Review of Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) by Emily C — 02 Aug 2016

Tim Burton's take on Lewis Carrol's 1865 literature while inspired by Disney's 1951 so-called animated classic to improve it for better enjoyment was artistically done very well to be considered an A-movie. But until it was some few years later announced that the follow-up would also be adapted, taking the vision further as well planning to replicate the successful ambition in the 2010 visionary picture. Based on the value seen in "Alice in Wonderland", it was doubted that it would get topped, and that there's no need to continue on when it's best to leave the masterpiece singular (i.e. "Avatar"). It became acceptable, and as the sequel's selling point, when knowing that the main players are returning, except that Burton would serve as producer.

So how much "Alice Through the Looking Glass" achieved next to its predecessor? Well it's an interesting feat considering that it's Disney's first time continuing the story of Alice after the re-imagination of their animated take. The ambitious vibe couldn't be shaken off whether the studio went for financial gain or creative storytelling that's worth presenting, and it wouldn't be near as successful as their 2010 project, which probably masked the whole thing. At the end, it resulted to be a worthy, yet inferior sequel with a repetitive and derivative structure that functioned enough magic and entertainment to be justified.

Loosely based on the literature follow-up, the film brings back Alice to the Underland, found her dear friend the Mad Hatter has gone madder than usual, regarding his supposedly lost family that are thought dead. In order to heal the Hatter before his maddening health worsens, Alice must find out the truth about his family's fate to the past through time travel, before she runs out of it. As she's going through different times, while being chased by Time himself, she discovers more about a few of her friends and enemy that gets reopened in the present.

"Alice Through the Looking Glass" went through almost the same routine - especially with clever wordplay that may be a little tiring - while adventurously new, and the presented stakes are what you'd see when it comes to time travel (i.e. "Back to the Future", "Men in Black III"), but with a few of its own twists - and a cheat. It's rather an interesting direction when it's not just the thrill of the stakes but it typically functions like a prequel with characteristic depths; a diegetic wonder for us through Alice's perspective.

The selling points paid off with the cast pleasantly returned, as well Carrol's other notable characters. They'd performed well as usual while mostly shiny; along with the new addition Sacha Baron Cohen as Time. But in comparison to their performances seen in the previous film, it seems that their levels were toned down to being more whimsical some sort - understandable when in sync with the formula, while at the same time more heartening. The standout case is Johnny Depp's performance when his character is the most favorable of both films thanks to his recognizably appealing, quirky, ranging persona as the biggest asset, but this case shows the understanding of the tone when it's the youth in the past and during a peaceful, yet emotional time in the present for his character.

"Alice Through the Looking Glass" met the aforementioned predictions, and ran through the same visually-talented and structurally narrative routine with an interesting direction and some turns. The result of this ambitious proposal that was accepted is a pleasant follow-up that still brings enjoyment and holds an entertaining value, even if it's less than its predecessor as it's in some occasions whimsical. It would ranked in the middle of Disney's big-scaled visionary fantasy tales after "Maleficent" and "Oz the Great and Powerful" and before "Cinderella", its own predecessor and "The Jungle Book". (B+).