Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Directed by: James Bobin

Written by: Linda Woolverton & Lewis Carroll (books)

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, & Sacha Baron Cohen







This sequel is surprisingly good.  Maybe even a little bit better than the first.

In the beginning, the Mad Hatter (Depp) finds the first hat he has ever made.  With that, he gets the belief that his family is still alive, but no one believes him and with each disbelief, he dies a little each time.  Meanwhile Alice (Wasikowska) is having her own problems with her family and views of society on independent women.  As she steps through the looking glass, she finds herself immersed in Wonderland and on a mission to cure the Hatter.

Let's start with the positives.

I loved how they incorporated time travel into the film.  Alice needs to go back in time to save the Hatter's family and she goes back to different time periods rather than just one.  In addition, the way it is incorporated is very creative.

Also, the character of Time (Cohen) is well played.  At first I thought, oh great he's a fool, but his foolishness makes sense since it coordinates with his time aspect.  He has no time to waste so he predicts answers before others say what they want to say.

I also loved the backstory of the Queen of Hearts/Red Queen (Carter).  They explain why her head is so big.  Plus they give the backstory to the Hatter and how he came to make hats.

There is even one portion of the movie where they bring up a scene in the 1951 version.  Let me know if you catch it.  If not, I'll fill you in.

Okay the negatives.

First, Anne Hathaway's acting at the beginning of the film seemed ridiculous to me.  I don't remember her being like a fool in the first one, but this time she seemed really ditzy.  But after the climax, the acting improved.  Maybe it's just me.

And secondly/lastly, the plot seemed too predictable.  Not necessarily for the explanation of the Queen's big head or what was happening in the real world, but just the plot line with what happened to the Hatter's family and Alice's actions to save him.  Perhaps it's because I watch too many films and just can sense what is going to happen or maybe the writer wanted it to be predictable.

Let me know what you think.  4 popcorns.