others were a name-only reference to a character from the stories, like the Dodo.
There were some unanswered questions and some plot holes in the story line, but the story moves so fast you may not even notice until after the program is over.
All in all, "Alice" is very entertaining and worth owning. I enjoyed it so much that I pre-ordered it the moment I found out the release date!

There's a girl in a blue dress, a Queen of Hearts, and a a magical looking glass that whisks the heroine into a surreal Wonderland.

But beyond that, don't expect this SyFy miniseries to have much in common with Lewis Carroll's classic novel, "Alice in Wonderland." Instead, "Alice" is a whole different animal -- a deliciously gritty sci-fi adventure filled with action, romance, monsters psychedelic horrors, and a revolution against a drug-peddling queen. It's a little silly, but still immensely entertaining.

Alice's (Caterina Scorsone) dinner date with her boyfriend Jack (Philip Winchester) falls apart when he offers her an heirloom ring. When she chases after him, she sees him being dragged off by some suit-wearing thugs -- and promptly trips THROUGH a looking glass. Of course she ends up in Wonderland, a world of grimy urban ruins and art deco casinos. And it's ruled by the Queen of Hearts (Kathy Bates), a ruthless tyrant who keeps her populace drugged with emotions from kidnapped "oysters" (ordinary humans).

Alice ends up following the eccentric Hatter (Andrew-Lee Potts), who offers to take her to the Resistance -- but when they get there, they discover that Jack's ring is actually the Stone of Wonderland (which powers the transdimensional Looking Glass). Since everybody in Wonderland wants the Stone, Hatter and Alice end up on the run from both the Resistance and the Queen's assassin Mad March. Alice is still determined to rescue Jack and return home, but she soon finds that her boyfriend isn't quite what she thought -- and that one of her loved ones is the Queen's brainwashed slave.

The whole idea behind "Alice" is that Carroll's story was real, and that Wonderland has become a very different place in the last 150 years -- crumbling smoky cities, insectile airships, bunny-headed cyborg assassins, and a pair of sadistic interrogators called Dr. Dum and Dr. Dee. It's a far darker, more complex affair than Carroll's books, and that's what makes it so brilliant.

There's plenty of sci-fi action and chaotic battle scenes, including aerial chases, bombing runs and the occasional attack from the grotesque Jabberwock; and the writers keep the complex plot flowing along nicely. But they also keep the story grounded with a love triangle between Alice, Jack and Hatter, as well as Alice's quest to free the oysters and a long-lost family member. And there's just enough humor to keep it from being excessively grim ("We don't have to use a user manual, do we? I HATE user manuals").

Problems? A few of the homages (the grinning cat, the "drink me" bottle) are pretty superfluous, and the siege of skeletal soldiers is kind of silly (especially the "Hit them with everything we've got").

Scorsone makes an excellent modern Alice -- intelligent, capable and capable of butt-kicking her way out, but still vulnerable and young ("You don't remember me!"). Potts makes a deliciously quirky, sexily disheveled Hatter, and Frewer rounds out the main trio as a mildly insane White Knight. Winchester and Colm Meaney are also excellent, Tim Curry is brilliant but underused, and Kathy Bates absolutely rules as the casually cruel, petulant Queen. And yes, she does say "off with his head!"

I don't know what beloved children's story will get reworked next, but "Alice" does a great job with Lewis Carroll's classic novel -- lots of action, a touch of romance, and just enough surreality.

I know i made a review of Alice before but I just wanted to say the cast alone makes this dvd a must-buy.
I believe the dvd will be released in March 2010.

So I never really got into the whole Alice in Wonderland story, to tell the truth, I was actually terrified with the story as a child. Anyways Alice is a wonderful and refreshing take on the well known classic and I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. I watched it at about midnight, skimming through the channels until I came across it and for some reason I was hooked at once. Alice is portrayed as a kickass fighting heroine, that's quite different and the story/plot was so exciting and new, I don't want to give it away but there is some interesting bits added to the original.

Summary: So this Alice is a martial arts butt-kicker. She meets Jack who slips her a ring and once Jack is abducted Alice follows, thus leading to her falling down the "rabbit hole" or the looking glass. Once there she meets Hatter who wants to help her find her way home. As she learns more about Wonderland and their emotion-extracting economy, her life becomes endangered when the Queen of Hearts orders for Alice's capture. The Queen ultimately wants the ring Alice recieved from Jack to power the looking glass. Along Alice's journey to find Jack, she also meets The White Knight who accompanys the duo to the Casino(where the captured humans are extracted) while also running away from the Queen's men: White Rabbit and the Suits. Quite an adventure.

Okay back to characters: I must say the acting is top-notch, so great for SyFy to get these incredibly talented actors. First Caterina Scorsone as Alice is amazing and this is my first time watching her, but I am really impressed by her acting. The White Knight(Matt Frewer who is another great star who works perfectly in Alice) is there for some comical parts, and very fun to watch too. Kathy Bates as the Queen, I get what I expected knowing her previous work. The whole cast, Tim Curry, Phillip Winchester, Colm Meaney, etc. is great but the one person that MADE it for me is Andrew Lee Potts as the Mad Hatter. Cute, funny, adorable and most of all he is the one character you can sympathize with (also watch him in the sci-fi show Primeval!) I mean he practically steals every scene he is in. Pott's Hatter is so likable opposite of Scorsone's skeptical Alice that I would watch this just to see the two of them and their <spoiler> romance! He really surprised me with his fun cool side yet it was his sensitive and "mushy side" that just left me wanting more. Now I am curious to see Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter...

The SyFy series Tin Man, was a similar miniseries that I saw a few years back(not sure how long) but I really enjoyed the show and the concept behind it. Alice is much like Tin Man, since it is by the same people, but I think it is slightly better and less gloomy.

The cinematography is also perfect, many beautiful scenes but some might have something to say about the CGI. It kind of bothered me that the CG wasn't too amazing but considering it is SyFy, that is just a very miniscule issue and never took away from the show itself. The small attention to details is exceptional too, if you pay attention you can tell how amazing the level of depth is- from the clothing to the buildings.

Basically the show is fun, bizarre, unique and a truly fantastic adventure. I highly recommend a watch.
One last note: the ending ROCKED! and did I already mention how awesome Hatter was....

This is a fantastic twist on the classic tale. The sharp color contrasts and fantastic landscapes makes this movie a feast for the eyes. Another feast for the eyes is 'Hatter', one of the allies that Alice picks up along the way. You see all your favorite Wonderland characters in a fresh, new light. I even watched the entire film with the commentary, which now makes the story even more fun and interesting. (I never watch commentaries.) The only inconsistancy that bugs me is when Alice first goes through the looking glass. She lands in the hospital, but in all subsequent scenes with the looking glass the portal opens up into a large transit lobby. Otherwise this is a fun and entertaining film suitable for the entire family.

i love this movie!!!!!!! i watched it two times in one day! you will love it! oh and hatter is so hot!!!!! this is the best Alice ever to come out! youll watch it again and again!

To Alice purists, anything but a by-the-book rendering borders on heresy. The recent Alice, despite its great effects and star power, failed by taking the characters and setting literally, but creating an unrelated story. Others throw the Alice name and a few icons into an otherwise unrelated work, and try to cash in on her fame. Ugh.

This somehow succeeds, whether or not you love the original Alice. It's different enough to be its own creature entirely. When it re-uses familair characters and settings, Alice homage is there without any attempt to retroactively redefine the originals. But, if you simply take it for itself, without reference to the classic, it offers an urban SF/fantasy blend with visible (if slightly heavy-handed) concern for contemporary issues. I'm sure judo students everywhere will be disappointed in the first scenes, but I'll tolerate that to set up the strong and independent leading lady.

Without imitating, defacing, or counterfeiting the original, this offers Alice fans an interesting and very updated view of how the story might play today.

-- wiredweird

I love Alice, it's a stand-out among the many works that have been inspired by Lewis Carrol over the years. It comes off as more of an affectionate tribute to the original story than a rehashing of the same or attempt to "modernize" a classic. In the universe of the series, we are told that the events of the original story did happen 150 years ago, but have little impact on the rest of the series. I thought this was a far better and more respectful way of doing things than Tim Burton's film, which seemed like an egotistical attempt to make a true sequel to the original.

I loved the aesthetic of the series, especially in the city. I only wish they had spent more time on the plot, or given the writers an extra episode or 2 to flesh things out. In a lot of scenes, something interesting would be brought up and I'd get curious but then they'd never be explained. Like, what was up with Hatter's hand that made people scared of it? Also, you put Tim Curry's name in all the ads and then he's literally in only one scene? There's all this talk about how bad things are in Wonderland, but very little is actually shown. Why did Charlie's trick with the skeleton army work?

Overall, though, it's great. However, it's a small made-for-tv event from a minor cable channel. That gave me very low expectations of quality. However, Nick Willing took the resources he had and got the very most out of them. This is an entertaining watch with likable characters, action, and eye-catching visuals. Definitely worth purchasing for multiple viewings.

This was kind of trippy in a weird way. I liked the series a lot. especially the end. hatters a drug dealer hahaha

I rented this movie on a whim from Netflix, not really knowing what to expect. This movie was so incredibly good- I found myself wishing it would never end. The plot was great, the twists on the original story were original and clever, and I absolutely fell in love with Hatter. That character is by far the best out of all of them in this movie, and they are ALL great, and very well played. I saw it once, obsessed about it for months, and am now buying it off Amazon. If you love quirky, clever movies, you will love this movie!!