A Lewis Carroll tale is once again taken to the big screen by Walt Disney Pictures: Alice Through the Looking Glass.
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The main cast has returned, with Mia Wasikowska noticeably stronger as the spirited Alice drawn back to Wonderland to save her dear friend the Mad Hatter (Depp).
The sequel finds Alice coming home after three years as a respected ship’s captain, but soon sends her back to Wonderland (and then back in time) to try and save the Mad Hatter’s family. Nor is the screenplay by Linda Woolverton (Maleficent) equal to that of the original movie; time travelling to change the past and save a loved one is an old-hat story and this sequel deserved more. She winds up back in time to an ethereal, magical world filled with colors and magic. Depp is especially compelling this time around, as Hatter spirals into a darker kind of madness and despair. What might have been most notable about the movie was it was the first major 3D-release in the post-Avatar revolution.
One double ticket is up for grabs.
That’s five mind-blowing things you didn’t know about Alice in Wonderland! A whimsical story through a colorful world, we get a glimpse into the past while learning a lesson about moving forward. Sacha Baron Cohen is committed, but unfortunately his accent, as well as some of the other actors’ thick caricature like accents, make them hard to understand. Standing in her way, besides a frantic Time, who fears for the existence of continuity if Alice doesn’t return his chronosphere, she is also dogged by the fearsome, bulbous-headed Red Queen (Helena Bonham-Carter), who angrily stomps around her kingdom, terrifying everyone. This is where she encounters Time, comprising the best sequences in the film.
These films have grown Alice up into a young lady, played by Mia Wasikowska. But the only heartfelt moment of this movie for me came in the end credits, with its dedication to the late Alan Rickman, who provided the voice for the blue butterfly (and former caterpillar) Absolem.
As for the Red Queen, Helena Bonham Carters says she’s just misunderstood.
Anne Hathaway as Mirana hardly has anything to offer, Johnny Depp with a shock of orange hair and clownishly painted visage as Mad Hatter, is convincing.
“Alice Through the Looking Glass” isn’t without pleasures, but this empowerment-meets-fantasy mixture could have used a few more sprinklings of quirk.
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This time round, Burton restricts himself to a producing role, having handed directorial duties to James Bobin, who made both recent Muppet movies, as well as episodes of Da Ali G Show and Flight of the Conchords.
