Peter Pan & Wendy Review: Jude Law keeps us hooked on this animated Disney reboot of the classic

The question you might be asking is, “We Real still needed other Is Peter Pan recording? Since JM Barrie published his book Peter And Wendy in 1911, countless film, television and stage versions of one strip or another have appeared, starting with silent voices and of course NBC’s live musical in the 1950s with Mary Martin and later versions with Sandy Duncan, Cathy Rigby and another NBC live taping a few years ago with Allison Williams. Sure, there were twists on the big screen, not quite magical, like Joe Wright’s messy 2015 Pan and Spielberg is exaggerating Hook with Robin Williams and Julia Roberts. So far, even Broadway has a new Tony contender in the farcical version, Peter Pan goes wrong. But for me, the one version that resonates the most to this day is the 1953 Disney classic.

So here we are again as the studio hired director and co-writer David Lowery (who shares the script with Toby Halbrooks) to tackle a live-action version of the ’53 show. Although the versatile filmmaker (A Ghost Story, Green Knight) successfully reloaded another Disney family film, Peter’s dragon, He initially resisted, thinking enough had been done, but eventually found a way to make it interesting for a contemporary audience. According to the credits, this new version is based on the 1911 Barrie book And the Disney animated feature, and you can definitely see bits of both in this one.

The main difference is that this survey is not just what the title suggests, it really is completely Wendy-driven. She is the force of nature that drives the story and gives it that strong female energy that is normally employed by the many women who have instead played Peter Pan in a much more edgy style than actor Alexander Molony would have us believe he is. is always young I guess it’s okay, but I really miss the spirit and youthful zest of earlier versions. But in the hands of Ever Anderson, Wendy becomes more confident and poignant as the story progresses, a sort of guardian to the younger Darling brothers John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacobi Jupe), who take matters into their own hands.

The real highlight here, though, is watching Jude Law delve into a Captain Hook, or James, as we learn, was known in his younger years, making him a truly memorable and ruthless villain, but also one with a new background that I don’t remember passing on earlier. Now Lowery seems to be more of a bad –Style rivalry and friendship between Peter and his old classmate and best friend James, their bond shattered when James chose a path other than freely choosing his friend from Neverland, who along with the Lost Boys he collected simply never wanted don’t grow up It’s hard when friends grow apart, but that’s exactly what happened when James turned into Captain Hook (Peter chopped off his hand and fed it to a crocodile, if you remember – and that crocodile is back here in all its CGI- glory). All of this helps explain who Hook once was, but it certainly doesn’t make him your father’s “Peter Pan.” It’s an interesting note and Law plays it with evil dread and even a bit of poignancy before it all ends.

However, the core story pillars are intact and no one is going to blame them for jumping the shark, it just adds more value to the idea of ​​connecting with each other and forging our own individual paths. So, of course, are Wendy, John and Michael, who are all swept out of their London bedrooms around 1911 and find themselves on an adventure they will never forget, but one full of real dangers, as Hook and his cronies believe all children must die Arrrrrrrg.

There’s plenty of action, a pivotal sword fight between Hook and Peter, a plank to walk with surprising results, and of course the clever ways of Tinker Bell (a beautiful Yara Shahidi) and Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wopanatahk). The cast is diverse in the best way. There’s also fun stuff with Jim Gaffigan straight out of the Disney ’53 cartoons as Smee. Alan Tudyk and Molly Parker are exactly what we expect as Mr and Mrs Darling and of course this wonderful St. Bernard who can fly here himself, well maybe a little.

Kids will devour everything as they have for over a century, and Lowery’s unnecessary retelling doesn’t lessen the impact of a story that is itself forever young. Producer is Jim Whittaker.

Title: Peter Pan and Wendy

Distributor: disney+_

Release date: Stream April 28 on Disney+

Director: David Lagerry

Scenario: David Lowery, Toby Halbrooks

Form: Jude Law, Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Alyssa Wopanatahk, Jim Gaffigan, Joshua Pickering, Jacobi Jupe, Yara Shahidi, Alan Tudyk, Molly Parker

Judge: PG

Time: 1 hour and 43 minutes