"Alice in Wonderland: Meet the Mad Hatter" Movie Trailer Review

By our guest blogger, Josh Harris

On March 5, 2010, Tim Burton will be releasing his crack at Lewis Carroll's beloved novel, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." This new adaptation does not follow the novel directly, but is more of a sequel with a 17-year-old Alice returning to Wonderland, a place she visited in her youth but has since forgotten. However, all of the characters from the original adventures appear to be present and remember her. In this teaser, we see shots of the Red Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare, the Dormouse and, of course, the Mad Hatter.

The actors who will bring these characters to life are familiar entities, especially to anyone who follows Burton's work. I think it's no surprise that his fiancé Helena Bonham Carter will be involved, playing the part of the Red Queen. Also of little wonder is the inclusion of Johnny Depp in this project. He and Burton have worked together on a number of films like “Edward Scissorhands” and, more recently, “Sweeney Todd.” Depp will be playing the role of the infamous Mad Hatter.

In this teaser, Depp describes the Hatter as being “like a mood ring. His emotions are very close to the surface.” Depp has become known for his character-acting prowess, most recently for his role of Captain Jack Sparrow from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. He says playing the part of the Mad Hatter “was a dream come true,” and there is no doubt in my mind that Depp's portrayal of that character will be a joy to watch.

Burton is known for his Gothic style and “Alice in Wonderland” looks to be no different, bringing a slightly darker look to the story than the original animated Disney adaptation. The world he has created appears gritty and spooky and as strange as you would expect Wonderland to look. The teaser doesn't so much in terms of plot, but the visuals look stunning, and the film appears to have some action to it, as there are shots featuring Alice clad head-to-toe in armor with a sword and Depp's Hatter trading parries with a one-eyed solider who I assume is the Knave of Hearts.

Carroll's novel has always been thought of as “trippy,” to use common parlance, and Burton seems to have captured this atmosphere quite well on film. I think the story and the director were made for each other, and the cast he has chosen lend themselves quite well to this weird tale. This is definitely not a film I would pass up on seeing.

View the teaser trailer for "Alice in Wonderland: Meet the Mad Hatter" below. What are your thoughts?