Alice: Through the Looking Glass

Why did I want to see this? I went to see this (despite knowing it would be bad) for a combination of reasons. Through the Looking Glass was one of my favorite books as a child, and I was curious to see how they made it into a movie, even a big-budget franchise CGI-fest with little-to-no relationship to the source material. Also, I was attracted to it as a first-person female-led story.

Story Structure: It is a voyage story in which Alice journeys to fulfill a quest, and returns having learned something. As in the book, the voyage may have been a dream.

Character: The characterization was about a micron deep; well, occasionally two microns in scenes like the Mad Hatter's feelings for his family, the White Queen's regret over a childhood lie, etc. Alice was intrepid throughout, kind towards the Mad Hatter, rude towards her mother in one scene as the plot/theme demanded, and that's it. All of the major Underland characters were irritating.

Observation: Alice: Through the Looking Glass went forward because the first film was too successful not to have a sequel. Somebody (or a team) was tasked with creating a plot that would be palatable to wide audiences and play well overseas, and they came up with one that involved no fighting, unusual for a franchise film. I believe at one point the Queen of Hearts attempted to trap Alice in a cage, and Alice sticks a doctor with his own hypodermic to escape from an institution, but I don't remember shooting, punching, etc. What other franchise films lack fighting? Maybe Finding Dory will (fish don't have arms). Rather than fighting, Alice's quest involved learning from the past and returning with an altered attitude towards her mother and father. Unfortunately, since her character is so poorly fleshed out and the conflict between Alice and her mother so flimsily explained to begin with, the change (and the whole movie) has little emotional resonance.


Plot hole?: We know that Alice was muttering hysterically in an institution for the first half of her visit to Underland. But during the second half, where she was at home, what was her mental state? Awake? Asleep? Whichever one, she was apparently ready to captain a ship.

Is this worth seeing? No. There is no reason to see this film, as it is an empty experience. I didn't regret watching it, or have a terrible time, though I got a little bored, but I didn't gain anything. The couple in front of me thought it was a really good movie (as they said to each other) and the group behind me (a couple of whom were young teenagers) laughed and had a good time. Read the book!