Film Review – Alice Through the Looking Glass

2010’s “Alice in Wonderland” did a fine job defining Tim Burton’s recent directorial career, offering a dour, absurdly plasticized, green-screen-addicted adventure inspired by the beloved Lewis Carroll novel. It was a feeble film, highlighting Burton’s laziness behind the camera and revealing a shelf life for his quirk. But it made a billion dollars, so any possible follow-up wasn’t going to take the apology route. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” took its time to reach screens, bucking current trends of rapid sequelizations, and it’s about time as well, becoming both a prequel and continuation of “Alice in Wonderland” as the heroine zips around the years to save Underland. Burton has been replaced by James Bobin, but “Alice Through the Looking Glass” isn’t all that different a picture. Perhaps it’s a bit brighter, less violent, and more contained, and the effort does improve on the original movie, but a dearth of joy remains, returning to a realm in serious need of a practical set and some Prozac. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com