Written by Logan J. Fowler and Justin Matchick
Release Date: May 27, 2016
Starring: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska
Director: James Bobin (The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted)Pre-Trailer Thoughts: I actually started watching the original in theaters before we were kicked out due to a small fire. I never had the interest of completing the film. So this sequel, which I feel nobody asked for, is not really on my radar. –LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: I was not a fan of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland at all, and it is frankly my least favorite film of his. An overloaded, cringeworthy CGI-fest released at the height of the 3D craze a few years back, it made way more money than it deserved, and I’m actually surprised it took this long for Disney to release a sequel. Burton is only producing this time, with James Bobin of The Muppets fame taking over as director. That provides a small sense of relief, but I am still going into this trailer with very, very low expectations. – JTM
Rate the Trailer: 1 out of 5. I mean, it looks nice! The visual style, pretty much lifted from Burton’s original film, has lost nothing with a new director attached (Burton is producing). However, I really have nothing else to say about it. Depp, after bouncing back with Black Mass, is sadly back to his old tricks, looking look a disturbing version of Merida from Pixar’s Brave. Come on. –LJF
Rate the Trailer: 2 out of 5. Visually appealing as it might be, there’s no getting around the fact that Johnny Depp’s insufferable performance as the Mad Hatter will be forced on us as the focal point once again. However I did enjoy that Sacha Baron Cohen seems to be a possible saving grace as the villain Time, and James Bobin does a good job of recreating Burton’s visual style. I am disappointed that, after two films working with Muppets and some of the best puppeteers available today, Bobin has chosen to follow Burton down the path of using CGI for practically every shot in the film. – JTM
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? No Thanks. I will not take the trip with Alice Through the Looking Glass. End of story. –LJF
Theater, Rent, Undecided, No Thanks? No Thanks. I had very little interest in the film before the trailer was released, and I have basically the same amount of interest now. It’s going to be interesting to see if the same ravenous fanbase of Johnny Depp fans that helped make the first film so much money will still show up six years after the fact after a period where it seems everybody has grown tired with his shtick. –JTM
Alice Through The Looking Glass journeys into theaters May 27, 2016
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