The 2010 Alice in Wonderland movie boasted some gothic magic courtesy of Tim Burton. The James Bobin-directed sequel is uninspired in comparison.
Bobin’s attempt to fill Tim Burton’s shoes generates a lively but ersatz sequel that only truly ticks when Baron Cohen and Bonham Carter are around.
Wasikowska gives it her all, and Cohen shines, but while this is a better film than the first, that was a low bar to reach.
A real treat.
It is bursting with colour, slapstick and ideas but what becomes curiouser and curiouser is its lack of finesse.
The result is a precision-engineered marvel of modern movie technology with a bit of a hollow centre.
Helena Bonham Carter has fun as the Red Queen, but this ignores Lewis Carroll in favour of machine-tooled CGI fantasy fare with a tiresome Johnny Depp.
James Bobin’s effects-heavy adaptation has little in common with the source material.
General release. Check local listings for show times.