"Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?" Neither does Alice. In fact, Alice doesn't know much about anything in the crazy world of smiling cats, crazy rabbits and mad hatters she dropped into from a rabbit hole. But she does know this: It is all just a dream and she is in control.

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland absolutely did not disappoint. The film follows a 19-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska), an English girl who has had peculiar dreams ever since she could remember. She is caught off-guard with a monumental marriage proposal when she sees a familiar looking rabbit and, following the creature, is led into a land which is vibrant, strange and eerily recognizable. In this land creatures can talk, friends cannot be forgotten and she has a task that is so huge it is completely impossible for her to accomplish.

The big-name actors in the roles of the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), all brought a professional, dramatic and colorful feel to the film. While Depp can play an eclectic role to the T, Carter and Hathaway portrayed their characters just as convincingly. Wasikowska, the lovable protagonist, will be a name people will remember.

The film is a combination of Lewis Carroll's books Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass combined with some of Burton's own twists.

Wonderland offers audiences plenty of fresh material. The distinctiveness and quality acting definitely make the flick worthwhile. I give the film two thumbs up.


Rebecca Gonzales is a senior at Capital High. You can reach her at nellybly22@gmail.com.