ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS (2016) Review
Directed by James Bobin
Alice returns to Underland to find Hatter to be in peril as he doesn’t have someone else to believe in him. A sequel to the 2010 blockbuster hit “Alice in Wonderland,” which made more than a billion worldwide, Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham-Carter and the rest of the gang are back for another adventure in Wonderland.
Tim Burton however returns as the film’s producer, and replacing him as the director is James Bobin, who directed the two Muppets film, also from Disney. But does Alice in Wonderland really needs a sequel? While Through The Looking Glass has something big to offer, the film doesn’t feel as immense at the visuals it presents.
The film still has to balance its star power as even though Alice is the titular role, Mia Wasikowska comes second to Johnny Depp in terms of popularity. That affects the film in a way that it can’t stay true to the soul of the source material. But as this is a Disney film, a family film, a large amount of the story draws to entertain, and they mostly succeeded in putting grand adventures for Alice and her friends in Through The Looking Glass.
As Alice re-enters Underland, she finds her truest friend Hatter down and ill because no one believes that his family still lives. But as Hatter’s stories before wouldn’t agree on the new information he has, Alice has to tell her friend the what she thinks is true but it only made everything worse. Alice now has to travel through time to save Hatter’s family but little does she know that traveling through time isn’t really as easy and as safe even in the fantasy world of Underland.
Even though the story of Alice Through The Glass is pretty complex, the way they simplify things made the film less emotional as it could have been. But the film does offer a fun and interesting story, with effective actors, dazzling visuals in an amusing ride of time travelling and other ridiculous set pieces. It might not be as magical as its source material but Alice Through The Looking Glass manages to offer a reasonable entertainment for the whole family.
3 OUT OF 5 STARS
“Alice Through The Looking Glass” opens in Philippine cinemas July 6, 2016. Also in 3D and IMAX 3D from Walt Disney Pictures. Rated PG by the MTRCB.