Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? No.
Should you watch this if it’s free? OK.
Score: 2.0/5
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 112 minutes (~1.75 hours)
“Alice Through The Looking Glass” is a fantasy film that’s the sequel to 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland.” Alice returns to Wonderland in a time travelling adventure to save the Mad Hatter. It stars Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Mia Wasikowska (Alice Kingsleigh), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen), Anne Hathaway (White Queen), and Sacha Baron Cohen (Time).
“Alice Through The Looking Glass” is a fine example of what happens when a time travel plot is written without actually researching how to rectify the logical inconsistencies of such a messy plot device. Still, it manages to do so beautifully, reminding us why the first movie was such a hit. Perhaps focusing more on the strengths of the original tale would have done this film a lot more good, rather than going off on spectacularly inane premise.
Highlights
The Red Queen is delightfully evil
Once again, we see how hilarious the Red Queen can be with her acts of wanton pettiness and evil. Helena Bonham Carter gives another enjoyable performance as we delve into her character’s backstory. Although it’s questionable whether we empathise with the Red Queen’s current fate even after learning how she got there, it’s still an interesting bit of lore that helps flesh out the Red Queen’s character.
Visual spectacle
“Alice Through The Looking Glass” is a colourful CGI wonder that befits the name of its world, Wonderland. Time (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his dominion add some metallic steampunk variety to the otherwise brightly coloured world, and the seas of time are a unique spin on time travelling. The graphics themselves could be a character in their own right, since they’re part of what makes the film so distinctive.
Letdowns
A colossally stupid protagonist
Alice jeopardises all of Wonderland, and possibly the universe, in her quest to save her friend. While that’s admirable and shows the friendship between her and the Mad Hatter, so on and so forth, it also shows us Alice’s lack of priorities. Destroying all that exists would also mean destroying herself and the Mad Hatter – so why does she continue on her foolhardy mission? Plus, she’s repeatedly warned (and shown the consequences) of her actions. It’s not the Red Queen that’s brain damaged here, but Alice – and she didn’t even get clobbered on the head when young.
The Mad Hatter’s issue is a non-issue
The Mad Hatter’s supposed character arc is an inconsequential matter that gets blown out of proportion. He comes across as a whiny apathetic douchebag who wants everything to be handed to him on a silver platter. And because he makes such a mountain out of a molehill, everyone almost dies. The worst part is that he can “sense the presence” of the object of his quest when he gets near their location in the film – but wasn’t he at that same location in the previous film? How come he couldn’t “sense their presence” then?
Time travel plot holes
There has been absolutely no research done on the grandfather paradox, alternate timelines, or any of the myriad issues that arise from having time travel plots. It’s like the writer pulled it out of nowhere and dumped it in for the sake of having her own spin on the plot. This thoughtless writing shows in the final story, making the entire plot of the film both ridiculous and illogical. It’s a fine negative example of how to do time travel stories.
“Alice Through The Looking Glass” will please your eyes, but it will also hurt your brain.
“Alice Through The Looking Glass” opens 7 July, 2016 (Thursday).
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