DVD REVIEW
 Peter
Pan
Director: PJ Hogan
Cast: Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood,
Lynn Redgrave, Richard Briers, Olivia Williams, Ludivine Sagnier
Classification: PG
Running Time: 113 min
Discs: 1
Reviewed by: Jeremy Abbott
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So what's it all about?
This version of Peter Pan is purely based on the fairytale. It tells the story
of Peter visiting the Darling household and taking Wendy, John and Michael
to Neverland to frolic in Neverland Forest, play with the Lost Boys and,
of course, fight Captain Hook.
Is it any good?
Peter Pan blows one away with exquisite special effects. There are
numerous scenes where Peter and the Darling children fly though the sky,
and even sit on clouds overlooking the pirate ship. One particularly
beautiful scene takes place when Peter and Wendy dance in front of a full
moon while surrounded by fairies. A lot of effort is also put into to
recreating the Black Castle, the pirate ship (check out the ship models in
the extras) and Neverland Forest. For children it truly will be a
fairytale come to life.
Jeremy Sumpter is adequate as Peter Pan, but pure, child-like
innocence seems to elude him and at times he seems more reckless than
carefree. Sumpter does however look the part and his flying sword fighting
scenes with Hook are impressive.
Jason Isaacs plays the dual role of Mr Darling and Captain Hook
exceptionally well. As Mr Darling he is a quiet, gentle soul and a doormat
to his working peers. But he is equally mean, and vicious as Hook.
In this film Hook is a genuine, nasty villain, as are the pirates.
Rachel Hurd-Wood is cast perfectly as Wendy, a girl on the verge of
womanhood who does not want to grow up. She looks and acts the part of an
innocent child. Indeed, all the Darling children
look and act exactly as one would have expected them to.
But perhaps the unsung star of the picture is Ludivine Sagnier as Tinker
Bell. Without any speaking parts, comedian Sagnier relies on extensive
facial expressions and body language to giver her character a powerful and
humorous
presence in the film.
Score: 4/5
How about those special features?
Peter Pan is laden with special features. Main sections include "The
Pirate Ship", "The Black Castle", "Neverland Forest", "The Home
Underground" and "Darling House". There are several documentaries under
each heading.
One of the most enjoyable features is "Through the eye of Captain of
Hook" where Isaacs takes a camera along to various parts of the shoot and
delivers a dry and humorous narration.
Another feature worth watching is "Tinker Bell - Behind the Fairy
Dust" which explains how the fairies where filmed and all Sagnier's facial
expressions and antics.
There are also two interesting snippets with the Duchess of
York, Sarah Ferguson. She conducts interviews with various cast
members and experiments with some of the special effects. There are also
some very funny outtakes of her promotional work on the film.
Peter Pan also includes an alternate ending where Peter meets Wendy as
an adult and is introduced to her daughter.
Score: 4/5
Best part:
The fairy dance in front of the full moon.
Best quote:
"If you were me, I'd be ugly'
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