Rating: 
Summary: The Best Peter Pan Yet
Review: Well, I guess everyone knows by now (or at least should) the story of Peter Pan, so I see no need to write anything about it. What I think is worth talking about is the adaptation of it.The story is very well told and the film is visually stunning. This is truly a perfectly executed movie. But what sets this version apart from all the rest is the cast. First of all I should say that it was a complete pleasure to watch great Jason Issacs bring to life infamous Captain Hook. What an extraordinary talent. I guess that was no surprise, after all can any of us remember a bad performance by him. A surprise and a pleasent one at that, was watching rest of the cast. An incredibly ralented group of kids with perfect chemistry between them, especially Peter and Wendy. Which brings me to Jeremy Sumpter as Peter Pan. Finally I got to see Peter Pan as I remember reading him. Excellent cast and an excellent movie. I will definitely be making space for this DVD among my collection.
Rating:
Summary: The Gospel According To Peter Pan
Review: There is a Bible passage that goes like this: "If I Speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." (I Cor. 13:1-3 NASV) After watching P.J. Hogan's (My Best Friends Wedding) brand new retelling of J.M. Barrie's classic novel, I think we can see this old passage come to life. If you've spent the last century living under a rock then you'll have never learned of the little boy who never grew up. You'll have never seen Walt Disney's chaste adventure, Steven Speilberg's reimagining, or Mary Martin's stupid musical. You've never been enchanted by thinking good thoughts or laughed yourself silly by not believing in fairies (Oh darn, I just killed another one). If you have been deprived by never having read or even seen this enchanting story unfold, then I suggest you rush out to your local library and read the book. For those of us who know the story, I will tell you that this is the most faithful adaptations of the book and also the most interesting. For the first time in cinematic history Peter is not seen as a hero, but as what he truly is; a sad lonely boy who's trapped in a fantasy world of his own design. A boy who has the whole world at his fingertips and yet has the one thing he can never have: love. I was blown away by how this film is so bold. Every other PETER PAN film or story usually features a woman or a grown man in the part. But for once this film shows us the Peter that truly exists. I remember seeing J.M. Barrie's stage play by the Royal Shakespeare in 2000. I remember how the press made a big deal about the play because it was the first time a male would play him on stage and when I got there I saw an effeminate male prancing around. What was missing was the light of a child's eyes and that's what this PETER PAN has. The illusion of a boy who never grows up is lost if he's played by someone who has already grown up. Jeremey Sumpter (Fraility) plays Peter with exuberance and the hint of sadness that is always under the surface. While we cannot be children forever, don't we all long for that? But what if you could be a child forever, as the world grows up around you? Your fantasy world may start to lose its luster. I also loved how Neverland was full of danger. I remember going through my old writings and finding a book I tried to write when I was four or five. In it was a mother dying and lots of violence. Innocent and cute on the outside, but all my inward fantasies were full of violence. This Neverland is full of peril, from the Mermaids who want to drown you, to the large Croc who swallowed a clock. Neverland may be a fun place, but it's definitely not a safe place. Much like the playgrounds of old. The other more important story points that this new film really handled well was the innocent sexual tension created by two children. Peter and Wendy are still at the point where girls and boys are icky, but yet are brought together by fantasy and fun. What was your first crush like? Kind of awkward and a little funny. I loved to watch the fantasy of the two of them dancing in the moonlight. Their attempt to play the role of mother and father when they have no idea how, and their longing to be together. Since they are young, they do not have the facilities to understand this feeling. Rachael Hurd-Wood portrays Wendy with a gentile innocence. This is her first film, but she's so good other roles cannot be far off. She reminds me of a young Nicole Kidman. Her character is nicely rounded and full of the childlike wonder you normally see in the role. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention PETER PAN'S nemesis Captain Hook. Jason Issac's (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) Hook is faithful but a tad too dark for it's own good. It's also a little creepy to watch this grown man's obsession with a little boy. But then you begin to understand that Hook is Peter Pan's manifestation of his own adulthood. What's the easiest way to never grow up? Turn your adult tendencies into the villain and then manifest your childhood hopes and dreams into a little fairy named Tink (Ludivine Sagnier, Swimming Pool). All in all PJ Hogan's PETER PAN is really good. If you're in the mood for a bold film with lots of laughs and lots of adventure, then run out and see Peter Pan.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Film
Review: I think this film was amazing. I love the actors & actresses chosen. I find their acting is amazing and many actors such as Peter pan, Jason isaacs is absolutely gorgeous, i have fallen in love with him!!I think the actress who played Wendy is positively beautiful and her acting is also amazing. I Love this film and their couldn't have been anything better done to it !!!
Rating: 
Summary: An yet another Peter Pan!
Review: This story by J. M. Barrie was a good children's book, yet this movie is a bit scary for youngsters. It is more an adult love story using adolescents to create an adventure. Neverland is a very scary place which included Indians (not Native Americans as it did not take place in America), pirates, and half a dozen lost boys (which could have been taken from the movies of LORD OF THE FLIES). The marvelous fairy, Tinker Bell, has a split personality in this edition, goes from being an angel to a devil. Is this real life? The alligator looked more like a dinosaur from prehistoric times instead of the Florida version we are used to seeing. The sound of the clock inside him is overdone as we witness the faceoff between Peter Pan and James Hook (not much of a contest, I say). The mermaids were more like vampires. Now, there was beauty in this modern version. The ending showed a beautiful sunset on the ocean done no doubt by the sophiscation of today's special effects. We fly with the Darling children and PP through the solar system right out of an astronomy text book. The girl who portrayed Wendy looks like a young, prettier Katherine Hepburn. The cute boy who was Peter Pan had an enigmatic smile and the curls of an angel; his ugly costume however was much to be desired. He looked like Russ Tamblyn in GREEN MANSIONS. I never saw so many blue eyes as in this cast. John Darling had Harry Potter glasses and Michael's teddy bear was not your usual brand. Of course, this was a British production. Wendy is a storyteller to a motley group of pirates using the British accent. The narrator was definitely British. "Things were simpler when I was young," she remarks. Wit is so fashionable. Captain Hook was cruel and looked like Edward Scissorhands with his ugly hair, though he does have pretty teeth and blue eyes. His dandified red-velvet costume was spectacular. Sme with a peg-leg parrot was a cute gnone-like character -- not too bright -- in his red knit cap. The poison expected to kill PP was composed of malice, jealousy and disappointment combined into a solid drop. One funny scene was the fat soprano in a bubblebath singing "I do believe in fairies." Tears of remorse work miracles as Tink is saved. The King of the fairies is fanciful. The music was much too loud except for the lilting sound of Peter's flute. Falling in love spoils everything for Peter whose philosophy has always been that a boy is deficient but has fun as opposed to going to school, then the office. All men are boys, some who never grew up and some not. He teaches his charges that happy thoughts are uplifting and the unhappy ones bring you down. In this movie, Peter Pan does grow up. His boyhood dreams are abandoned. Hook is defeated. A magical bullseye appears out of nowhere. The London cityscape in miniature was effective. The pirate boat looked like the NINA which I saw on tour recently in Lenoir City. The pink cotton-candy clouds were a pretty touch. The beautiful waterfall is similar to a drawing on one of the dilapidated buildings on Market Square. Wendy's farewell to PP could have been taken out of BLUE LAGOON. Love is a powerful thing--all's right with the world. Light and beauty return as do the Darling children to grow up and have families of their own. Everyone knows that a novelist is not highly thought of in society.
Rating:
Summary: I do believe in fairies, I do, I do!
Review: What a beautiful work of emotional and external art! I have always been a Peter Pan fan, but had yet to see a motion picture that quite did the book justice--and I have finally found one! The movie is faithful to the book without being slavish though--after all, this IS someone else`s vision of a universally loved book. P.J. Hogan adds an interestingly *older* appeal while still retaining all the beauty, wonder, and young innocence of Peter and Neverland. Jeremy Sumpter is the boy always meant for this role. I could not *dream* up a better Peter, with his dirty feet and ethereal smile. Rachel Hurd-Wood is surprisingly convincing as Wendy, and Jason Isaacs a strangely seductive Captain Hook. I also love the new take on the mermaids, and the sheer realness of the Lost Boys. The effects are almost liquid, they fit so well--I`m quite impressed with the flying scenes most of all. This is undoubtedly the best Pan adaptation to date, stunning in story and setting (filmed in Australia). James Newton Howard blends a perfect meeting of old and young feelings into the score. It made me almost sad that I wasn`t little anymore, even though I`m really no more than a teenager at sixteen. It was the feeling of security and fun that trickles away with the years, and Peter Pan has always aided me on helping me regain that sense of wonder for everything around me. This film is no exception. ^^ The `I do believe in fairies` scene was absolutely magical. I loved the chemistry between Peter and Wendy--and the fact that it was taken a step further. It really gave more internal depth to them both, Peter in particular. A truely timeless story evolved into a truly timeless picture--a triumph! I can`t wait to see it again.
Rating:
Summary: Magical, enthralling, poignant
Review: This is one of the best movies I've ever seen! It made me laugh and cry (I would have cried more if my kids hadn't been with me). It was magical and exciting with great special effects. Peter and Wendy were wonderful, as was Hook. I went with my 12 year old boy and 6 year old girl. My son and I agreed that this was an especially wonderful film. It was a little emotionally intense for my 6 year old - not too scary, but too sad at times. This is the first movie review I've done, but I loved this film so much I wanted to give it 5 stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Underwhelmed.
Review: What I hate most of all is a film that looks wonderful, should be wonderful, and then is wretched. The previews for this film, by PJ Hogan, made it look extraordinary: dark, mysterious, adult. So I was hoping for something dark, mysterious, and adult. I was disappointed. Sure it has great effects and brilliant cinematography (I love the image of Wendy laying on the grass), but for all its stunning visuals, the film never decides what it wants to be. At times it hints of a darker, more adult drama, but each time it dead-ends, leaving me exasperated and wishing this hadn't been made with children in mind. The acting in the film ranges the whole spectrum. Rachel Hurd-Wood, as Wendy, is marvelous, in honesty I think one of the best performances of the year. Jeremy Sumpter is badly miscast as the title character, however. It's not his fault though..its just that he's the only American in a cast full of British folks and he sticks out like a sore thumb. Jason Isaacs, as Hook/Mr. Darling, is good but not great. Lynn Redgrave's invented character, "Aunt Millicent," is really weird. Speaking of weird, Tinkerbell is a very strange creation here. She flits around, makes faces, and is very annoying and bizarre. All in all the film's greatest flaw is the disappointment factor. If i had walked in knowing nothing, I may have enjoyed it more. But all the hype and lovely trailers turned a standard adventure into a mediocre, bombastic mess. Grade: C
Rating:
Summary: The best portrayal of the Peter Pan legend yet!
Review: When my sister and I first saw the previews for Peter Pan, she said "Another one? How many Peter Pans are they gonna make?". I thought it looked awesome though. And when I went and saw it, I was right. IT ROCKED! It is and probably forever will be the best portrayal of the story of the boy who couldn't,nay, wouldn't grow up. I thought the boy playing Peter Pan was spectacular, and I should suspect we will be seeing more of Jeremy Sumpter in the future. I also liked how the film wasn't dedicated to fancy sword tricks, but was more intent on the actual emotions of all the characters, not to say that the sword fighting scenes were poorly choreographed, because they weren't. The animation of the crocodile, to me, was more funny than serious, though he was the one thing that made me cringe a bit, besides James Hook, of course. Not to "diss" the older movie Hook, starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman, but it is my opinion that Jason Isaacs did a awesome job portraying a more scary Hook, one that would give children reaosn to be horrified, as well as mesmerized. Dustin Hoffman went for more of a humorous Hook, which worked for that particular movie, but wasn't quite whatI believe Hook shoud be shown as. As for similarity with the book, it was very,very accurate. I must say, I was quite interested in how different the image of mermaids were in this version, not sweet little redheaded girls, but vicious looking demon like figures. My favorite character was, of course, Peter Pan, but the young man who portrayed John Darling was hilarious. The extremely brief nudity, being John and Micheal's rear ends, was not bad at all, only humorous. Plus, it was so short and quick that it could hardly be counted as nudity. So, in conclusion (for I feel I am getting boring), it was one of the best movies of late 2003, and J.M. Barrie would be proud.
Rating: 
Summary: Is closer to the original story
Review: A darker tone and a few new twists keep this live-action movie alive and closer to the original story. Vanessa Redgrave is wasted here. Her snobbish character seems tacked on, only to supplement the idea of growing up. But just like the novel and other film versions, this Peter Pan becomes very jumpy. Parents might be distracted, but children will love it. Note: There is very brief nudity (done tastefully for humor), and the action includes violence that pushes towards PG-13.
Rating:
Summary: Peter Pan
Review: Beautiful, magical and absolutely fantastical retelling of J.M. Barrie's classic tale, PETER PAN - the special story of a boy who could never grow old, who took three children into his world where pirates, mermaids and indians dwelled, and where dreams really could come true. This film is amazingly well-acted and surprisingly, only one child in this film annoyed me; however I do believe that he was set out to do so, and if so, he does succeed. The film is also very handsome looking, with its fairy tale like qualities and so on. Of course, since it is quite faithful to the original text, this PETER PAN is a dark journey into an imaginative world, rather than an always happy and comically thrilling movie. The mermaids in this film are portrayed as traditional, hissing, creepy villains. Overall, this film succeeds as being excellent, although it does have its share of minor flaws.
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