Blu-ray of the Day: Alice in Wonderland

Cast: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Alan Rickman, Barbara Windsor.
Director: Tim Burton.
Screenplay: Linda Woolverton.
Score: Danny Elfman.
Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski.

You’d have to be mad as a hatter not to think Alice in Wonderland looks sensational on Blu-ray. This may not be the 3D version of the theatrical release but so rich and vibrant are the colours and contrast, and so jaw-dropping the visual effects, that the 2D HD dimension is preferable, anyway. Yet again, director Tim Burton has created such an immersive, funny and frequently dark fairy tale for adults – it’s not just younger viewers who will be unsettled by some scenes – that it will have you wanting to dance “The Futterwaken” vigorously as soon as it ends. The miserly extras amount to tea party leftovers – merely three six-minute making-of shorts – and while the region-free US version boasts barely a handful more, it comes with a DVD of the movie and a digital copy (which is what the original NZ art work, above, also promised).

Movie: 😀 😀 😀 😀
Image: 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Extras: 😀 😀