The first half of this film consists of both undefined characters and surroundings. There are no real connections made between us as viewers and the myriad of characters that we're hastily presented with. And even though them turning into background actors might help the movie feel even more surrealistic and dreamlike, it doesn't help the overall plot. If the Jabberwocky indeed threatens the population, I want to care for the population! Otherwise I won't root for Alice to kill it. And it's hard to care for the people of Wonderland when you don't know the people. This is why, when Alice meets the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), there's finally a character besides her to sympathize with and care for.
Maybe because she's convinced that she's in her dream, this Alice is completely fearless and wholeheartedly goes after what she wants. Even if she's afraid to do it! After discovering Wonderland's realness, she keeps on going with her gut anyway, making all the decisions and bowing down to no one. The "my path is the right one and no one can tell me otherwise"-thinking is a trait that I feel normally would have been ascribed to a male character (or as Alice puts it: 'I'll decide where it goes from here.'). That's why I feel that Alice is not just a new female warrior to add to the list but one with a fresh point of view as well. And so, for me, she becomes the entire reason to watch this movie.
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Used with permission.
Used with permission.
