Peter Pan

Posted by Greg

November 11, 2007

Captain Hook, Line and Sink Her

***1/2 out of *****

It’s almost a shame that the gargantuan Disney marketing machine spewed out its version of Peter Pan in 1953, which was inevitably soon followed by the Collector’s Edition, and the Super-Deluxe Version with a free McDonald’s coupon, and then the Super Deluxe Extended Collector’s Edition that every person over the age of 28 has seen two and a half thousand times. Why? Well, with the might of the mouse altering famous books and legends and populating them with talking objects and goofy bad guys, often times youngins’ grow up not ever knowing what their shiny, happy movies of yesteryear were based on. Every kid saw Pocahontas, but will any of them ever revel in the pessimistic joy of finding out that the famous Native American in question fell for John Smith when she was about 12, married a rich tobacco farmer and died of either pneumonia or syphilis in England when she was 22? I don’t think so. Of course, now that I read back a bit, maybe it is a good thing for children to see the world through Disney-tinted glasses.

At any rate, most kids should be able to handle this, the latest adaptation of J.M Barrie’s novel, which is now approaching its 100^th birthday. It’s a very faithful version of the book and as such, should surprise more than a few people with its dark tone, menacing characters and deadly battles. Filled with beautiful sets, imaginative lighting effects and enough visual flair to keep anyone happy, it’s a movie that can entertain both young and old alike.

For those that are a bit out of touch, let’s recap: Wendy Darling and her two brothers, John and Michael, spend their free time in Victorian-Era London thrilling each other with daring stories of adventures in far off lands. When Aunt Millicent (comically played by Lynn Redgrave) tells Wendy that she’s going to start giving her lessons on how to be a ‘proper lady’, Wendy wishes that she didn’t have to deal with grown-up issues and troubles. In effect - to never grow up at all.

What luck then befalls them when the one boy in the world who has never grown up visits their house late one night. He introduces himself and his fairy sidekick and whets their appetite for adventure with stories that mirror the fanciful, imaginary escapades Wendy and her brothers spend so much time dreaming of. Why don’t they join him? Stifled by their prim and proper parents and wanting a taste of real adventure, they take the bait. A quick sprinkle of fairy dust and they’re off, zooming along above the rooftops of London and off into Neverland.

Inevitably, the children’s adventure brings them face to face with the Al Capone of Neverland, the evil Captain Hook, played with rich darkness by Jason Isaacs (who does double duty as Mr. Darling as well). As I said before, these pirates are not the colorful buffoons of previous versions. They’re dirty, they’re mean and they want to trap, torture and kill Peter Pan, and are willing to do anything to achieve their goal. After following a trail of clues around Neverland and an impressive battle in a waterlogged castle, Captain Hook and his crew kidnap the Darling children and brainwash Wendy - turning her into a junior pirate, the one thing that Peter hates more than anything. The time comes for Peter to decide if he wants to hide from responsibility forever, or become the brave, mature young man he’s forever trying to shun.

It’s a shame when Hollywood decides to re-make a movie that doesn’t need re-making simply to take advantage of the special effects available to filmmakers these days. Luckily, with such a fanciful story that’s borne purely out of the deep imagination of the human mind, the Peter Pan fairy tale is a perfect springboard for up-and-coming film geeks to strut their stuff. Director P.J Hogan and his capable team create a Neverland that’s truly amazing to look at. Pirate ships, frozen oceans, murderous mermaids, dark castles, fairies, swordfights and fluffy, pink cloud trampolines populate Neverland with the gleeful abandon of a Super Mario Brothers video game. Of course, there are a few shots that exist purely to warrant an appreciative “Oooh” from the audience, but most of the effects serve to support and drive the story. I do wish they had spent a bit more time on the flying sequences though. With so many dazzling set pieces populating the film (most notably a mid-air dance between Peter and Wendy), the flying suffers a bit from some sloppy blue-screen and scaling work, but there’s usually so much going on in the frame that it’s easy enough to ignore.

As I said, there’s lots here that you may not be familiar with, and I think the movie is much better for it. The relationship between Peter and Wendy is richly explored and strikes a realistic chord - who can’t remember falling in love when they were 14 years old? Their feelings for each other actually play a role in the fabric of the story, which makes for a much more layered and worthy narrative, also serving to make the finale of the film that much more emotionally taut.

Jeremy Sumpter as Peter Pan looks the part and does a passable but uneven job - one moment he’s confidently lording over the tone and emotion in the scene, the next seems as if he just finished listening to the director tell him how to play it. Rachel Hurd-Wood as Wendy reminds me of Anne Hathaway from The Princess Diaries; an untested but capable young actress who shines from within - this young lady will be an absolute heartbreaker when she’s 21. Everyone else in the cast does a fine job bringing the story to life as well - both Smee (Richard Briers) and the Darling brothers, John and Michael, (Harry Newell and Freddie Popplewell) have some very funny one-liners.

A great film to take your family too, Peter Pan sticks faithfully to the book and entertainingly explores the themes of childhood and imagination, reminding us of the joy that all of us experienced in being a child and the pride that everyone realizes in becoming a grown up.

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