Alice in Wonderland
When I first saw the preview trailer of the movie Alice in Wonderland, I immediately made a mental note to watch this movie on the big screen.
I’ve always loved fantasy epic books, and their movie counterparts — Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Star Trek, Memoirs of a Geisha, Star Wars, Merlin, Gladiator, Avatar, and now Alice in Wonderland.
I don’t like watching movies in theaters. For me, they’re a big hustle. I’d really rather watch from my good bed or comfy sofa, relaxed and in my house dress. But I am more than willing to stand a little more discomfort for really good fantasy epics. Plus of course the company is always a good reason to go. Tonight, my daughter suggested watching Alice in Wonderland after dinner, and all of us lighted up immediately.
I do love to watch other movies and read a variety of other books. But the fantasy stories have never failed to catch my wonderment, and tickle my creative fancy. Perhaps I have had very fantastic past lives — hundreds, thousands maybe. All I know is that I am able to associate myself with them, either as a character or behind the scenes, and blend well with the scene or situation. It’s almost always like I’ve been here so many times before.
The first time I watch a movie, I take in the story, with very little mental analysis. It’s much like observing a series of scenes, really just watching. If interesting enough, which means I am able to relate to the story, situation or the back history, I often get the urge to watch it again, this time with a little more attention to plot and content, consistency, and logic. In other cases, I look into the technical possibilities of the scenes, as if I were a part of the production team for special effects, costumes, graphics, computer works, and the like.
Alice in Wonderland was a delight to watch. For one, Johnny Depp was portraying the Mad Hatter. I remember loving him in Pirates of the Caribbean. Second reason, I believe, is the fact that the story is magical, or deals with magic, which has always fascinated me. I don’t care much about show magic as in David Blaine and his kind. I am more fascinated and can associate with Gandalf and Merlin, and Dumbledor, and the physically unexplainable.
For me these are the real magicians, with purpose, with ethics and principles, and fully aware that there is no such thing as magic, only people who want to believe so. For all magicians are mere tools to prove the greatness and love of the One Creator.
I can’t actually recall the story details of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. But the movie, which portrayed a sequel to the story 13 years later, referred to it as flashback dream memories of Alice in her youth. Then I remembered snippets.
Alice was a dreamer, who visited fabulous worlds as her body rested. Of course, people around her would dismiss her dreams as mere figments of her imagination, and can never harm her. I had reacted to this statement when I heard it in the dialogue. I counter with my own: Dreams are real, and we explore other worlds every night. But then that’s for another blog.
For now, I am just so happy to have spent a few precious hours with my eldest daughter, her husband, my 6-year old apo, and my hubby, enjoying a nice good relaxing movie together.
Image grabbed from The New York Times, which you can also check out a great movie review.
