Even when Mad Hatter is restrained and in torment Johnny Depp manages to try far too hard, his facial expressions constantly betray him wanting to go over the top and his voice bizarrely keeps going up and down with a slipping in and out accent and distracting lisp, this makes him come over as annoying which makes it far more difficult to engage with Alice's want to help him. Most of the acting does not make an impression. Whereas many of his other outings (namely 'Edward Scissorhands' with the opening titles and "the ice dance") have at least one great and memorable track, this reviewer honestly struggled to remember anything from this.
It is a very typical fantasy adventure score however, and it is one of Elfman's more forgettable efforts. The tea scene is sort of fun and has a rare sense of dread, but spoilt somewhat by going overboard with the time references and jokes.Äanny Elfman's score has some nice moments, with some rousing and beautifully orchestrated and it at least fits. Who cannot help love the seconds and minutes, they're adorable? Wilkins being one of those characters who does raise a chuckle but it's easy to feel a little pity for. There are a couple of good scenes, the opening scene is atmospheric and nail-biting and the scene in Time's castle is entertaining, visually stunning and has some suspense. There are also a few good performances, namely an imposing and menacing but also amusing and sincere Sacha Baron Cohen as Time, who often comes very close to stealing the film, and a deliciously over the top but also tragic Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. She speaks with more assertion and has much more expression in her face, the character also having more purpose and intent. After being unimpressed by her in 'Alice in Wonderland', Mia Waskikowska's acting as Alice has come on leaps and bounds. The standout set design is Time's castle, and Time's costume also stands out for the costumes. The chronosphere and time travel effects are very well executed, and it's exquisitely filmed. It maintains the very bright and eye-poppingly colourful look of 'Alice in Wonderland', while at the same time giving a softer and at times darker look. Starting with the good points and the improvements, 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' looks wonderful like its predecessor. For this reviewer, there are things that are improved in 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' but the story in 'Alice in Wonderland' is less flawed (while still being so) and it uses its cast better. While there are people who think 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' is superior to 'Alice in Wonderland', there are also others who think 'Alice in Wonderland' is better. Like 'Alice in Wonderland', its follow up this year's 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' is a very loose adaptation of the source material, where the only recognisable elements are the title, some of the characters and that Alice goes through a mirror, which will be of a disappointment for some. That is not to say that it was completely terrible, there were some great things like the beautiful visuals and some good performances, just that with the amount of talent there was it could have been much more with better execution of its story. Reviewed by TheLittleSongbird 4 / 10 A less than inspired return to UnderlandÄ¢010's 'Alice in Wonderland', despite being a box-office hit, was very much a lesser Tim Burton (whose 80s and 90s outings were fantastic, especially 'Edward Scissorhands' and 'Ed Wood', but he became hit and miss after his career low-point 'Planet of the Apes') film.