TIM Burton’s producing talents are back as ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’ was released yesterday (May 27). Quays News entertainment reporter Mason Griffiths went along to watch it…

Falling through the rabbit hole and straight into the Box Office this week is the sequel to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland: Alice through the Looking Glass. The movie, by Walt Disney Studios, sees Mia Wasikowska return to the wonderful Underland as the title character, where she finds her friend, The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) in need of her help.

It turns out the only way she can restore Hatter to his past mad self is to travel through the ocean of time to significant moments in Underland history, and attempt to change them for the better.

Among an assemblage of familiar faces, the movie introduces Sacha Baron Cohen as Time, the man overlooking the passage of time in the fantasy world, and thus also introduces the sequel’s main theme.

If Cohen was the personification of time, then Director James Bobin was that of place; or rather out of place. Having only previously directed Ali-G and a few Muppets movies, it seems strange that he took over Tim Burton for this sequel.

Burton is a tough act to follow and this is evident in Bobin’s addition to the franchise. Burton’s unique style is what this movie lacks, however this had little effect on the movie’s overall appeal – especially to fans of the Alice in Wonderland story franchise as opposed to fans of Tim Burton.

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The acting in the movie is, similarly to the first in the franchise, actually very good. A particular mention should go to Johnny Depp, who rarely disappoints, successfully portraying the changing nature of his character from scene to scene. Wasikowska’s character has evolved since the first movie, and now we see a more independent and grown up Alice, effortlessly put forward by the also evolved acting skills of the Australian actress.

The mixture of set design, costumes, and computer generated special effects makes the real-world 1800s London almost as catching to the eye as the fantasy world of Underland. The film takes 3D CGI to the extreme in order to create a world almost unrecognisable.

The clever technique of designing the fictional scenes in such a way so that they appear not too life-like and not too cartoony creates an incredible atmosphere. One that both separates the two worlds and harks back to Disney’s original 1951 Alice in Wonderland animation, while keeping the story believable and somewhat relatable.

The overall look of the movie is very pleasing to the eye: colourful yet sophisticated, not much dissimilar to Alice in Wonderland (2010).

The decision to employ Pink to produce the movie’s soundtrack was a baffling decision, however. “Just Like Fire” was very much out of place in the end credits of the movie, and the return of Burton’s usual Danny Elfman would have greatly improved this part of the movie.

Although having very little effect on the overall experience of the movie, it does help prove the superiority of Tim Burton as Director.

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With time being the main theme of the sequel it is only fitting for this to be the longer movie of the two, with a modest running time of one hour 53 minutes, as compared to the pretty similar one hour 49 minutes that made up the first instalment.

The length of the movie was just right, it didn’t feel too long or seem to drag, and also wasn’t so short that the plot was rushed or left with no end, which was similar in the first movie.

Overall, despite the criticisms about James Bobin as Director, it is fair to raise a tea cup, or tip your hat, to this movie. It’s a worthy addition to the Wonderland franchise, and comes with good acting, incredible visuals, and an interesting storyline.

Get to your nearest cinema and watch this film before time runs out!

Certification: PG
Run-time: 1hr 53min

By Mason Griffiths
@neomathon

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