ALICE IN WONDERLAND is an "unmitigated disaster"?

Most critics are currently under review embargo for Alice in Wonderland (05.03.10) but the general feeling is, when that ice breaks - Tim Burton is in for a mauling. At least that seems to be the take from British shores. It's one thing making a mockery of Gene Wilder and Planet of the Apes - which yes, got us all very angry indeed but on this side of the Atlantic, you mess with the writings of legendary Brit Lewis Carroll and boy you're in trouble. I'm seeing it on Thursday in 3-D - and I will let you know. Jeff Wells posted the following on his site late yesterday...

I'm told that certain British exhibitors and theatre managers who've seen Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland feel it's "a true stinker of a movie...an unmitigated disaster," as one correspondent puts it. "It's no shock that Disney want to release this on DVD as soon as possible. Not sure what can save this though the promotion so far might guarantee it a great opening before poisonous word of mouth kills it."

Can't say I'm overly surprised by the trailers and I've been warning people for months to prepare for a disaster.

"Saw a screening last week, Jeff. Will let you wait to judge it but the movie is a mess. No real plot to speak of and some terrible acting from the likes of Crispin Clover. Even some of the CGI is messy. Cinemas not wanting to show this due to early DVD terms from Disney might not how lucky they are long-term. There was also a screening last week for critics and that didn't go well either."

And he goes on, a Manhatten-based critic...

"Alicesucks. Visually amazing many familiar characters but none of the story from the books. No wit, no tension -- an action-fantasy, if you can believe that, minus comedy."