"Alice: Through the Looking Glass" Review

After Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland adaptation made over $1 billion worldwide in 2010, it was only a matter of time before Disney invested in a sequel. Though Burton has relegated himself to the producer's chair this time around, six years seems to have been long enough to get the ball rolling on Alice: Through the Looking Glass. James Bobin (Muppets Most Wanted) takes over directing duties with another script penned by Disney stalwart Linda Woolverton (Maleficent, The Lion King). Though it features some sharp dialogue and a stronger sense of urgency than its predecessor, the film largely ends up feeling like little more than sensory overload and motion sickness from a big-budget Disneyland ride. "Back to the Future on bath salts," as one fellow patron eloquently put it.

The story here is that Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) is the captain of her late father's merchant sea vessel, the "Wonder." Upon returning home from a voyage to the Far East, Alice is slapped with a proposition from her former betrothed, who now sits on the managing board of the bank: sign over the deed to the "Wonder" and surrender the position of captain lest Alice and her mother wish to have their home repossessed. Following an awkward confrontation at a party, Alice runs and hides in a room where she hears the voice of Absolem, the hookah-smoking caterpillar-turned-butterfly (voiced by Alan Rickman, in his last-ever role). Absolem appears to Alice in the room and flies straight into a mirror as if it were a barrier of water. Alice curiously follows and finds herself back in Underland where she learns that the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) has slipped into depression after discovering what he believes is a sign from his estranged family. Determined to help, Alice steals a device from Father Time (Sacha Baron Cohen) and uses it to travel back in time to save both Hatter and his family. Without this device, however, Time "himself" remains in constant jeopardy, and thus Alice ultimately jeopardizes the existence of time for everyone in Underland. Can she save the Hatter before "Time" literally fizzles out?

As expected, the cast of talented voice actors and character players turn in great performances with Depp standing out more here than he did in the last film. He's given more material to work with and thus crafts a more interesting, more conflicted character at odds with his past. Helena Bonham Carter also returns as the "red queen" Iracebeth and gets a deeper backstory. She's still as over-the-top as ever, and it seems like Bonham Carter is just having fun at this point.

The film suffers mostly from poorly rendered visuals. It looks like it could've been made alongside its predecessor six years (or even longer) ago. Following the mind-blowing realization of Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book, Disney's follow-up is a visual feast that left this reviewer hungry for something more. As Alice zooms across time and half-baked animated environments, it's difficult to avoid feeling like this is a roller coaster that you need to disembark immediately.

The plot moves quickly, barely leaving time to process what's happened up to any given point. That said, the film revels in a small handful of side moments. Tweedledee and Tweedledum (both played by Matt Lucas) are hilarious anytime they're on-screen. There's also a show-stealing scene where Father Time crashes one of Hatter's tea parties in a way that begets a series of riotous quips and sight gags.

Ultimately, Alice: Through the Looking Glass isn't for the faint of heart. It has some decent pieces, but nothing congeals quite how it should. Everything moves too fast to really be taken seriously. Granted it's "Alice in Wonderland," but a tale so classic deserves classic treatment. There's little of that to be had here.

C+