Salomonis wrote:
I like Tim Burton's work in general, but I didn't like his interpretation of Alice in Wonderland. What I disliked the most was the dichotomy between the white and red queen. The white queen claims to not harm a living thing(typical white symbolizes peace) yet is perfectly content in throwing fingers into a "witches brew." The red queen actually questions whether it's better to be loved or feared. Later she obviously chooses the latter, but that kind of questioning shows an element of humility. To me it's difficult to determine what direction he was trying to go. If you look at character flaws both the white and red queen shouldn't rule Wonderland.

What I did like about the movie was Alice's character. Turning her into a Valkyrie while having a cynical sense of humor was surprisingly believable and funny. My favorite line from the movie is when her want-to-be mother-in-law asks Alice what she(mother-in-law) fears the most. Alice says, "The fall of the aristocracy?" She replies, "Ugly grandchildren."

Overall, I find the message diluted and ambiguous. I thought the message was " Be yourself. Don't let societal norms and expectations force you to conform." Yet Alice conforms to expectations in Wonderland. Personally I think Tim Burton "held back" because he didn't want to make a movie kids couldn't see and Alice in Wonderland has plenty of subtext that's considered inappropriate for kids. He tried to make it too general.