Peter Pan
2003
*
Director: P.J. Hogan
Cast: Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Jason Isaacs, Lynn Redgrave, Richard Briers, Olivia Williams, Harry Newell, Freddie Popplewell, Ludivine Sagnier
A dismal but apparently faithful adaptation of J.M Barrie's play and novel about a boy who doesn't want to grow up. Peter Pan transports young Wendy and her two brothers from London to Neverland where they face the ruthless Captain Hook. This is obviously a fantasy but the characters and the events should be grounded in some form of reality to convey actual human emotions, be it the parents' despair at losing their kids or the children's fear for their lives. Hook is a psychopath who kills his own men at a whim, but this lavishly staged mess makes the adventure in Neverland feel like a video game. Wendy is the only relatable character, whereas Peter Pan is a smug preteen, and the wooden Jeremy Sumpter gives him the same grin when he's having happy thoughts or when he's facing death. The sexual chemistry between these two is frankly unsettling, but not nearly as unsettling as the weird undertone of the relationship between Wendy and Hook, portrayed by Jason Isaacs who also plays her father. You could forgive P.J. Hogan some of these gross misjudgements if his film was fun at any point.
