Peter Pan, la gran aventura

Up front I will say it: this is the best Peter Pan adaptation yet, and in what follows I will tell you why. Despite the film's quality, it failed at the box office, and for good reason. Insight into that shall be revealed as well. Such sage wisdom ye shall not find in other reviews. Read on.

The main thing that sets this adaptation apart from previous attempts is sexual tension. Yes, sexual tension. If you've read other reviews, no doubt it has been mentioned. Many people seem to take offense at said tension. Such people seem to forget what it was like to be in the age bracket of 12 - 14. The makers of this film don't dance around the fact that Wendy has just met the boy of her dreams, and he is ready to whisk her off to fantasy land. Much is made of the fact that they meet in the bedroom and play father and mother to the lost boys. The relationship of these two pre-teens is as complex as any two adults in any other movies. And the young actors handle the relationship with grace and authenticity.

The production itself is beautiful, albeit stylized. The filmmakers do not mask that neverland is a fantasy world, and it stays that from beginning to end. Every frame in this movie is beautiful. There are some moments that are literally breathtaking.

Ultimately what makes this film excellent is that it tells a story. And this story is centered on Wendy, and the boy of her dreams: Peter Pan. Except he cannot be the man of her dreams, and that is truly tragic. Captain Hook is the opposite: a man who cannot be young. A man who is "old, alone, and done-for" according to Pan. We end up exploring Wendy's psyche throughout the film, and it is almost perfectly achieved.

But why did this film fail at the box office? Competetion. Who can possibly defeat Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, two bigger and much more commercial adaptations of fantasy books? This film deserves to be a classic and is one of the best fantasy movies to date. All should see it, young and old. It is rich, beautiful, and exciting.

9/10

The film centers about Peter Pan (Jeremy Sumpter), Tink (Ludivine Sagnier), Wendy (Raquel Evan-Wood) and brothers who escape from parents' home (Jason Isaacs and Olivia Williams) and they are going to Neverland . They will take on captain Hook ( Jason Isaacs) and pirates henchmen . The argument is similar to Walt Disney's classic , it's alike the cartoon had been made reality. The starring couple as Jeremy Sumpter and Raquel Wood are top notch and Jason Isaacs, sometimes good (the dad) and other bad (Hook) is excellent . Cinematography by Donald McAlpine and James Newton Howard musical score are breathtaking and spellbound . Industrial light magic (ILM , George Lucas production) special effects are awesome and spectacular . Sets are astounding and gorgeous . The picture mingles adventures, action, humor ,tongue in cheek , fantasy and a lot of entertainment . Since the beginning until the end the amusing is interminable . The fable will appeal to adventure and classic tales fans . Rating. 7/10 above average

Tradition be damned! I HATED the Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan, Cathy Rigby productions of Peter Pan! There, I've said it. I realize I'm in the minority on this point, but I have NEVER been able to accept the idea of some actress dressing up in silly green tights, singing equally silly songs, while pretending to be a prepubescent boy pretending to fly on silly piano wires. I fully admit that it's a pet peeve of mine and not meant to denigrate those who have delighted in this tradition. As a long time lover of the J.M. Barrie stories and play, all I can say is that P.J. Hogan's "Peter Pan" is the Pan movie I have waited my entire life for. It is simply a glorious retelling of the J.M. Barrie tale. After Spielberg's dreadful 1991 abortion, "Hook" I was convinced that the story had been buried forever as far as big budget film-making was concerned. I thought all there would be was the 1953 Disney animated film, which unfortunately is more Disney than Barrie or worse, that I was condemned to a lifetime of endless reruns of Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard. Boy, was I wrong. Taking its visual cue from the wondrous illustrations of Maxfield Parrish, Edmund Dulac, N.C. Wyeth and Arthur Rackham, this new film recreates the storybook Never Land on a level that has never been achieved before, nor will ever be again.

But the film is not simply a special-effects fest a la "Star Wars". The effects, dazzling as they are, are just the icing on the cake. Hogan understands it is the characters, and our need to care for them, that must carry the film. And this film has a wonderful cast. Jeremy Sumpter is a great Peter Pan. Gifted with a luminous smile and physicality, he captures all the radiant cockiness, the self-delighted impishness of undefeated, indefatigable youth. One almost feels sorry for Hook for having such an adversary. Rachel Hurd-Wood in a very impressive film debut does a marvelous job as Wendy, the young daughter of the Darlings now at the beginning of young womanhood. Hurd-Wood is both child and woman, and she and Sumpter have very warm and charming screen chemistry in their scenes together, capturing the potentially dangerous under-current of adolescent sensuality without ever hitting you over the head with it, or becoming too cloy. Olivia Williams as Mrs. Darling isn't given much to do, beyond being the mother everyone wishes they had, but she does that very well, and she serves the story beautifully. And she is absolutely gorgeous. In the double role of Mr. Darling/Captain Hook, Jason Isaacs finally comes into his own as the cinema's most perfidious villain since Basil Rathbone crossed swords with Errol Flynn. Isaacs is simply magnificent in a role he was born to play. With a sneer and a swash of his buckle he obliterates forever the image of Hook as a buffoon, the mere butt of Peter's jokes. This is a dangerous, deadly Hook, a figure of Satanic dignity, who one can believe might actually best Peter some dark, unlucky night. Lynn Redgrave plays the role of Aunt Millicent, a character created for the film and not in any of the Peter Pan literature. While the new part doesn't really add anything to the story, it doesn't really take anything away either. And Redgrave is always a joy to watch. Finally the performance of the great Richard Briers should be noted. As Smee he steals every scene he is in. It is a delightful comic turn.

The one performance I questioned was Ludivine Sagnier as Tinker Bell. While I loved the concept of Tink as a bitch-sprite, capable of murderous intent, I felt at times her performance was a little broad. This may have been the outgrowth of having to play a purely physical role without the benefit of any spoken lines. On the other hand I thought she was vastly superior to Julia Roberts who played the same role in "Hook". Nor was she a Marilyn Monroe wannabe from Disney. Sagnier to her credit never plays the part for easy sentimentality.

Hogan and company have brought the Barrie work to the screen and have rightly restored to it a child's sense of awe and wonder, of both beauty and terror co-existing side by side and for this reason alone it is the definitive film version of Peter Pan

Nothing against the memorable versions featuring Betty Bronson, Bobby Driscoll, and Mary Martin - portraying James M. Barrie's boy wonder - but, this adaptation of "Peter Pan" comes closer to the spirit of the original work. For one thing, "Peter" is played by a real boy, which enables Jeremy Sumpter (as Peter) and Rachel Hurd-Wood (as Wendy) to more accurately portray Peter and Wendy as the pre-romantic couple. The novel's appealing mixture of "romance" and "adventure" is more in balance. The young characters, as children, mix "yin" and "yang". Both characters - Peter and Wendy - are important, and both possess the childlike masculine and feminine attributes.

Mr. Hogan's cast and crew present an outstanding production. Jason Isaacs' "Captain Hook" supports the engaging younger performers beautifully. And, Lynn Redgrave is a welcome addition to the lore. Although this is a relatively faithful-to-the-original adaptation, it only touches upon Mr. Barrie's powerful ending ("When Wendy Grew Up"). So, a more perfect Peter has yet to be filmed...

"Peter Pan" is about that magical part of being a child, before sexuality (or, puberty) takes over, and becomes the prime directive. It's a time when Pirates and Fairies may still be real - and the difficulty in letting that part of your life go may be recalled by adults viewing director P.J. Hogan's exciting interpretation. If you don't remember the magic, watch your children enjoy "Peter Pan" - then, you might remember…

It's second to the right, and then straight on 'till morning…

******** Peter Pan (2003) P.J. Hogan ~ Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Jason Isaacs

WOW! that's all I can say to such a movie. The graphics were amazing and the cast were played by some excellent people. I particularly thought Jeremy Sumpter was an excellent actor. He managed to uphold the mischievous side of things at one part and be deadly serious during another. The fairy was extremely funny and the lost boys really where what you would expect in this kind of story. I think this would be a movie for family and and kids even teens but I think adults will be too familiar with the story to want to watch it, so make them!This really is a must see with a great script. If you haven't seen it yet seriously go and see it!!!!!!!!!!!!