Skunkyrate Gripping story with well-crafted characters

Supelice Dreadfully Boring

ScoobyMint Disappointment for a huge fan!

Alistair Olson After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

MJB784 The visuals looked incredibly fake and ugly looking. It was easy to tell what was computer animated because there was way too much fast forward movement that didn't blend very well. Neverland looked really dirty. The colors in Neverland were ugly shades of red, purple, blue and the locations in Neverland looked like sets. I don't know if Hook was better or not. If you want to watch Peter Pan, stick with the Disney cartoon. Also, the crocodile has more realism. Watching the characters fly across obvious green screen doesn't seem real.

Anssi Vartiainen Peter Pan has been adapted into a theatrical live action movie multiple times, but would you believe that this is the first one where the titular role is played by an actual young boy? Early stage versions of the story started a tradition where the character was played by a woman, mostly to give the actor enough experience while still retaining the look. Theatre world is weird like that.Nevertheless, this is the first one, so how does it hold up next to its kin? Well, it's a mixed package. The young man they got to play the part of Pan, Jeremy Sumpter, certainly has the look down pat. He's an imp, quick and agile, with a devil may care grin always on his face, and those attributes transfer to his performance as well. He embodies the cockiness and infallibility of the boy who never grew up, certainly bringing to mind the mythological Pan after which the character is named. Jason Isaacs is also magnificent in his dual role of both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook - another theatre tradition, but one which I heartily approve. Isaacs is easily the best Hook I've seen so far, and also one of the better pirate characters in general. Dark, menacing, hiding behind the veneer of a gentleman, while plotting his nefarious schemes to bring down the one he hates above all else.The rest of the cast is unfortunately merely okay or even slightly below average. The Lost Boys and the Darlings are played by child actors, making their acting rather wooden most of the times, though Wendy's actress Rachel Hurd-Wood at least manages to have some chemistry with Sumpter. They also added in a new character in Aunt Millicent (Lynn Redgrave) who, while played by a talented actress, brings nothing to the plot, making her completely pointless.I also detest the use of CGI in this film. Though to be fair, most every movie in the 00s was doing this, but it has not aged well. Not at all. It's overly bright, often rather rubbery or sleek, and you can spot its fakeness miles away. And it is everywhere. It's like they shot the film and decided to colour saturate every single frame using computers. It looks hideous. And it glitters, making me feel like I've walked into a store for five-year-old girls. Perhaps some would say that's a valid art style for a Peter Pan film, but personally I think it makes the whole film look artificial.The actual plot is captivating, closely mirroring the original play by J. M. Barrie. No complaints there, and if you can stomach the visual style of the film, it is a very good adaptation to check out for all fans of the original tale. My personal pet peeves keep me from appreciating it more, but don't let that keep you from experiencing its upsides.

Ollie Pajak So another Peter Pan film, this will be interesting. I think is fair to say that this film surprised a lot of people,myself included there. First of all let's get the plot out of the way. Wendy is a girl who is told to grow up but feels that she doesn't want to. Then one night a boy named Peter Pan comes to her window and whisks her and her brothers away on a magical adventure in Neverland.Okay, PJ Hogan's version of Peter Pan released in 2003. I can honestly say that this film is wonderful. It is truly amazing. I was unbelievably surprised. When I was a kid I just saw it as another Peter Pan film, however when I revisited this a few years back I realised just how amazing this film is. First of all the story is an absolute classic and this film executes it really well. I thought the acting in this film was astonishing. The standouts are Jason Isaacs as Captain Hook and Mr Darling who portrays both roles with real fines and this proves to be some of his best work to date. Also making her acting debut as Wendy Darling Rachael Hurd-Wood is terrific and really invests herself into the character of Wendy both physically and emotionally. John and Michael are fine as are the lost boys all providing some comedic moments without being annoying. Ludivine Sagnier as Tinkerbell is really good and gives off a good performance. Smee is funny providing some fantastically funny moments that will make both adults and kids laugh. And of course, Jeremy Sumpter as Peter Pan. He is a pretty solid Peter. Though it is kind of breaking tradition having Peter cast as an American(not trying to sound racist) it would have been better if they cast a British boy actor or had Sumpter doing a British accent. What really makes this film work is the emotion that is invested into it. I really admire the direction taken here. The first 15-20 minutes are spent with The Darling Family alone showing Wendy's childish actions and behaviour leading the family's reputation downhill and causing more dysfunction. The scene where Mr Darling chucks Nanna the dog outside proves just how tightly the family are all holding together.I think that it is great to get to know the darling family first rather than jumping straight in with Peter. Also I really like how Wendy's character changes and matures over the course of the film. During th beginning Wendy is a child, during the middle she's kind of a teenager and at the end she's almost become a young woman. This proves to be very strong character development partly because of Rachael Hurd-Wood's strong performance. Also the action scenes, well the 2 action scenes of this film are choreographed exceptionally well. The Black Castle segment is the darkest part of the film, providing some thrilling action but also some fantastic comedy from John, Michael and Smee. And the climax is gripping and the duel between Peter and Hook is well done. I love how Hook taunts Peter about Wendy to bring him down. There were 2 "surprise" scenes in this film. The first was the dancing scene between Peter and Wendy. Which is accompanied by James Newton Howard's beautiful soundtrack. This scene was very sweet and touching. And the 2nd was the kiss scene at the end between Peter and Wendy which just shows how much he means to her and how much Wendy has grown up in the space of the entire film. Also I love Newton Howard's score for the film, he really captures the sheer emotion of the characters and the tenseness of the action scenes and the heroism of Peter and Neverland, a masterpiece of a soundtrack. Overall this "Peter Pan", is a triumph with fantastic acting, fantastic character development, great visuals, great comedy, amazing soundtrack, astonishing acting, well executed story. This version works because the sexual tension doesn't make the film detract from its target audience, it only enhances the main message of the story. "everyone grows up, and at that age boys and girls become interested in each other and its natural, you can't get away from it.This is a 10 out of 10. What a fabulous film. My favourite childhood movie ever.

BearGlove This movie is unexpectedly good. Best movie adaptation of this story so far. Every aspect of the story has been made into a movie and I like that. Actors played their roles very good. They manage to show all emotions and personalities of every character. Petar Pan the boy who doesn't want to grow up, because he doesn't want obligations. Captain Hook, old man who's sad for losing his youth and angry on other peoples success. Wendy, girl who just wants to be girl a little longer, and not act like a grown woman towards what her parents are pushing her. Thinkerbell, best description in today society would be friend zoned. She is always with Peter Pan but only as a friend she will never be more. Which sometimes lead to frustrations and bad decisions. In movie is show clear sexual tension between Wendy and Peter, child just in age so they can feel something is attracting you to someone. But can't quite understand it. Petar bring Wendy so she could be mom for his lost boys. And he will be father. Here in that role playing is clearly visible that tension. Movie is very well made and unfairly underrated. It deserves 8.