I cannot say that I enjoyed this film, but I also don't despise it. It was a mediocre experience, at best. The acting was fine, especially from Law (Hook) and Anderson (Wendy). I have no problem with the actors chosen to play Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, nor do I care about their race (and neither should you).
My biggest issue with this film is the color grading and the depressing tone. There were only a couple of scenes where it felt whimsical or magical, and one of them occurred in London, NOT Neverland. I recall seeing Hook (1993) and being absolutely overwhelmed with wonder when Neverland was first revealed. It was a colorful wonderland that was, and still is, a very appealing locale that stirred up happy emotions and an eagerness to explore and go on adventures, but in this film, Neverland was revealed to be a dark, gloomy, boring island that has no distinctive features, whatsoever. It's just an island in the middle of wherever. Why did Disney choose to make this film a mundane reflection of reality when it should have been something along the lines of Hook? I just don't understand.
They also could have done a better job of fleshing out the the characters, especially the Lost Boys. I mean, when you look at Hook (yes, that is my baseline for a Pan movie), the Lost Boys were actual characters, and some of the most emotional and beautiful scenes involved them and how they interacted with Pan and each other. They had a culture that was their own! I will always cherish the scene where only one Lost Boy remained on Pan's side of the line that Rufio had drawn in the sand. He began contorting and manipulating Peter's face until he recognized the Pan he'd always known. The grown up Peter was Pan all along! That scene still chokes me up. A few other great scenes include: the truce between Pan and Rufio after Pan learned to fly again, the imaginary food fight, the fun and inventive paintball war on Hook's ship, Rufio's death, Peter becoming Pan again (thanks to Julia Roberts' Tinkerbell), Pan's own children seeing his character arc and learning that their father loves them, Pan "knighting" one of the youngest Lost Boys upon his departure, and the list goes on.
I understand this film was a stricter adaptation of the story, but man...they really could have done more. There should have been more Peter Pan throughout, and Hook's ship was... just a regular old ship. They made no effort to outdo the unique port town from the Hook movie, which felt like a real pirate city with all of the gorgeous set pieces; just so much to appreciate! I guess, to be fair, it's not like they could really improve on that even if they tried... I will admit the way they incorporated the crocodile in this film was probably the only scene I would call "fun".
Oh, and the score! What score? I already forgot what it sounded like...except for some jarring notes that sounded like the Jurassic Park theme. Very odd.
Overall, the film was just so dull, so uneventful, and so drab. It did not feel like an adventure in a far away fantasy land. It makes me wonder who this movie was actually made for. I can't imagine children will have fun with this movie, or adults for that matter. It is watchable, but not very enjoyable.
Again, I don't despise this film, and there are a few scenes that were well done, but I just can't understand the creative (or uncreative) choices they made. I can't imagine this film will ever be a cherished classic for kids in the same way Hook is for millennials.
Disney. What's going on? Are you okay?
My biggest issue with this film is the color grading and the depressing tone. There were only a couple of scenes where it felt whimsical or magical, and one of them occurred in London, NOT Neverland. I recall seeing Hook (1993) and being absolutely overwhelmed with wonder when Neverland was first revealed. It was a colorful wonderland that was, and still is, a very appealing locale that stirred up happy emotions and an eagerness to explore and go on adventures, but in this film, Neverland was revealed to be a dark, gloomy, boring island that has no distinctive features, whatsoever. It's just an island in the middle of wherever. Why did Disney choose to make this film a mundane reflection of reality when it should have been something along the lines of Hook? I just don't understand.
They also could have done a better job of fleshing out the the characters, especially the Lost Boys. I mean, when you look at Hook (yes, that is my baseline for a Pan movie), the Lost Boys were actual characters, and some of the most emotional and beautiful scenes involved them and how they interacted with Pan and each other. They had a culture that was their own! I will always cherish the scene where only one Lost Boy remained on Pan's side of the line that Rufio had drawn in the sand. He began contorting and manipulating Peter's face until he recognized the Pan he'd always known. The grown up Peter was Pan all along! That scene still chokes me up. A few other great scenes include: the truce between Pan and Rufio after Pan learned to fly again, the imaginary food fight, the fun and inventive paintball war on Hook's ship, Rufio's death, Peter becoming Pan again (thanks to Julia Roberts' Tinkerbell), Pan's own children seeing his character arc and learning that their father loves them, Pan "knighting" one of the youngest Lost Boys upon his departure, and the list goes on.
I understand this film was a stricter adaptation of the story, but man...they really could have done more. There should have been more Peter Pan throughout, and Hook's ship was... just a regular old ship. They made no effort to outdo the unique port town from the Hook movie, which felt like a real pirate city with all of the gorgeous set pieces; just so much to appreciate! I guess, to be fair, it's not like they could really improve on that even if they tried... I will admit the way they incorporated the crocodile in this film was probably the only scene I would call "fun".
Oh, and the score! What score? I already forgot what it sounded like...except for some jarring notes that sounded like the Jurassic Park theme. Very odd.
Overall, the film was just so dull, so uneventful, and so drab. It did not feel like an adventure in a far away fantasy land. It makes me wonder who this movie was actually made for. I can't imagine children will have fun with this movie, or adults for that matter. It is watchable, but not very enjoyable.
Again, I don't despise this film, and there are a few scenes that were well done, but I just can't understand the creative (or uncreative) choices they made. I can't imagine this film will ever be a cherished classic for kids in the same way Hook is for millennials.
Disney. What's going on? Are you okay?
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