Malice In Wonderland (2009/MagNet/Magnolia DVD)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: C
As if the
Alice In Wonderland story was not
played out enough, we get yet another variation in the all-British Malice In Wonderland (2009), a
good-at-best retelling that tries to place the odyssey in current London like a BBC TV
series. Maggie Grace from TV’s Lost gets to be Alice this time and though a few of the
moments here are interesting, this is so predictable and by-the-numbers that
you wonder why Writer Jayson Rothwell and Director Simon Fellows bothered
outside of jumping on a bandwagon.
If the
intent is to make the story accessible to audiences who might not watch it
otherwise, that only goes so far, but it is not pretentious, just does not offer
much new not unlike the craze a few years ago to do every variation of Peter Pan possible. Grace is likable and the supporting cast that
includes Danny Dyer, Nathaniel Parker and Matt King help, but this is likely to
become a curio later as some of the stars potentially become more popular. Otherwise, this is for fans only.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image looks a bit soft throughout and Video
Black can be an issue, but color is often good and sometimes exceptional. Too bad they did not have the time or money
to go the hyper-color route as it may have inspired other ideas in the
shoot. The Dolby Digital 5.1 is not bad,
but the soundfield can disappoint and I expected more activity considering the
genre. Extras include a Making Of
featurette and Behind The Scenes Photo Gallery.
- Nicholas Sheffo
