STORY: Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) returns to the Underland through a giant mirror. After reuniting with the madcap characters (White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, and of course the Mad Hatter, to name a few) she learns that in order to recuperate an ailing Hatter (Johnny Depp), she must travel back in time to save his family. But the past cannot be changed.

REVIEW: Though the sequel to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010) is visually stunning, it lacks the quirky gothic twist that Burton lent to the franchise. His unique imagination and live-action take on Lewis Carroll’s children’s classic put it on a pedestal.

James Bobin’s fairly enjoyable but conventional adaptation lacks the individuality of its predecessor. While it presents Alice as a spunky young woman sailing high seas and exploring the world, the story then shifts focus on the time machine madness, which seems tedious eventually.

The film tries to bite off more than it can chew as it’s also an origin story of sorts, where we are told why the Red queen (Helena Bonham Carter) is perpetually angry.

However, despite the dramatic content driven by the cliched time travel tropes, ‘Through The Looking Glass’ manages to transport you to the magical world. If 3D escapism is all you seek, Bobin certainly doesn’t disappoint. Novelty on the other hand is a different story.

Sadly, Depp doesn’t have much to do here as Alice is the real hero – his saviour. Mia is spectacular as usual and so is Helena. Sacha Baron Cohen as the man-machine version of Time is entertaining and so are his robotic helpers (the Seconds, who can join forces and become Minutes then Hours). Anne Hathaway gets lost in the crowd.

When compared to Burton’s work, this one pales in comparison. If you haven’t seen his film, you are bound to find this wondrous, a journey worth taking for sure.