Post by RumbleWolf4 on Aug 6, 2004 23:46:03 GMT -5
Year: 2003
Directed by: P.J. Hogan
Written by: P.J. Hogan & Michael Goldenberg
Rated: PG for Adventure Action and Peril
Starring: Jeremy Sumpter (Peter pan), Jason Isaacs (Mr. Darling/ Captain Hook), Rachel Hurd-Wood (Wendy), Olivia Williams (Mrs. Darling)
My Rating: 8/10 Paws Up!
Synopsis: The classic tale is reborn! Peter Pan is a boy who can never age. When he becomes entranced with the stories that are told at a London household, he invites the three children to live in the magical realm of Neverland. While there, Peter and the kids encounter peril and danger in the form of the nefarious Captain James Hook and his band of vicious pirates.
Splatter Factor: 1/7- Very light of course. However, due to the films darker tone, we get a few hook slashings and related cuts. Not to mention a couple of shootings (not very graphic).
Acting: 7/10-
The acting is very focused and the cahracters are perfectly cast.
Jeremy Sumpter does quite well as our title hero. While he's not the greatest kid actor, he fits the part and seems to be having a fun time.
Jason Isaacs owns the film. He finally shows the world what Hook really is...vicious, cruel and unmerciless. This incarnation of Hook may be the most menacing I have personally seen. He delivers a more subdued, but nonetheless good performance in a duel role as Mr. Darling.
Rachel Hurd-Wood is fantastic as Wendy Darling. She has awesome chemistry with Sumpter and her smile lights up the screen. Being her first feature film, I was greatly impressed by the caliber of her acting skill.
Overall, the acting was spectacular...although many of the forgotten characters definetly deserved more screentime.
My Thoughts: I've always enjoyed the story of Peter Pan and I'm happy to report that it's first proper live action incarnation is very entertaining and exciting. The story is much darker than one might expect. Think twice before letting young kids see the mermaids, the crocodile or Hook because all three are suitably creepy or evil.
The effects and score to this fil are amongst the most spectacular I've ever seen. Witness the scene when Peter and Wendy have a mid air dance at night amidst dozens of glowing fairies to se what i mean. The lighting touches are very clever since the environment is directly associated to Pan's mood. Deep blues and reds dominant the final sequence and present an imaginative experience.
The only downfalls is that this film is very familiar territory. Anyone who's seen any film or stage version will know exactly what to expect. This movie stays closer to the original source than it's famous Disney cousin. They replace the bomb with poison and hook's demise is more fatihful as well. But some characters and aspects are greatly underused, often shown in one scene and abandoned for the rest of the film. The mermaids, the crocodiles and Princess tiger Lily are all underexposed and share about 10 minutes of film time combined!
However the film has many more pros than cons and is definetly recommended!
Bottom Line: A breathtakingly beautiful and well acted version of the beloved tale. Some characters are underused but the gorgeous visuals and music more than make up for it. Just remember that little kids might be frightened by some of the scarier characters!
Things you may or may not have known...
* Saffron Burrows (Deep Blue Sea, Troy) played adult Wendy in a deleted Scene. Now she simply narrates the film.
*In almost every iteration of the movie or play, the same actor has played Hook and Mr. Darling...it stays true here as well!
*This is the very first Peter Pan to ever feature an actual boy in the lead role
* Sumpter and Hurd-Wood were actually hospitalized after filming due to exhaustion!
*You may recognize Sumpter as Adam Meiks in Frailty
