Review of Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) by Samichsupernova — 27 May 2016

This movie really surprised me, especially because I didn't really like the first one. Visually this movie is a real treat. I enjoyed the lighthearted performances, especially Mia Wasikowska as the plucky Alice, and of course I fell hard for the visual effects, Dan Hennah's production design, and Colleen Atwood's costume designs. Sadly, all the world-building that was set up in the first film took forever to manifest into a sequel, and so when we get answers to certain questions posed by the first film as well as the Caroll lore, they don't feel revelatory so much as just "oh, so that's why such-and-such".

Still, I think the wait was worth it. This time around, it actually feels like there's a heart beating at the center of all the eye candy. Last time, the story was so straightforward and predictable the visuals were the only thing holding the film together. Now, the themes are more clearly presented and Alice's adventure in Underland is more of an inner journey. Underneath all the shiny gloss, this movie actually has strong personal growth messages and deals with difficult topics such as loss and acceptance. As someone who has lost someone precious recently, at the end of the film I came out feeling inspired.

The filmmakers tap into both the darkness and the lightheartedness of Carroll's world in broad strokes, even if they don't really get or even attempt to do justice to the deeper social allegories. Linda Woolverton's script is more blunt and brute force than it is subversive, but the film's feminist touches are thankfully not as ham-fisted as they were in the first film. Wasikowska is wonderful, Depp is... well, Depp, Hathaway is pleasingly fairy-like and subdued, and Carter continues to chew scenery. But the real MVP here is Sasha Baron Cohen, whose portrayal of Time is an obvious highlight.

Little bits and pieces of Carrollian lore are much appreciated. Humpty Dumpty as well as the large talking chess pieces make a brief appearance, and the fish and frog people are more prominent. Some of Carroll's trademark words and phrases appear especially early on, but the world-building doesn't get too in-depth beyond that. We see the origin of the rivalry between the White Queen and the Red Queen, as well as the reason why it's always one minute to teatime at the Mad Hatter's table when Alice first arrives in Underland.

I can see why this film might not cast its spell on everyone because it's so fast-paced and often feels like a movie for kids rather than for those well-versed in this universe. But if you're on the fence, you may end up liking or even loving it! There's more to the story and themes than what's just on the surface. I wasn't at all disappointed and will watch this again in the future.