Movie Review: Alice Through the Looking Glass

In 2010, when Disney released Alice In Wonderland, I left the theater hugely disappointed and confused. The film, starring Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, and Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, was very unlike Disney’s animated tale of Alice and I found that hard to get past. I wanted to see a straightforward telling and this was a very reimagined story packed full of digital effects and bold costumes.

Last week, before I saw Alice Through the Looking Glass, I re-watched that film and found myself surprisingly enjoying it. I don’t necessarily think that time made it better, but I found myself more accepting of it and was able to feel engrossed by it’s beautiful brightness and wild performances.

Alice Through the Looking Glass focuses on time, who is actually a character played by Sacha Baron Cohen. Alice finds herself back in Wonderland (or Underland, as it is referred to in the film) after Absolem (the late, and wonderful, Alan Rickman, who the film is dedicated to in the end credits) finds Alice. He leads her through a mirror (or, "through the looking glass"), and when she arrives, she is reunited with her friends including The Cheshire Cat, The White Rabbit, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and The White Queen (Anne Hathaway). They tell her that she has arrived just in time; The Mad Hatter is very ill and Alice is the only one that can help. The Mad Hatter tells Alice that he believes his family is alive, who we were led to believe had been killed by the Red Queen’s Jabberwocky (who Alice slayed) in the first film, and he cannot go on without them. Alice must then go back in time to find out what really happened to his family. While on her journey through time, she also finds out why the Red Queen turned evil.

I especially enjoyed getting more backstory on the Mad Hatter, as well as the family dynamic behind the Red and White Queen. The aspect of time was interestingly used, and I liked the scenes where Alice uses a Chronosphere, which acted like a ship that sailed through time. Outside of Wonderland, we also see Alice continuing to sail the world and believe the impossible, even when new troubles arise. The performances are often over the top, but inside the world of Wonderland, it all seems perfectly normal. Like the first film, both The Mad Hatter and The Red Queen are again the highlights, memorably performed by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. I am a bit partial to the delightfully cheeky Chesire Cat though, who was not featured in the film enough for me. 

This is certainly not the best movie in the world, but it is a whimsical, eye-catching journey, with a unique touch of magic. It let me escape for a few hours and I found myself happy to see these quirky characters again.