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Alice in Wonderland is a good movie; and that’s the problem – it was only good, not great. It’s mostly entertaining, but it’s not the great masterpiece that I (and many others) was hoping for. Once the movie finished I couldn’t help but feel a little let down.

As you’ve probably heard, the visuals in this movie are amazing. Just like in Avatar, the visuals alone justify reason enough to see the movie. Again like Avatar, this movie’s major weakness is in its story. In fact, the fairytale type of story is barely there; it mainly exists just for Alice to have a primary goal.

Other than the visuals, a major strong point are the performances. Saying that Johnny Depp (as the Mad Hatter) is a good actor is a gross understatement. He is one of the greatest actors working today, and he shows it here.

Helena Bonham Carter gets laughs as the Red Queen, Alan Rickman’s voice work is immediately recognizable as the Caterpillar, and Stephen Fry adds another level of creepiness to the Chesire Cat. By contrast, Anne Hathaway and Crispin Glover seemed a bit dull in their roles. Also of note was how surprisingly good newcomer Mia Wasikowska was as Alice. She has a great screen presence and holds her own against the rest of the pros.

I’m a great fan of Tim Burton (the director) and most of his movies, but this one seemed to lack a certain heart, soul and excitement that needed to be there to make this film truly great. Visuals and acting can only do so much; without a strong story and high energy, this film sadly never reaches its full potential.