Alice Through the Looking GlassIs an Ambitious But Completely Inessential Sequel

At a sure breaker point during Alice Through the Looking Glass , I recollect to myself , “ Wait , have n’t I view this before ? ” And not in the cute “ This movie is about time travel and we revisit scene ” form of way . The movie got so monotonous , I literally feel like I ’d seen a view before in the same motion picture .

Alice Through the Looking Glass is the sequel to Disney 2010 ’s bash Alice in Wonderland . Tim Burton manoeuvre that film , but he ’s merely a producer this clock time . James Bobin ( The Muppets ) is now at the helm , and he ’s inherited an dead stellar cast , most of which are quickly squandered in an ambitious , but lead astray , attempt to preserve the tale .

This time around , Alice ( Mia Wasikowska ) is brought back to Wonderland to salve a enigmatically grim Mad Hatter ( Johnny Depp ) . The only style to make him well , however , is to travel back in metre to find out what hap to his fellowship . gratefully , that ’s potential because Time is a person , play by Sacha Baron Cohen . He has a equipment that make clip travel potential but it could also end all beingness . So the film becomes a race as Alice examine to help the Hatter , pursue by Time , with the Red Queen and others bug out in and out .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

If that go a like a merriment premise , I can assure you the capital punishment is not . The film starts with Alice in the genuine world , as a ship captain , press the sexuality and societal political relation of 1874 . She ’s got real trouble at home , both personal and fiscal one , but agitate them aside to go to Wonderland anyway .

So the movie starts with one narrative and totally set back it for the Hatter matter . However , to explain all of this — why the Hatter is sick , how time change of location is potential , where all the characters are now — the celluloid drag through what feels like an countless amount of exposition and talk . Alice and the Hatter stand in one station and exchange information . Alice and the White Queen ( Anne Hathaway ) stand stationary and commutation info . Alice and Time deal a conversation filled with , you guessed it , immaterial information . It ’s all in beautiful configurations but it ’s a text instance of differentiate or else of showing .

The things that Bobin does show us , however , are quite courteous ; everything about this movie , 3D include , looks wonderful . The action in it simply does n’t match . For instance , when Alice set about go back through metre , she ’s travel over a robust , proud , literal sea of time , going from one metre period to another , patch together the narrative puzzle . But because the rule of the film do n’t allow time can not be switch , Alice is fundamentally just jump from one mini - moving picture to another and watching them . None of the scene have any spectacular result to match the visual splendor .

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On the positive side , it ’s a motion-picture show with an impressive mold who are obviously trying . Johnny Depp feel oddly at home return to the Hatter , Helena Bonham Carter is have a flack as the Red Queen , and Sacha Baron Cohen tries to bring a duplicitous nature to Time . It just so happens none of them really have much to go with . Even Wasikowska try on her best to be charming and dramatic , but none of it ever put down because the account around them is repetitive and bland . There ’s lots of duologue to pitch , but not much meaningful fundamental interaction .

Things do improve more or less in the third act . Once the “ mystery ” is clear and the Queen of Hearts forcefully inserts herself into the narrative , the movie picks up well , setting up some actual , propulsive action and consequences . By that time , though , the motion picture has been such a chore that you probably wo n’t care .

And of course , that first , literal public story gets roped back in at the very end but it feels completely superfluous and without upshot . In a path , that ’s Alice Through the Looking Glass in a nutshell . It ’s an inconsequential piece of family amusement that expect great , has a unanimous cast , and is completely unneeded .

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