Alice Through
The Looking Glass

Mia Wasikowska is back as Alice, who now sails across the globe on her father’s old ship seeking adventure. Upon returning home, she learns her family has fallen on hard times and they stand to lose everything unless they give up the ship and Alice takes a job working as a clerk.

Yet, more pressing matters present themselves when Absolem (Alan Rickman) informs Alice she needs to help the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), who believes his long dead family may actually be alive. Because no one believes him, Mad Hatter slowly is fading away, so Alice agrees to seek out the truth.

Alice Through The Looking Glass feels like a sequel rushed into production to make a ton of money based on the popularity of the first one, instead of telling some continuing or new or necessary or interesting story.

Writer Linda Woolverton grasps at deeper themes about family, relations between children and parents, and even the battle we all wage against time and the regrets of our lives. However, all of that is buried underneath a massive pile of useless, unimaginative action featuring Alice jumping throughout time in her attempt to get to the bottom of this mystery.

By the end of it all, the audience is left to wonder why we even cared in the first place.

Helena Bonham Carter puts in a yeoman’s performance as the Red Queen by injecting a dark sense of humor, sassy bitterness and boiling rage that is far more entertaining than Alice Through The Looking Glass deserves.

Meanwhile, Depp romps through the movie in typical fashion, but it’s his performance in the quieter, more serious moments that grabs our attention because it adds a little more depth to this cartoonish character.

In the end, Alice Through The Looking Glass is a pointless exercise no one needs.

Alice Through The Looking Glass is rated PG for fantasy action/peril and some language.

113 Minutes