JEROME W, MARTIN—December 13, 2013
Being a fan of fairy tales, if they are good, I bought this live action version to complement my Disney animated version as well as a very old edition of Peter Pan my mom used to read to me when I was tiny. This original book was actually titled PETER AND WENDY, the original name. It is falling apart now but I piece it together and keep it in my rather extensive private library with my other classics. Fairy tales written way back then often were very violent at times as this one is even though it is written in a style for children. Stories were more realistic then. Anyhow this movie I rated with 5 stars because not only was it very faithful to the book but extremely well made, with a superb cast and excellent special effects. Captain Hook was especially chock full of nastiness and there was Smee crawling at his boot tops. The only change was that Capt. Hook was played by the same actor who played Mr. Darling. Still, no big deal and if fact it worked well in the movie. Some of the surreal effects during the first journey to Never land was weird but added to the fantasy. And like in the book, Hook doesn't hesitate to kill, even his own crew. Its hard to figure out how he replaces them. Watch the movie NEVERLAND: they kind of find a way, Anyhow Peter also will kill if he finds it necessary. All the old gang is there; the Indians, the mermaids (not very nice!) nasty pirates and the Lost Boys. The flying effects are very well done, including a very cute but very jealous Tinker Bell. Tink trys to have Wendy killed but gets exiled by Peter in return. There is a lovely flying-dance sequence between Peter & Wendy but unfortunately ends in a snit with Wendy wanting to return to England. This whole story is basically an adolescent lovestory, innocent and touching. But like all dreams it does come to an end, after Peter rescues Wendy and the Lost Boys from the nefarious,nasty,unwashed pirates!! Hook is eaten by the Crock and the Ship is commandeered by Peter and the aid of the fairies including a forgiven Tink, take Wendy, her brothers and the Lost Boys back to London in a beautifully filmed sequence. Mr Darling and his sexy wife adopt the lost boys, and Peter and Tink return to Neverland. There is an additional scene in the extras showing Peter returning some years later only to find Wendy grown and with children. She agrees to let the children visit Neverland some day. I just fell in love with this ultimate Peter Pan!! Disneys is very good but this film is better. Note: I got this Peter Pan as well as Disneys version from AMAZON, where I get all my DVDS. Some years ago (1976-77) I visited London and stayed in a Hotel near Kesington Gardens. One of the first things I did there was visit the famous statue of the little lost boy that so entertained me when I was a child. I recommend this file enthusiastically!! the Read more
Ginger Stringer—June 14, 2011
As a fan of J.M. Barrie's book, I was very doubtful that this film would measure up to my very high standards of a Peter Pan adaptation. Just this week I watched it for the first time. For the first thirty minutes or so, I still wasn't convinced (being of the opinion that a movie can almost never come close to the book), but after I saw the Lost Boys for the first time and saw that they were PERFECT in every way, I began to change my mind! And when I found that I was quoting the book ALONG with the movie, I was completely convinced. I could hardly keep my seat when I saw the scene where Hook was questioning Peter ("Mineral?" "No." "Animal?" "Yes!") - it was even better than I had imagined in the book! Jeremy Sumpter completely took my breath away in his performance as Peter. Peter is such a slippery, elusive character - not one in a million actors could have played him even adequately. And Sumpter went above and beyond "adequate"; he completely WAS Peter. I have always imagined Peter as being a rather "changeable" boy - one moment he seems like he's 8, the next he seems like he's 14. Sumpter embodied this perfectly: his wide-eyed, "little boy" excitement lit up the story one moment, and the next, he would grow sober and seem to be older and wiser. Also, Jeremy's incredible portrayal of emotion just shone through every second of the film: you absolutely cannot listen to him laugh and not laugh along with him, and when his eyes fill up with tears, it seems as though the world were coming to an end. Sumpter as Peter was one of the most amazing acting performances I have ever seen - he took Peter to a whole new level. The other characters were also perfect! Mr. and Mrs. Darling, Nana, John, Michael, the Lost Boys, Hook, Smee, even the crocodile - everything was amazing. The sets were brilliant, and the music was indescribable! (By the way, I HIGHLY recommend the soundtrack) I was, however, very disappointed in Tinkerbell and Tigerlilly. They were not at all how I imagined them. And a few slight things were changed (Marooner's rock was The Black Castle in the film, Hook ended up flying around a bit, and the ending was not so sad as the book) But I soon got over it - I watched the film two days in a row it was so good! For die-hard Pan fans, watch the alternate ending!! It was SO perfect; Peter's deep sorrow upon finding Wendy grown up was horribly sad in the book, and Jeremy Sumpter acted it beautifully. I am not a person who cries easily when watching movies, and I didn't cry through the whole show (though at several parts my more soft-hearted sister cried), but this alternate ending brought me to tears. It was that good. Peter Pan the film was perfect in nearly every way. I haven't been able to stop thinking/talking about it since I watched it! It blew me away to Neverland in a way that I'd never experienced before, either in the book or in other film adaptations. 10 stars!!! Read more
