Peter Pan & Wendy is the latest in Disney’s year-long trend of live-action adaptations of their classic animated films. Some have been fantastic (The Jungle Book and Cinderella) while others have fallen short and disappointed (The Lion King and Pinocchio). Luckily for audiences, Peter Pan & Wendy falls into the fantastic category. While we didn’t need another Peter Pan film, this one is something special that audiences will truly enjoy.
The Plot
The plot follows the classic story from J.M. Barrie for the most part, with Wendy having a more prominent role than before. Wendy is about to be sent off to boarding school and doesn’t want to grow up, which leads Peter Pan and Tinkerbell to whisk her, John, and Michael off to Neverland. However, they get separated upon arrival thanks to Captain Hook and his pirate crew.
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The Critique
The biggest critique I know people will have is how dark the film is, which I share as well. I’m not sure why the current trend over the last few years has been to make everything dark and difficult to see, but it takes away from what could have been exciting visual moments. One instance in particular is Peter Pan’s shadow; there are times when it’s just the shadow on screen and you completely lose track of it because of the lighting.
The visual effects you can see though are very well done, especially Tinkerbell. Unlike the 1953 version of the character, this Tinkerbell isn’t sassy and jealous of Wendy; she has heart and is more kind to her throughout the film. Yara Shahidi makes the most out of her performance with great facial expressions that portray what Tink is saying. She was a terrific choice for the role and I’m happy she got this opportunity.
The other casting that will have people talking is Jude Law as Captain Hook. Captain Hook is a classic Disney villain, but his motivation for hunting down Peter Pan is expanded upon in this film. There is a true reason for their rivalry other than cutting off his hand and it makes the duo all the better for it. Law chews the scenery as Hook and has a nice back-and-forth with Jim Gaffigan as Mr. Smee, which is another great casting choice.
Alexander Moloney makes his film debut as Peter Pan and does a terrific job with the role. He captures Peter’s cockiness well and has great chemistry with Jude Law when the two are facing each other. He also has nice chemistry with Ever Anderson as Wendy, who some might recognize as the young Natasha Romanoff from Black Widow. While Peter Pan gets his name first, Wendy is as much the heart of the film as Peter is. Anderson gives a terrific performance and holds her own with whoever she shares the screen with.
In Conclusion
Overall, I would recommend watching Peter Pan & Wendy with the entire family on Disney+ this weekend. David Lowery did a wonderful job directing this film, and the diverse casting was wonderful to see, especially among the Lost Boys and Girls and Alyssa Wapanatahk as Tiger Lilly. This is the type of live-action film Disney should continue making, though hopefully next time (after The Little Mermaid), they will trust them to perform in theaters because this truly deserved to be seen on the big screen.
Rating: 8/10
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