Laura McDonald
[box type=”shadow” align=”none” class=”” width=”420px”]The Time for a Little Madness: May 27, 2016
Viewing Duration: 1 hour and 53 minutes
Rated: PG-13
Grade: B
Directed By: James Bobin[/box]
When the day becomes the night and the sky becomes the sea. When the clock strikes heavy and there’s no time for tea. And in our darkest hour, before my final rhyme, she will come back home to Wonderland and turn back the hands of time.
After her adventures in Wonderland, Alice Kingsleigh has sailed to China and back to London as the captain of her father’s ship. Upon her return, she learns that her mother has placed a lien on her house using the ship as collateral. A very upset Alice refuses to sign over The Wonder to Hamish and runs to a parlor room where Absolem (in butterfly form) beckons her to go through a looking glass. Finding herself back in Wonderland, Alice learns that the Mad Hatter has become more mad than usual.
Considering The Hatter as her dearest friend, she pays him a visit. The Hatter becomes even more ill when Alice does not believe that his family is still alive after their apparent demise at the hands of the Jabberwocky some years ago. In order to save her friend, Alice must go to Time to request assistance. When Time is only able to offer advice, Alice takes matters in her own hands. In a race against Time, Alice must also contend with Iracebeth The Red Queen who still has an ax to grind with her sister Mirana The White Queen.
Saving the Hatter is only a matter of Time
Hurry! ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS The time is here to enjoy the sequel to Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland. My hat’s off to Tim Burton for producing and James Bobin for directing this whimsical fantastic cinematic treat. Thankfully the screenwriter, Linda Woolverton, has also returned to continue our adventures in Wonderland. As a long time Disney collaborator, she is also known for her work on the screenplays for classics such as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Maleficent. Not to mention the upcoming Maleficent 2.
While the story only borrows elements from Lewis Carroll’s timely 1871 classic tale, the return of the main characters was truly a sight for sore eyes and the timeless theme of the importance of family/friends resounds throughout the tale. The addition of Sasha Baron Cohen was a stroke of genius that is credited to James Bobin who wished to create the character in a non-villainous way since we still have Helena Bonham Carter who excels are being delightfully devilish.
The costumes and set designs were so vivid that they seemed to magically pop off the screen along with the most hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Pay no mind to any negative reviews that you may come across as I found them to be irksome, slurvish, and by no means reflective of the hard work that the cast and crew put forth to deliver this highly creative and entertaining piece of work. Absolem beckons you to be as brave as Alice and venture back into Wonderland to help save the Mad Hatter! ~Movie Buffette
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Johnny Depp as Hatter Tarrant Hightopp
Mia Wasikowska as Alice Kingsleigh
Helena Bonham Carter as Iracebeth
Anne Hathaway as Mirana
Sacha Baron Cohen as Time
Leo Bill as Hamish
Rhys Ifans as Zanik Hightopp
Lindsay Duncan as Helen Kingsleigh
Alan Rickman as Absolem
Michael Sheen as Nivens McTwisp
Stephen Fry as Cheshire Cat
Barbara Windsor as Mallymkun
Matt Lucas as Tweedledee/Tweedledum
Paul Whitehouse as Thackery Earwicket
Imagine traveling the world by sea! Your ship is under attack! Three ships trail you firing off to take you down. What do you do? Ahead, are jagged rocks and behind you is the enemy.
If you are Alice, you know there is no such thing as the impossible. So you devise a plan that will get you out of enemy territory and pass the jagged rocks and safely to shore.
Impossible is not in your vocabulary. But when you return home you see that everything has changed. Instead of being treated as a trusted captain and partner, you are just another woman. You are given two choices and both feel wrong. But it doesn’t end there.
You best friend the Mad Hatter has taken ill. He is not the same person that you once knew. He is mean and angry but what has happened to the Hatter who was quirky and strange with bright orange hair that has now faked to white?
It’s something important and something that would put a smile on the Hatter’s face. You want to believe the Hatter, but this seems impossible. Are you really Alice?
To prove that you are Alice, you decide you will save the Hatter at any cost. But time is not on your side and someone from the past is back.
Alice Through The Looking Glass has the potential to be a wonderful story. It’s a fairytale that I grew up on and always loved. But the problem is there are too many looking glasses that Alice is jumping through. Not everyone’s past need to be explained and some romantic relationships should not happen if you know what I mean. Spoiler Alert: The Red Queen and Time. Can you say gross!
But Alice does travel to some amazing places. Take Time’s castle for example. My two favorite rooms would be the light and airy room with each clock representing a life and it looks golden. Then the other room is dark with blue and black and each clock representing a life no longer present.
There are scenes in the movie that are too slow or don’t fit and scenes that are too fast and should be longer. It just doesn’t feel like the Alice and Wonderland that I have grown to love and look forward to. It’s lost the magic and innocence that it has once had and now it feels a little too grown up. But don’t take my word for it. Go see Alice Through The Looking Glass in theatres now! Rated PG 13. ~ Britney Broussard
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