Wendy

Peter Pan done the way of Terrence Malick, Wendy is a version of the classic fantasy tale like we've never seen before but despite its visual beauty and moments of captivating magic, Benh Zeitlin's return to the directors chair for the first time since 2012's Beasts of the Southern Wild is a curiously misjudged experience that will leave many cold and disheartened rather than captivated and moved.

Shot on the island of Montserrat south of Antigua, in what acts as a picturesque volcanic locale captured in stunning 16mm form by Zeitlin and D.O.P Sturla Brandth Grøvlen, Wendy certainly feels larger than its small-scale $6 million budget would suggest on paper but Zeitlin's re-imagining of J.M Barrie's tale of the Peter and the Lost Boys lacks a certain something that would've gripped us in its tale of Devin France's Wendy and her adventures on the beautiful but dangerous island she finds herself on after venturing far from home.

Not too interested in a backstory leading up to the point where Wendy and her neighborhood friends join Yashua Mack's Peter on board a train then a dingy boat sailing towards Peter's home on the island paradise, where magical whales, grumpy old souls and ageless magic exists, the film features whimsy and Where the Wild Things Are like musings on growing old and the special time that childhood is but we never feel drawn to the characters in the film and Wendy often feels like a splattering of captivating imagery and moments around a far from engaging story.

Slow moving throughout, Wendy is in no rush to tell its tale and you can't help but feel as though around the half-way mark of the films 110 minutes that you've begun to see it all, Zeitlin feels unable to capture new magic as Wendy and her posse of fellow children meander from scene to scene with little flow or relevance from each scenario to the next, with there constantly feeling as though there are missed opportunities throughout to explore the emotional, mental anguish and ecstasy that such a magical place could draw out from its inhabitants.

You can't fault Zeitlin for trying something new and the film acts as a beautiful and almost something special example of a talented director creating a fresh spin on a frequently adapted property and his young cast try their best, especially considering many are acting for the first time but Wendy can't overcome its various faults as its great moments get drowned out too regularly by mismanaged ideas and happenings.

Final Say -

A frustrating film to say to say the least, Wendy is at times close to greatness but more often than not falters on its quest to achieve something special with a whole new take on a beloved tale. Zeitlin no doubt has another great film in him, sadly Wendy isn't the one.

2 glowing whales out of 5

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Greetings again from the darkness. When you think of Peter Pan, you likely envision either the 1953 animated Disney film classic or the writings of J.M. Barre, who first introduced the character in his 1902 adult novel, "The Little White Bird." Whatever your impressions and memories of Peter Pan, they likely differ from those of filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, who was Oscar nominated for his stunning 2012 film, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD.

The story begins at a small town greasy spoon diner nestled along railroad tracks. Birthday boy Thomas (Krzysztof Meyn) is devouring a plate of bacon and taking ribbing from the locals who are teasing him with tales of his future working at the diner. He storms out yelping "I ain't gonna be no mop and broom man". Toddler Wendy watches as Thomas jumps on the passing train and disappears with the wind. A few years later, Wendy (newcomer Devin France) and her older twin brothers James and Douglas (Gage and Gavin Naquin) are awakened by a passing train and spot a giggling Peter (Yashua Mack) running along the top of the cars. The siblings climb out the window and leap to join Peter. Soon, they are on an adventure to an island (we assume is Neverland) which seems to be populated with kids who run and jump and play all day. Among them is Thomas, who hasn't aged a day since his birthday bacon.

Any re-imagining of a classic comes with risks. Messing with people's childhood memories inevitably leads to push-back. Benh Zeitlin gives the impression that he's a passion-project only type of filmmaker. This interpretation means something to him, and it's obvious in the detail and creativity. The similarities in visual style to his previous "Beasts" film are obvious, and render quite a different look and feel than we are accustomed to with fantasy movies. But then, this is not a Peter Pan for kids. It's really a philosophical analysis of life. Everything is an adventure for kids, and then somewhere along the way, we lose ourselves and start the 'adulting' portion of life - leaving our childhood dreams behind.

Buzzo represents the once young boy who lost faith. He's now an old guy dreaming of recapturing his youth. Mr. Zeitlin's film, which he co-wrote with his sister Eliza Zeitlin, includes magical elements, fantasies, realism, life lessons, hardships, and the importance of personal connections. The score from Dan Romer is exceptional, as are the performances from youngsters Devin France and Yashua Mack. It was filmed on the volcanic island of Montserrat, and thanks to the mythical "Mother" who lives underwater, it becomes a fable about keeping the faith and never growing old. J.M. Barre's famous first line was "All children, except one, grow up." Are you that one child, or have you lost faith?

This is not a movie for kids. This is not a REMAKE of peter pan, its an adaptation, an independent story of its own, inspired by another story: peter pan. It really seems like a lot of bad reviews are from parents who were under impression of taking their kids to see a version of peter pan story and were dissapointed cause "they ruined the original story". Thats not the case and theres no point giving the movie a 1-star review just because kids wanted to leave the theatre during the film. its a film made for adults and the adults might still like it.

Beautiful movie thougt it really lost its grip towards the end. worth checking out, but nothing groundbreaking.

This film starts out kind of boring and lacking in substance. However, halfway through the plot suddenly goes completely bonkers and I'm struggling to figure out if the plot goes bonkers in a positive or negative way.

This movie is based on the story of Peter Pan, except it focuses on Wendy. The story follows Wendy and her twin brothers, James and Douglas, as they hop onto a train and end up on a magic island where kids don't age. However, things begin to get serious when Wendy learns of an old man on the island.

I mentioned how the film starts out lacking substance. This issue is mostly due to the pacing, which is probably my biggest issue with the film. The scene where the kids get onto the train to the island feels like it comes out of nowhere, despite the fact that there is some build up. And even though it's established that Wendy seeks adventure, I don't really get the impression that she is ok with running away. Her sudden fascination with the train is confusing and feels like a scene or two that would further establish her adventurous and reckless side has been removed. The middle of the movie also feels like certain scenes were cut off too soon. For example, when Wendy and her brothers run into Thomas, a kid from their town who ran away to the island when Wendy was a baby, they question why Thomas looks exactly the same as when he disappeared, and then the scene immediately ends. And after that scene, they rarely interact with Thomas and instantly go back to playing. It feets odd to me that the kids seem to forget about the fact that they just reunited with a missing kid from their town and he hasn't aged a day.

While the first half of the film feels very light on action, there's a very sudden shift in tone that honestly, made me uncomfortable, but in a good way. From that point forward, the film is a significantly more enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, I have issues with the ending. Obviously, I can't go into specifics, but let's just say that the ending raises more questions than answers. I don't have a problem with ambiguous endings, but when you're more confused because of said ambiguity, then I take issue.

I rate this film 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 13 to 15. It came out in theatres on February 28th and the film is now out on digital.

Reviewed by Calista B., KIDS FIRST! Reporter

Love the feel of the beginning of this movie and was looking forward to seeing where it took me. However, by about mid way through it had not done anything to improve on that beginning. By the end it left me unfulfilled.