In 2010, director Tim Burton brought us into the fairy tale world of Alice in Wonderland. With the colorful Mad Hatter played by Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska leading the way as Alice, the journey was magical and filled with visual charm. For the new film Alice Through the Looking Glass, James Bobin takes over the director’s chair as we take the jaunt back to Wonderland.
Alice has become somewhat successful as a ship’s captain. Doing the unthinkable and making the impossible very possible, Alice is respected by her crew. Upon returning from her latest excursion, she finds that her services are no longer needed and in fact the new regime doesn’t want a female captain at all. It is possible that this is just a personal grudge; in any case, Alice is told that her ship will soon belong to her former employer. It is then that a mysterious blue butterfly leads her to return to that magical place that she holds fondly in her heart.
Arriving in Wonderland, Alice is greeted by all her old friends, including Mirana, Tweedledee, Tweedledum and of course the Mad Hatter himself. But the Hatter is slipping. He seems to be slowly dying and Mirana has only one option: convince Alice to travel through time to find a way to prevent that from happening.
To accomplish such a strange feat, Alice must first obtain the Chronosphere from Time himself. Once she acquires that piece, her vehicle through time will allow her to see things and garner knowledge about past situations that have led to this point. Can she find out enough to change the Hatter’s fate?
Alice in Wonderland was a magical journey that delighted all the senses. It created a familiar yet theretofore unseen environment that left viewers with a true feeling of wonder blossoming within. But as we step into this new vision, the visuals remain stunning and the music hits all the right notes, but the magic seems to have disappeared.
Part of what made the first film so magical was Johnny Depp as the Hatter. Depp’s colorful personality comes through here, but because his dying is a central theme, Depp is muted and in essence relegated to a secondary role. Sacha Baron Cohen is a welcome addition as Time, but even the maximum effort he puts forth can’t fully liven up a sometimes dry and seemingly paint-by-numbers story.
Besides Cohen, what saves the film is the visuals and music. Visually this is as appealing as the original film and in fact is on par with some of the best today. And the enchanting Danny Elfman score delivers — it transports us, in a truly extraordinary way, to Wonderland.
Alice Through the Looking Glass is available beginning Oct. 18 On Demand. Check your cable system for availability.
