Highly impressive in scope, the CGI backgrounds are vast and surreal, sometimes to a fault. Visually spectacular, Alice Through the Looking Glass is a tour de force of dazzling digital effects and elaborate costumes. THE GOOD AND BAD OF ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
On her journey, she learns how to solve not only the Hatter’s problems but her own as well. Racing against time, Alice makes many discoveries that explain the present state of Wonderland including the contentious relationship between the White Queen (Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables) and the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech). Hoping to remedy the troubles of her dear friend, Alice borrows a time machine called a Chronosphere and returns to the past to hopefully correct these events. Upon her return, Alice discovers that the Hatter (Depp) has taken a turn for the worse, and is now acting madder than usual because he is being haunted by some traumatic past events involving his family. She soon finds herself back in Wonderland. Disenchanted with her circumstances, Alice encounters Absolem (the late Alan Rickman), a mysterious butterfly that leads her through a magical looking glass. With a new sense of purpose she returns to London to find that life as she knew it has changed greatly. While Tim Burton ( Big Eyes) remains involved in a producer’s role, James Bobin ( Muppets Most Wanted) steps in to direct this time around.Īlice Kingsleigh (Wasikowska) has been learning many life lessons in three years at sea, captaining her father’s ship through many ports of call, most notably, China. Mia Wasikowska ( Alice in Wonderland) and Johnny Depp ( Pirates of the Carribean) return to lead an all-star cast left largely intact from the first Alice release.
Save for the vivid imagery and vibrant colorful costumes, this movie is a dreary two hours spent. With The Jungle Book, Malificent and Cinderella reaping nearly $800 million dollars over the last two years, Alice Through the Looking Glass is a far cry from the Lewis Carroll tale of childhood fantasy and poetic verse.
Seeking to spin box office gold once more from a time-tested classic, Disney may fall short this time with the Alice Through the Looking Glass (opening nationwide this weekend), the sequel to the 2010 blockbuster Alice in Wonderland.