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(*Mini Spoilers Ahead*)
With a star-filled cast (including Kathy Bates, Tim Curry, and Colm Meaney), I expected Alice to blow my mind with a re-imagining that was not only clever, but insightful. Instead, I seemed to be watching Alice (a trained black belt and martial arts instructor, by the way), played by Caterina Scorsone, being emotionally and, at times, physically defeated by the men in her life. Heck, she was defeated by an older, unarmed gentleman in Part I-- seriously?
As if the I'm-a-capable-woman-but-still-helpless role didn't rub me the wrong way, the whole setting of Wonderland did the trick. Every woman (except the Queen) was dressed in a crop top, mini skirt, and heels while moaning their words. The men on the other hand, delivered lines like this one:
I know. Classy, right? I would totally fall for that too."Do I need a reason to help a pretty girl in a really wet dress?" - The Hatter
Sure, there are some redeeming qualities: including the times when Alice does defend herself against a slew of armed bodyguards, the eye-catching CGI, and the beautiful mise-en-scene. But I could not get Freud out of my head when it was revealed that Alice is doing this because she had no father figure in her life.
Final verdict? Watch it, but don't expect much. It's visually enticing but needed a lot of work in terms of script. Maybe being sponsored by Kay Jewelers influenced the final product a little too much.
Did anyone else watch this made for t.v movie? What did you think?
P.S. I'm pretty sure I developed a high school, butterflies in stomach, sweaty palms crush on both Caterina Scorsone and Andrew Lee Potts (both pictured above) after watching this movie though. Another plus? =]
Images: Google
3 comments:
I was wondering about this movie. It kind of falls into the same category as TinMan (which was perhaps trying to bank off of the success of Wicked?)--full of potential but falls flat and always ends up with a semi-helpless female character disguised as a badass who just needs a real, stable family. Yay heteronormativity. I was kind of excited by the preview, but in the back of my mind I was reminded about the disappointment of TinMan. After reading this, I probably won't be watching this unless it comes on TV and there's nothing else to watch.
Oh, SyFy, even with your new, ridiculous name, you really never fail to disappoint in your being disappointing, do you?
But four hours of Andrew Lee Potts and Philip Winchester (but without the peroxide blond) was nice! I'd highly recommend you check out seasons 1-3 of "Primeval" for some adorable goofiness from Andrew Lee Potts.
Thanks for the 'Primeval' rec! I will definitely check it out.
I'm always on the lookout for some good sci-fi AND if it has Andrew Lee Potts, I'm there.
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