Peter Pan & Wendy

This weekend, Peter Pan & Wendy was released on Disney+. Peter Pan & Wendy is the live-action remake of the classic film, Peter Pan, and follows the three Darling children as they are whisked away to the magical Neverland on an adventure with Peter Pan. These Disney live-action remakes have had varying degrees of quality so I was curious how this film was going to turn out.

The best thing about this film is that it brings a lot more depth to the characters. The original film is a very baseline story. No character growth, just a fun adventure. This movie gives more depth to each other and allows each of them to grow. Peter Pan is a much more venerable character and has a bit of growth throughout the story. Captain Hook is more fleshed out with a backstory that really makes him more of a sympathetic character. However, Wendy benefits the most from the remake as this is very much her story. She is the main character, has the most growth, and is actually able to defend herself instead of just relying on Peter Pan.

However, while the movie manages to flesh out all of the characters, it fails to recapture any of the magic of the original film. This film is devoid of any sense of charm or fun as it feels like just a lifeless remake of a film that just happened to be next on the list instead of actually having something compelling to add. There are no stand-out performances. Jude Law is the biggest name in the cast yet he really doesn't do anything special as Captain Hook. There also isn't really any sort of plot direction or goal throughout the story. The movie just kind of wanders until we get to this big climax on the ship and even then, there isn't much to resolve as there isn't anything set up. Finally, this movie has many character arcs that just go nowhere. Captain Hook almost gets to go on this redemptive arc but in the end, his story has no compelling conclusion. Peter Pan also has a bit of an arc he goes on in terms of growing up but ends up abandoning everyone and staying how he was before.

Overall, while it has some interesting ideas on where to take the characters. The actual execution leaves the movie lifeless and without any of the charm or magic of the original film. If I am going to watch Peter Pan, I'd much rather watch the original film.

Grade: C Score: 5/10 Recommendation: Skip it