Alice in Wonderland in 3-D is about as cool looking as you’d expect.  Tim Burton is pretty much the master of giving most of the movie budget to his art department and wardrobe people.  However, it’s not as mind-blowing as it should be.  It’s really not very mind-blowing at all.

Maybe it’s because CGI is so common.  There are some subtle uses of it here.  The queen’s enormous head, Alice shrinking and growing, the monsters, etc.  Ultimately, it comes off more like a cartoon.  A really big expensive cartoon.

Burton uses the story as Lewis Carroll basically did.  The whole thing is sort of a metaphor for growing up.  But where Carroll used a scalpel, Burton uses a hammer in the last five minutes.  (minor spoiler)  After two hours, you’re back in reality, but the script immediately flies in the face of it.  So what’s the point?

I would say this is more of a DVD rental for Alice completists who just have to see Burton’s version.  Other than some cool designs and effects, I didn’t really anything new here.  Even Depp’s normally stellar performance seems kind of muted and difficult to read with so much make up and effects going on with his face.

I give Alice in Wonderland in 3-D a 3 out of 10 keggers.