Saw the new live action Peter Pan the other day so in the time honoured style here's a review.
STORY
Wendy and her 2 brothers are whixked away to Neverland by Peter Pan where the evil Captain Hook tries to get revenge on Pan for the loos of his hand.
PROS
- good lighting, great design
- Faithful to the book
- the most fantastic crocodile
- very impressive visuals
CONS
- Smee's asides to camera spoil illusion of the film
- intermittant voiceover isn't always necesary
- It's a slender tale.
VERDICT
Forget the Disney version this is the definitive Peter Pan movie! This will definitley erase any quesy memories you might have of the truly lamentable 'Hook'. The girl who palys Wendy has star quality undoubtedly but the boy who plays Pan is not that engaging coming across as petulant rather than mischievous. But this is enjoyable on a kids level as well as for adults (taking in themes of lost love, refusal to mature, how emotionally stunted men are, etc). Although this also plays up the sexual undercurrants between Wendy & Pan which is a little uncomortable if you're watching it with kids. The fact that Hook and Wendy's father are both played by Jeremy Isaacs (as apparantly it used to be in Theatre) gives it an interesting spin too.
However the biggest laugh is in the credits where Mohammed Al Fayad (who is one of the Producers) gives a special mention to Dodi. Now as tragic as the death (or murder) of a son undoubtedly is, myself and the other critics found this particular credit hilarious - -we're a sick lot I'm afraid!
The other concern is: who is this film actually for? Adults are unlikely to see this on their own and kids today may not want to see an old fashioned tale like this despite it's more adult themes.
But the crocodile is fantastic!!!