Tim Burton tackling the nonsense prose of Lewis Carroll would seem a perfect match, something the visionary director could do in his sleep. Which is what this strangely conventional and ponderous "re-imagined" mash-up of the two Alice adventures (adapted by Beauty and the Beast's Linda Woolverton) often induces. It's the second journey to "Underland" for the now teenage Alice (Mia Wasikowska), where she again encounters familiar characters such as the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Matt Lucas), and the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry). From the static TV-drama-style opening to the battle finale with CGI monster Jabberwocky (voiced by Christopher Lee), via an overextended visit to the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), Burton's trademark quirkiness is in full evidence in the trippy, dippy, acid-coloured excursion through Carroll's literary landscapes. But the wavering tone is as uncertain as Alice's decision-making, while the added-on 3-D is a distraction and as unconvincing as the entire misconceived venture.

Alice, now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny.