Search - Alice (2009 Miniseries) on DVD

Russ B. (Happyfeet) from BENSALEM, PA
Reviewed on 5/9/2023...

It was nice with a lot of great stars. I haven't seen Caterina Scorsone since she was in the series 1-800-missing years before.

Like Alice, LOVE Andrew Lee's Hatter even more!!

A. Lee | 12/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I never really got into the whole Alice in Wonderland story, to tell the truth, I was actually terrified with the story as a child. Anyways Alice is a wonderful and refreshing take on the well known classic and I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. I watched it at about midnight, skimming through the channels until I came across it and for some reason I was hooked at once. Alice is portrayed as a kickass fighting heroine, that's quite different and the story/plot was so exciting and new, I don't want to give it away but there is some interesting bits added to the original.



Summary: So this Alice is a martial arts butt-kicker. She meets Jack who slips her a ring and once Jack is abducted Alice follows, thus leading to her falling down the "rabbit hole" or the looking glass. Once there she meets Hatter who wants to help her find her way home. As she learns more about Wonderland and their emotion-extracting economy, her life becomes endangered when the Queen of Hearts orders for Alice's capture. The Queen ultimately wants the ring Alice recieved from Jack to power the looking glass. Along Alice's journey to find Jack, she also meets The White Knight who accompanys the duo to the Casino(where the captured humans are extracted) while also running away from the Queen's men: White Rabbit and the Suits. Quite an adventure.



Okay back to characters: I must say the acting is top-notch, so great for SyFy to get these incredibly talented actors. First Caterina Scorsone as Alice is amazing and this is my first time watching her, but I am really impressed by her acting. The White Knight(Matt Frewer who is another great star who works perfectly in Alice) is there for some comical parts, and very fun to watch too. Kathy Bates as the Queen, I get what I expected knowing her previous work. The whole cast, Tim Curry, Phillip Winchester, Colm Meaney, etc. is great but the one person that MADE it for me is Andrew Lee Potts as the Mad Hatter. Cute, funny, adorable and most of all he is the one character you can sympathize with (also watch him in the sci-fi show Primeval!) I mean he practically steals every scene he is in. Pott's Hatter is so likable opposite of Scorsone's skeptical Alice that I would watch this just to see the two of them and their romance! He really surprised me with his fun cool side yet it was his sensitive and "mushy side" that just left me wanting more. Now I am curious to see Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter...



The SyFy series Tin Man, was a similar miniseries that I saw a few years back(not sure how long) but I really enjoyed the show and the concept behind it. Alice is much like Tin Man, since it is by the same people, but I think it is slightly better and less gloomy.



The cinematography is also perfect, many beautiful scenes but some might have something to say about the CGI. It kind of bothered me that the CG wasn't too amazing but considering it is SyFy, that is just a very miniscule issue and never took away from the show itself. The small attention to details is exceptional too, if you pay attention you can tell how amazing the level of depth is- from the clothing to the buildings.



Basically the show is fun, bizarre, unique and a truly fantastic adventure. I highly recommend a watch.

One last note: the ending ROCKED! and did I already mention how awesome Hatter was....



Edit: dvd release March 2, 2012"

Alice of legend

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 12/22/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There's a girl in a blue dress, a Queen of Hearts, and a a magical looking glass that whisks the heroine into a surreal Wonderland.



But beyond that, don't expect this SyFy miniseries to have much in common with Lewis Carroll's classic novel, "Alice in Wonderland." Instead, "Alice" is a whole different animal -- a deliciously gritty sci-fi adventure filled with action, romance, monsters psychedelic horrors, and a revolution against a drug-peddling queen. It's a little silly, but still immensely entertaining.



Alice's (Caterina Scorsone) dinner date with her boyfriend Jack (Philip Winchester) falls apart when he offers her an heirloom ring. When she chases after him, she sees him being dragged off by some suit-wearing thugs -- and promptly trips THROUGH a looking glass. Of course she ends up in Wonderland, a world of grimy urban ruins and art deco casinos. And it's ruled by the Queen of Hearts (Kathy Bates), a ruthless tyrant who keeps her populace drugged with emotions from kidnapped "oysters" (ordinary humans).



Alice ends up following the eccentric Hatter (Andrew-Lee Potts), who offers to take her to the Resistance -- but when they get there, they discover that Jack's ring is actually the Stone of Wonderland (which powers the transdimensional Looking Glass). Since everybody in Wonderland wants the Stone, Hatter and Alice end up on the run from both the Resistance and the Queen's assassin Mad March. Alice is still determined to rescue Jack and return home, but she soon finds that her boyfriend isn't quite what she thought -- and that one of her loved ones is the Queen's brainwashed slave.



The whole idea behind "Alice" is that Carroll's story was real, and that Wonderland has become a very different place in the last 150 years -- crumbling smoky cities, insectile airships, bunny-headed cyborg assassins, and a pair of sadistic interrogators called Dr. Dum and Dr. Dee. It's a far darker, more complex affair than Carroll's books, and that's what makes it so brilliant.



There's plenty of sci-fi action and chaotic battle scenes, including aerial chases, bombing runs and the occasional attack from the grotesque Jabberwock; and the writers keep the complex plot flowing along nicely. But they also keep the story grounded with a love triangle between Alice, Jack and Hatter, as well as Alice's quest to free the oysters and a long-lost family member. And there's just enough humor to keep it from being excessively grim ("We don't have to use a user manual, do we? I HATE user manuals").



Problems? A few of the homages (the grinning cat, the "drink me" bottle) are pretty superfluous, and the siege of skeletal soldiers is kind of silly (especially the "Hit them with everything we've got").



Scorsone makes an excellent modern Alice -- intelligent, capable and capable of butt-kicking her way out, but still vulnerable and young ("You don't remember me!"). Potts makes a deliciously quirky, sexily disheveled Hatter, and Frewer rounds out the main trio as a mildly insane White Knight. Winchester and Colm Meaney are also excellent, Tim Curry is brilliant but underused, and Kathy Bates absolutely rules as the casually cruel, petulant Queen. And yes, she does say "off with his head!"



I don't know what beloved children's story will get reworked next, but "Alice" does a great job with Lewis Carroll's classic novel -- lots of action, a touch of romance, and just enough surreality."

Very Satisfying, Brilliant Acting

T. Owens | MD, U.S. | 12/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, if you're expecting an adaptation of the classic children's story, you're not going to get it. This a more of a spin off. It's an entirely new story based in Wonderland with a woman who happens to be named Alice, but is not the original. So what did I think over all?



STELLAR CAST AND ACTING - Caterina Scorsone just shines as Alice. She strikes a perfect balance between appearing independent and well adjusted while showing hints of vulnerability and fear that have arisen from a past event. Her emotions were pure and her dialogue very natural. She did an excellent job.



Andrew-Lee Potts as "Hatter" commanded the screen whenever he was on. The chemistry between him and Alice was some of the best I've seen in a while. It rang completely true and had me filled with anticipation all movie long for something more to happen. Andrew-Lee Potts is an incredible actor and also very easy on the eyes. If you want some excellent suspenseful romance, this is the movie for you!



There are too many other great actors too name. Truly, all of the acting was brilliant in this film.



SPECIAL EFFECTS - They aren't the greatest special effects. but when you consider that they're part of a low budget movie...erm...a low budget, SCI-FI movie at that, they're not too shabby. I love this modern take on Wonderland with it's mix of trashy urban high rises and spectacular countryside.



PLOT - If you're looking for a deep thinker, you won't find too much to ponder on here. Sure, a prominent feature of this movie is social commentary about the dangers of seeking instant gratification but it's sort of minimized by the strange measures with which it is achieved. There are certainly many interesting questions that arise during viewing about Wonderland itself, but unfortunately many of those questions are not answered. I don't know if the writer's didn't know how to answer them or if there simply wasn't enough time. Although the movie didn't feel rushed to me, I would have loved for it to be longer and more thorough in addressing some glaring plot holes. One is left to speculate just a little too much on this and that at the end. But perhaps it's more fun that way?



SUMMARY - To me, this movie is mostly about the growth of characters and that's why I loved it so much. We see Alice coming to trust deeply for the first time in a very long time, Hatter who learns that doing the right thing is more important than doing the safe thing and a knight who finds the courage to finally make things right. This movie strikes a good balance between character growth, romance, quirkiness, humor and action. It's enough to overlook any other faults. It will leave you grinning from ear to ear. It is one that I know I'll watch over and over again and I can't wait to purchase it!





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