Customer Reviews

Malice in Wonderland

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I got a screener copy of this dvd and expected it to be a total dud, cashing in on the success of Tim Burton's 'Alice', but was more than surprised when I sat down to view it. I told my wife, "Don't expect much", and she concurred but, in truth, we both enjoyed it for what it was.

Instead of being loosely adapted by the Lewis Carroll tale, it was almost a literal translation of the story, except all the characters were rewritten to fit into today's seedy British underworld of lowlife gangsters, drug lords, addicts and pimps, as seen through the eyes of Terry Gilliam.

Alice (Maggie Grace) is an American law student in London, whose parents are insanely wealthy. Struck down by a cab operated by Whitey (the White Rabbit, excellently portrayed by Danny Dyer), she awakens with amnesia in Wonderland, a world that's a million miles from home.

We follow her various escapades as she is dragged through an underworld filled with twisted individuals and some of the lowest forms of human life imaginable by the enigmatic Whitey, who speaks in perverse rhyme with a crazed cockney accent. Alice desperately needs to regain her senses, which isn't easy when she's repeatedly drugged, remember who she is, where she's from, and figure out a way back while she's still in one piece.

A quick tempo aids this flick from dragging, surrealistic neon landscapes and absurd characters and camera angles keep our interest, and a logical but predictable ending closes this illogical lunacy.

3 ½ stars for the flick, rounded up to 4 stars simply because it was a hell of a lot better than I expected, with `Malice' aforethought.

...with Snoop Dogg having an album of the same name, and Tim Burton doing a big budget adaptation to the Lewis Carrol story this small film which had been seeking distribution for almost a year finally gets to shine.
This film is simply AWESOME It keeps with the idea of the Lewis Carol story brilliantly. When I first saw it I assumed that it would be to Alice in wonderland what the movie Freeway was for Little Red Riding Hood, I was wrong. This story keeps more to the actual source material not only in feel, but also with character and plot-line development. What sounds a bit off of kooky actually works in a way that left me in awe. This movie has instantly become one of my favorite lil' indies.
Acted to the nines by everyone involved, most of whome I've never heard of save for Maggie Grace who was in last years sleeper hit "TAKEN", directed with an artsy flair and delivered with endearing locations, and visuals one can not help but to fall down the rabbit hole again.

I say go watch *SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEAD*
and get yourself a copy of Malice in wonderland

Had I made the film "Malace in Wonderland" (2009) I would be quite proud of it. But it is not something that I would casually show to a random group of people expecting an enthusiastic response. Its target audience is the off-kilter and twisted, and not even all of those will wildly embrace this effort. But if you get off on oddity, quirkiness, and fun you should seek out this film.

This is the fourth of five relatively recent efforts to "out-weird" Carroll by taking the framework of his story and constructing a feature film that reflects the director's inner child at the expense of the wit and wisdom of the source material.

If a perverse homage is your cup of tea and you don't hold your own image of the Mad Hatter sacred, then you should check out this film along with the other four: Tim Burton's recent release, Terry Gilliam's "Tideland" (2005), Czech animator Jan Svankmajerand "Alice" (1988), and the one that started the trend-Richard Elfman's "Forbidden Zone (1982). "Malace" is the best of the group if only because it captures more of the original's spirit. It's gotten to be a rather well-traveled path but this one benefits from a closer association to the original "Wonderland".

In this case Carroll's story is transported to the gritty underworld of modern day East London (insert lowlifes, drug lords, addicts and pimps here). But not so gritty that there are not a lot of bizarre characters with counterparts in the original wonderland and looking glass worlds.

Lost's Maggie Grace plays Alice Dodgson (Carroll's real last name although she has amnesia and is nameless for most of the story - perhaps a symbolic connection to his use of a pen name). Danny Dyer is a London Taxi driver named Whitey, and like the White Rabbit he is often running late despite being obsessed with time. Nathaniel Parker is a recently released from prison underworld boss, like the Queen of Hearts he holds a trial when his tarts (in this case a string of hookers) are stolen.

Bronagh Gallagher is Hattie, the operator of a truck stop brothel, she holds Mad Hatter tea parties with the assistance of a sleeping Dormouse. Gallagher's character is by far the best of the ensemble and you wish that she had more screen time.

Gary Beadle is DJ Felix Chester (the Cheshire Cat) and Paul Kaye is the Caterpillar. The Tweedle twins are employed as burly nightclub bouncers . Matt King plays a hustler named Gonzo, a significant character who apparently was kidnapped from the set of a Muppet parody and has no Wonderland parallel (go figure??).

Grace's Alice is your basic still coltish Homecoming Queen who does not yet realize (or at least convincingly pretends to not realize) how incredibly hot she has become. I have read that she was a last minute replacement for Misha Barton, who also has that quality. Apparently Fellows knew exactly what he wanted for the role and why he wanted it. He effectively utilizes her face in frequent close-up, building a connection with viewers to Alice's very confused point-of-view. It works!!

The film has excellent production design, cinematography, and acting for the camera direction. The writing is the only weak area, not that it is poor but rather the project is so ambitious that another rewrite would have been a good investment. The romance and the search for the birth mother have some emotional impact but are poorly integrated into the story. You can overlook a lack of logic (this is "Wonderland" after all) but those two elements seek to provide a resolution to one of the few stories where one is not needed.

I just don't see Carroll going out of his illogical lunacy with a logical and predictable ending.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I really liked this take on Alice. This a version of Wonderland that isn't so bright and shiny. Wonderland is gritty and crime filled. Remember watching the original Disney version and thinking these characters are a littlle wonky and left of center. Well these characters take that to a whole new level, so much so that they are rolled over in the ditch on the side of the road. And Wonderland is right there w/ them just as twisted. Alice's story is a little more complicated in this version. For example she meets Whitey(the White Rabbit)by him hitting her w/ his cab. In the course of the movie Alice has several flashbacks to her childhood and some involving a recent conversation w/ her father. It may take you the whole movie to figure out what these mean or you may think you have it after a couple flashes. Alice and Whitey's team up makes the movie. Maggie Grace(Alice) and Danny Dryer(Whitey) have good chemistry which makes it all the better. This take on Wonderland definately isn't for everyone but if you like the strange and unusual be sure to give this movie a look see. Hope you enjoy.

This is definitely a mood movie, filled with odd camera angles, odd use of night lighting and odd characters. Some are endearing, others are just plain weird. Took me a good 10 minutes to get into the movie, but once that happened, i was entertained. Where can i get a hat like the one danny dyer wears!

I got caught up in this right away, and thoroughly enjoyed this slightly seedy take on Alice. While not all of the characters or scenarios are believable, that isn't a problem. After all, in the original, we're talking about a girl who talks to playing cards, plays with flamingoes and hedgehogs, and is foolish enough to eat something just because there's a note attached. This version was cleverly done, and I enjoyed the trip through London. I actually enjoyed the driving around bits, which bored another reviewer. The character translations are fun.
The only things I did not like as much were the magical things. Having said that, the first 'appearance' of the Cheshire Cat was absolutely inspired. I thought it was a shame that his character got more magical at the end. I also disliked the magic door that leads Alice back home (no real spoiler there); it could have been done mundanely to as much or more effect. I also thought one particular plot resolution was contrived.
That said, if you have not seen this and are wondering if you should -- by all means do so! I saw this as a rental, and I will likely buy it.

A positive note of caution: This movies is a story to behold only for the depths of devious wonderful minds. In logic, it's a modern twist in modern time, with quite an entertaining ride. For the fun it brings, is the truth you find that no worlds of life can be quite divine cept the one in your mind. If you expect your mind to understand this movie without interest to details, like to a psychological ecstasy book like the original Alice in Wonderland...then you'll be lost as every turn of who?, what?, why? But if you think your mind shall mold to the movie then this movie is exactly what you have try to find.

K now right down to the review: this is one of those movies that is amazing to explore the lines in-between the constructions of our marble foundation. If you love, and I do mean love, a twistedly entertaining story that you would wished more people were like to make life interesting then I positively, absolutely, and with little to no hesitation recommend this movie. Enjoy!

Totally had no idea what to expect from this movie as I haven't heard anything about it. However, as a 28 year old poet & rapper whose friends are all athletes and party folk, I guess it's to be expected that I haven't heard about it. Anyway, I love Alice in Wonderland, HATE the Tim Burton version, and thought this little thing was totally awesome. It could have been better in some ways no doubt, but the camera angles, colors, characters, drug references, and modern naughty twist made this a perfect movie for someone like me, and probably for someone like YOU too, or you wouldn't be reading this. Good luck!!

I couldnt tell which characters in this movie matched up with lewis carroll's characters for some of them, but all in all the movie was amazing!

I was not sure about watching this movie... however I was surprised to find out that it was a very good movie. Quite humorous at times and beginning to end very enjoyable.. time moves quickly and you don't even realize it's been over an hour.