In a tale that seems to have permeated public consciousness to
the point of saturation, yet another retelling of the Peter Pan
fable has been made for modern audiences. The last encounter with
this tale came from Steven Spielberg’s odd interpretation ,
“Hook,” with Peter Pan reimagined as an adult. In
director P.J. Hogan’s vision of the tale, however, all the
traditional elements of the source material remain intact with only
a few creative liberties taken.

Caught in the confines of upper-class England, Wendy and her two
brothers are at the whim of an obsequious father and
overly-calculating aunt who is ready to prime her for adulthood.
Cue Peter Pan, who whisks them off to Never-Neverland where they
are free from the rigors of adulthood and responsibility. Then
enter Captain Hook, Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys. Nothing of the
plot is a surprise. With a movie like this it is no so much about
worrying about what will happen next but how it will happen. And it
happens wonderfully.

There is such an air of enchantment and magic to the film that
it just draws you in and the feeling is that of being told a fairy
tale. So much of the enchantment comes from the fact that the
children play their roles to perfection. Peter Pan is brought to
life by Jeremy Sumpter, who really has the air of boy who decided
to simply refuse to grow up, and Wendy (Rachel Hurd-Wood) manages
to balance the role of love interest, mother and 13-year-old girl.
Even Captain Hook (Jason Isaacs) is given a chance to receive
empathy, which adds some complexity to what appears to be a simple
children’s tale.

That is what comes off as so unique about this film. It is given
a seriousness, complexity and darkness to the matter at hand.
It’s something surprising to see in a film obviously aimed
toward children and coming from a major Hollywood production. From
the morose portrayal of the mermaids to the visual of Hook’s
amputated arm, there are elements of the film that challenge
perceptions of what needs to be seen.

With the outstanding set design, a clear and sad resolution
between childhood and adulthood and a firm adherence to the genuine
nature of the story, “Peter Pan” plays as a dark fairy
tale that goes down as a great way for the story to be remembered
by a new generation of children.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.