Apparently, moviewatchers weren't too entranced with Hogan's film either. So no, I've never been the biggest Peter Pan fan. Perhaps it is the story's scattershot nature, its overly brisk pace, or its carefree exuberance that make the tale of the boy who never grew up so endearing and resonant to generations of children, but Peter Pan, while an enjoyable story, never captivated me in the same way that other fairy tales, fables, and stories of its ilk did. As much as I enjoy what is perhaps the best-known adaptation of the story - Disney's 1953 animated classic - it has never captivated me as much as other animated tales of its era like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, or 101 Dalmations. Hogan and company do a reasonable job in translating this timeless tale to the silver screen.Ĭall it "Hook-in-Mouth" Disease if you will, but I have never seen an adaptation of Peter Pan that has utterly captivated me from start to finish. What's more important here is whether or not P.J. Pretty much everybody is familiar with the tale of the young Sir Pedro, even if they've never actually seen the original play or more than twenty minutes of any other iteration of the tale. Anyway, to sum up any more of the plot would be an exercise in pointlessness. That's not exactly the best way to bolster morale. Hook does have a predilection for shooting crewmen who piss him off one way or another. Perhaps the title is mostly honorary, in which case I suppose it wouldn't be any real sort of insubordination for his underlings to rise up against him. During a battle with Peter Pan, Hook lost his hand to a simply gargantuan crocodile, and the mustachioed villain is gunning for revenge.īy the by, was Captain Hook called "Captain Hook" before he lost his hand and replaced it with a hook? Or did he gain the appellation afterwards? If so, what was he called before? Captain Schwartzbaum? Captain Escobar? And who made him a captain? There don't seem to be any kind of armed forces marshalled about Neverland. Darling should also play Captain Hook) and his gang of cutthroat pirates. The magical realm is constantly under the heal of Captain Hook (Jason Isaacs, maintaining the longstanding tradition that the actor who plays Mr. There are mermaids, Indians, pirates, mountains, secret castles, lush gardens, luminescent grottoes, and not a single adult to be found. After regaining control of his captured shadow, and with the assistance of Tinkerbell's (Ludivine Sagnier) magical fairy dust, the children are whisked away to Neverland, a realm that could only come out of the imagination of a child. Staying faithful to Barrie's original storyline, the story kicks it into high gear as one night the children are visited by Peter Pan (Jeremy Sumpter), the magical child who never grew up. Their dog Nana (Rebel) is quizzically but gainfully employed as the children's babysitter, and their omnipresent Aunt Millicent (Lynn Redgrave) is simply a kooky old coot with some heavy-handed ideas about childrearing.
Darling (the radiant Olivia Williams) is warmer and infinitely more affectionate, although deferential to the overbearing Mr. Darling (Jason Isaacs), is somewhat cold and demanding, the oh-so-proper banker (who knows the cost of everything) who wants his children to behave and grow up, and the sooner the better. We have the Darling children: the lovely Wendy (Rachel Hurd-Wood), the eldest, most imaginative, and most passionate, as well as her two younger brothers John (Harry Newell) and Michael (Freddie Popplewell) who - let's face it - are pretty interchangeable. Hogan came armed with a budget of $100 million to return audiences to the worlds and characters they've come to know and love. Barrie's immortal and universally-adored creation, writer/director P.J. With Peter Pan, the 2003 live-action adaptation of J.M.