Let's face it, I am a big fan of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I can still recite Jabberwocky from memory (and sometimes I sing it the way the Disney animated movie's Cheshire Cat sang it). So I was nothing if not stoked to see how this was going to pan out.

Tim Burton's take on a sort of sequel to Lewis Carroll's Alice stories doesn't feel like it goes far enough in one direction (the sheer lunacy of Wonderland, or in this case, Underland) and goes for a kind of cop-out in another direction by making it basic fairy tale with a fairy tale ending.

It's not bad, per se, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. So I regret to say, it wasn't a very frabjous day for me. 

 I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. An admitted fan of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, I found the portrayals very accurate. A lot of people didn’t, because they’re used to the staid Holmes of the 20th century’s contributions to the legacy in film and television. But if you read the stories, you’ll realize just how close Robert Downey, Jr. got it. Jude Law’s Watson was not bad standing alone, but perfect standing with Holmes. 

The only characterization I didn’t quite like was that of the woman, Irene Adler, by Rachel McAdams. It was okay.

The worst part of this film is how a lot of the plot elements feel like they were taken from Alan Moore’s graphic novel, From Hell. Well, that and the truly crappy action climax.

This is also one of the few movies of recent memory whose score I took notice of and enjoyed. Hans Zimmer (and group) really impressed on this one (no, I do not like the Nolan Batman theme, at all).

 In 3D IMAX, the technological marvel that is Avatar is pretty awesome. I fully acknowledge that this is the blockbuster of the year, if not the decade, but that in no way means it is a fantastic film. It’s okay. But if I had all of Cameron’s movies sitting on the shelf, this is not going to be the first one I’ll pop in the player (that would probably be Aliens).

It’s just not that great or original a story. Evil military-industrial complex oppressing noble savages and other basic plotlines aside, I could boil this thing down to Dances with Wolves with a Disney Pocahontas ending, and that would really explain a whole heckuva lot of the story right there.

No, the greatness of this film is in Cameron’s expertise of using special effects and 3D correctly (not once did a spear or arrow point come out of the screen like it was poking the back of my skull) and his mastery of the action set piece (I’d go so far as to say his action stage is a bit better than Spielberg’s, and I’m a sucker for Indy flicks and their ten minute action trips). Dialogue? Characters? Story? All secondary.

Viewed that way, this movie is awesome.

 About 30-45 minutes too long, the best damn thing about this movie is the portrayal of Nelson Mandela by Morgan Freeman. The period and story were good, but the pace just about killed my butt. Out of Eastwood’s recent productions, Iwo Jima and Gran Torino are still the standouts for me (and I fully acknowledge that the acting in Gran Torino is amazingly awful).

 Good movie with good characters. I got close to really loving this film, but there are points in it that sort of put me off. All in all a good movie, but not so fantastic as to praise it.

 I admit it, it got me a little teary. It’s kinda like watching Rudy.

Movies like this are popcorn, but they’re the downright sinful, delicious buttery sort you just have to scarf down in handfuls, so that’s okay.

 Pretty much a mess. Some odd casting choices (or just plain bad acting) and a crap plot with an attempt at a feel good ending sort of makes you realize that Love Actually is an example of how the same setup, by the same people, can end up with wildly varying results.

 Hilarious and entertaining. This and Shaun of the Dead make perfect bookends.

I enjoyed this film a lot and it felt like it ran a lot shorter than its actual running time, which is a good thing. Perhaps the only oddness (the kind that doesn’t fit in with the brilliant oddness of the movie) is the cameo by Mike Myers. I wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Anyhow, it’s a great movie and definitely one of my favorite Tarantino films.

Fun movie. Entertaining enough and definitely puts the 3D to good use. Steve wins.