As the film begins the viewer might wonder if they are watching a Pirates of the Caribbean knockoff. They are not, instead it is Steampunk Onedin Line out of Poldark, with a hint of Dickens. The plot is absurd, but no more so than The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (original radio version anyway), and contrives to be coherent within its own definition. The CGI, other than the intro sequence, is magnificent, like Armageddon, forget the plot, enjoy the spectacle. Alas, the cast of Armageddon threw themselves into their roles with gusto, and offer some of the most glorious over acting imaginable. Here, nobody except the Cheshire Cat and Alice inhabits the role consistently. Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee bear an uncanny resemblance to Boris Johnson, but are no more convincing. As another reviewer has pointed out, the psychology is absurd, but unlike the physics, is poorly thought out, and falls flat. There are numerous references to both the Alice Through the Looking Glass and in Wonderland books, but as decoration only, the substance is pure Disney Family Values pap, with visual goings-on to keep the eyes on the screen. I have seen worse films, much worse, and actually enjoyed this one on balance. Take it as its own valuation and it is fun, but no more than that.

Continuing my plan to watch every Johnny Depp movie in order, I come to Alice Through The looking Glass.There is no need for this movie. That's true of most sequels, but it's especially true of Alice Through The Looking Glass. This movie was made for one reason. Alice In Wonderland made money. A lot of it. Over $300 million at the domestic box office alone! Original director Tim Burton is not involved with this one, and it shows, truthfully the movie as a whole is a mess. It rook me three attempts to get through it. All the major characters from the first film return, but Carter is criminally sidelined. The girl playing Alice is in every scene, yet, she makes zero impression!! Depp makes even less impact. Truthfully even writing this is boring me. Despite Depp going on a huge publicity tour, and appearing at Disneyland as The Mad Hatter to surprise guests. Alice Through The looking Glass only grossed $77 million at the domestic box office to end the year to 39th highest grossing movie of 2016.

Good (prequel) sequel film... it's very much in the 'spirit' of the earlier film (Alice in Wonderland 2010). Not much else to say about the film - if you like the first one then watch this one for more of about the same (with a different story of course).I'll ditto what I said of the 2010 film... The Carter-Depp-Burton Trio works well again for this film set.Love the artworks, costumes, set, colours, cinematography, direction, - you name it - I love it! 9/10

I really liked this. I also really enjoyed the first movie, probably a prerequisite to liking this one. Yes, it had familiar and campy parts, as we expect with Hollywood movies, and it wasn't too dark like a typical Tim Burton film (which I usually don't like), so maybe that's why I did like this. (He directed the first one but not this sequel). While I own every Disney animated movie, and I usually don't love or buy Disney live action / animation mixed films, this series was an exception for me. I'm also not normally a fantasy fan. But, the unique whimsy and imagination of the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland, with its psychological twists, is special to me. It is certainly not meant to make sense scientifically, though it loosely references real science with the cosmic time waves in space (they dip in and out of time from the sky). But, that is the beauty of this version - its totally illogical story is a wonderful escape for the overly logical of us. If you're the over thinking type, like me, watch this with a glass of wine or two - it is meant to be enjoyed without being analyzed. And if you can do that, you will get the point of it. I sense from those who disliked it that their consensus was that it was superficial or uninspired, to which I highly disagree. To me, it was thoughtful, moving, and carried on the tradition of the original Disney Alice in Wonderland, which is what I think the creators intended. And the original was special for the very reason that it was different and quirky, something that proved to be defining and valuable, not immediately, but over time.