SyFy channel's Nick Willing, who remade "The Wizard of Oz" as the 2007 miniseries "Tin Man," writes and directs a trippy new take on Lewis Carroll's classic stories. In his new two−part mini−series "Alice," Willing combines the stories of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking−Glass." The first half premiered Sunday, Dec. 6, and the second part aired the following night.
Newcomer Caterina Scorsone, 28, leads the cast of "Alice." Instead of the curious animated blonde with a pseudo−British accent and no clue what's going on (the version that Disney so lovingly gave us), this Alice is grown−up, raven haired and a black−belt in karate. Ass−kicking Alice tumbles through the looking glass attempting to save her boyfriend, Jack, from dark and mysterious men who kidnap him outside her apartment.
Clearly, Willing has taken liberties with Carroll's original story.
Alice races through Wonderland searching for Jack and trying to get them both home. Along the way she meets Hatter (Andrew Lee Potts), a clever and endearing Pete Doherty look−alike, and the cowardly White Knight (played by Matt Frewer). They all end up on a quest that will take them up against the evil Queen of Hearts, played by Academy Award−winning actress Kathy Bates. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
The Queen of Hearts is a cruel ruler who uses liquid emotions to control her human subjects after they are sucked into Wonderland through the looking glass. As one of the Queen's minions explains, "If our people don't feel what they want to feel when they want to feel it, then the whole system breaks down. Instant gratification is a very complex business."
Though this creative plot−twist suggests the deeper political or social commentary of rulers controlling people by toying with their emotions, the idea is never clearly developed. It's as if Willing just wanted to keep the story on a wholly anecdotal level, without adding to the multiple levels of allegory found in Carroll's works.
This dark re−imagining of Alice's adventures surprises the viewer with visually captivating moments. The "Brave New World' on LSD" production design proves inventive and makes up for some of the slower periods of storytelling during the show.
Beautiful set design and creepy visuals do not make a production work, though. With Tim Curry playing Dodo, Colm Meaney as the King of Hearts and Harry Dean Stanton as Caterpillar, the acting is as skillful as one would expect from such actors in the iconic parts. Unfortunately, the plot moves slowly and fails to capture the viewer's emotional investment with well−developed rising action and suspense.
"Alice" turns the captivating story of a young girl on an explorative journey into a feminist jaunt into a druggy alternate reality. Willing does not even bring up Carroll's commentary on multiple religious, political and social problems of his day, let alone update these themes for the modern day.
If you like fantasy, science−fiction visuals, or are otherwise obsessed with the world through the looking glass, this miniseries is absolutely worthwhile. The show is not excellently crafted or ingeniously imagined, but then again, entertainment is about whatever takes someone on a ride.
So let's snub our noses at superiority and kill the need for pleasure to ever be guilty. "Alice" might make people stare in awe at the miniseries' physical beauty, but there's not really anything lying under the surface. For the niche group of viewers who want to take a trip to a fairly fantastical wonderland, it just might be a few hours well spent.
