''Alice'' is a 2009 television miniseries that was originally broadcast on Canadian
cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
channel
Showcase and an hour later on American cable television channel
Syfy. The miniseries is a
reimagining of the classic
Lewis Carroll novels ''
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and ''
Through the Looking-Glass'' (1871), taking place about 150 years later with science fiction and additional fantasy elements added. The miniseries, produced by
Reunion Pictures is three hours long, split into two parts, which premiered on Sunday, December 6, 2009, and Monday, December 7, 2009, respectively.
Writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
and director
Nick Willing previously directed a 1999
adaptation
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...
of the books that followed the story more closely; however, ''Alice'' is intended to be a modern interpretation, imagining how Wonderland might have evolved over the last 143 years.
The mini-series was partially shot in the
Kamloops
Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North Thompson River, North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the ad ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
Plot
Alice Hamilton is a
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
sensei
The term "先生", read in Chinese, in Japanese, in Korean, and in Vietnamese, is an honorific used in the Sinosphere. In Japanese, the term literally means "person born before another" or "one who comes before". It is generally used ...
living with her mother Carol. Her father disappeared when she was ten, and she has spent much of her life looking for him. She invites her new boyfriend Jack Chase to dinner, but is shocked when he gives her a valuable-looking ring as a gift. Jack abruptly leaves, Alice following only to witness Jack being abducted by several men. A man (the White Rabbit) appears and finds out that Alice is in possession of the ring because he hears the click of the mechanical box that contains the ring opening behind her back. He manages to take the box from her, thinking the ring is still in it, but Alice had already quickly taken it out and resealed the box. The White Rabbit runs away and Alice chases him to find out where they had taken Jack, but falls through a giant looking glass and lands in Wonderland, which has evolved over the past 150 years. Mary Heart, the
Queen of Hearts rules over Wonderland from the Happy Hearts Casino, where people from Alice's world ("Oysters") are taken to, sedated and play games in the casino, their positive emotions drained from them and turned into drug-like substances for the people of Wonderland to digest, keeping them under the Queen's control.
Alice escapes her own capture, with the ring still in her possession. Identified as an "Oyster" by the tattoo she gains, Alice is taken to
Hatter, a member of the resistance seeking to free the Oysters from the Queen's control. Hatter takes Alice to ask
Dodo
The dodo (''Raphus cucullatus'') is an extinction, extinct flightless bird that was endemism, endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest relative was the also-extinct and flightles ...
to help save Jack, but Dodo refuses, until the Hatter reveals the ring Alice wears, which Dodo recognizes as the Stone of Wonderland, able to open the Looking Glass back to the human world. Alice flees when Dodo tries to kill her, Hatter accompanying her to the forest where they escape a
jabberwock and meet Charlie, a surviving
White Knight, who fled a battle years ago where Wonderland's knights were wiped out by the Queen. The Queen has the White Rabbit executed, and has
the Walrus and Carpenter revive
Mad March, her favorite assassin to track Alice.
Alice deliberately allows Mad March to capture her, so she can negotiate with the Queen to free Jack in return for the ring, which Alice has hidden. Jack appears, revealed as the Queen's son and to already be engaged to the
Duchess. However, Jack passes Alice her father's watch, implying he is alive and in Wonderland. Alice is put in the Truth Room, where
Tweedledum and Tweedledee interrogate her to learn the ring's location, but she is freed by Hatter and Charlie, the trio escaping back to the forests, whilst Jack also escapes. In hopes of aiding the resistance and returning Alice home, Hatter uses his connections to find someone who can bring them to
Caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...
, leader of the resistance, using the ring as leverage. To their surprise, the agent who arrives is Jack, revealing him as an agent of the resistance who had originally stolen the ring as part of a ploy to initiate a coup to overthrow the queen. Trusting him, Alice retrieves the ring, and accompanies Jack to meet Caterpillar, who reveals that Alice's father is Carpenter, but he has no memory of her. As the Carpenter has been crucial in process for extracting emotions for the Queen, Jack had deliberately approached Alice in hopes that she could help the Carpenter break away from the Queen's control. Just as the Carpenter shows signs of regaining memories, Mad March and his minions arrive, capturing Alice and Jack whilst Caterpillar escapes.
Reunited with her ring, the Queen decides to send Alice home and execute Jack. Hatter stages a rescue with Charlie but is captured by Mad March after Charlie loses his courage and flees. Charlie, after feeling guilty for deserting Hatter, uses the skeletons of the extinct White Knights as a distraction to trick the Hearts into believing they are under attack. After being tortured by Dr. Dum and Dee, Hatter kills Mad March and escapes. Alice escapes again, joining up with the Hatter to snap the Oysters out of their sedations and rally them to escape. Carpenter appears, having regained his memories, but is killed by Walrus. The Oysters' unpleasant emotions run high, causing the casino to start collapsing. Alice, Hatter, Jack, the Duchess and the Queen escape but Winston, the loyal
King of Hearts willingly perishes knowing his wife never loved him. With her followers no longer listening to or fearing her, the powerless Queen surrenders the Stone of Wonderland to Alice. Alice returns home, learning her experience may have been a dream when she awakens in hospital to find she had been found unconscious an hour after chasing Jack. However, the next day she discovers the "construction worker" who found her was Hatter. The two share a passionate kiss in front of a looking glass, as Carol stares in shock.
Cast
*
Caterina Scorsone as Alice Hamilton
*
Andrew-Lee Potts as Hatter
*
Matt Frewer as Charlie the White Knight
*
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress. Kathy Bates filmography, Her work spans over five decades, and List of awards and nominations received by Kathy Bates, her accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, t ...
as Mary Heart the Queen of Hearts
*
Philip Winchester as Jack Heart the Prince of Hearts/Jack Chase
*
Colm Meaney as Winston Heart the King of Hearts
*
Tim Curry as Dodo
*
Harry Dean Stanton as Caterpillar
*
Timothy Webber as Robert Hamilton/Carpenter
*
Zak Santiago as 10 of Clubs
*
Charlotte Sullivan as Duchess
*
Alan Gray as the White Rabbit
*
Eugene Lipinski as Doctors Dee and Dum
*
Nancy Robertson as Dormouse
* Tom Heaton as Duck
* Eileen Barrett as Owl
*
Alek Diakun as Rat Catcher
* Dave Ward as Walrus
*
Alessandro Juliani as 9 of Clubs
*
Teryl Rothery as Carol Hamilton
* Geoff Redknap as Mad March
*
Natasha Calis as Looking Glass Girl
Reception
Paige Wiser of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the show three of five stars, saying that it was "charming, but not perfect." Randee Dawn from ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' also gave the program a mediocre review, and Nancy deWolf Smith of ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' said that "despite...diversions and whiz-bang special effects,
'Alice''drags at times."
Mark A. Perigard of the ''
Boston Herald'' called ''Alice'' "fresh and original," lauding the acting and story.
TV.com also praised the show, calling it "a champion of production that fuses modern invention and nostalgic resourcefulness", and David Hinckley of ''
New York Daily News
The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' called it "just plain wonderful," saying that it was "a vehicle to engage the imagination while it amuses and entertains."
Steven James Snyder of Techland.com said: "There's no denying that ''Alice'' has put it all on the line. And even when it comes to those who may not think that the whole thing gels perfectly, ''Alices unhinged creativity is bound to at least earn their respect." Rick Bentley at ''
The Fresno Bee'' said: "The result will have you smiling like a
Cheshire Cat. Willing creates a world that's ''
Minority Report'' meets
Austin Powers. The real fun is seeing how cleverly Willing has updated the familiar story to make it different from past TV and film versions."
However, Tom Shales from ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
' gave the program a very negative review, saying that ''
Tin Man'' was far superior, while
IGN said that ''Alice'' was "long-winded, uninspiring, and...hardly
idthe original material justice." Robert Bianco from ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' gave the show an indifferent review, calling it superior to
Tin Man but saying the plot was "superimposed...with its shifting motives and dreary lectures," ultimately giving it two and a half stars out of four.
Blu-ray and DVD
Alice was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 2, 2010.
References
External links
*
''Alice''at
Showcase
''Alice''at
Syfy
New Alice Event Features Sci Fi Cast SFUniverse.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alice (Tv Miniseries)
Television shows based on Alice in Wonderland
2000s Canadian science fiction television series
2000s Canadian television miniseries
Television shows based on British novels
Canadian television shows based on children's books
2009 Canadian television series debuts
Sonar Entertainment miniseries
2009 Canadian television series endings