Wendy

I'm so glad I saw the Mary Martin version as a child. This one is kind of horrifying and would definitely have given me nightmares. I would never bring a kid under six to see this. As I said in my title, it's closer to 'Lord of the Flies' than James Barrie's fantasy about the eternal magic of childhood. Peter is a sociopathic bully who brandishes a machete to keep the lost boys in line and the main takeaway seems to be it's gruesome to get old..

Thought it was ok, couldn't keep me engaged had to keep rewinding. My 6 year old kiddo would not watch. Thought it was trying to be like Where the Wild Things are and Peter Pan. I guess if you never watched Peter Pan or Where the Wild Things are it could be ok. The picture, acting, sound track was decent. Maybe if they would of added Lord of the flies scenes in the mix to copy, it might of made the 8 start list.

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

Share The Goodies -

I honestly have no idea what this film is about. The visuals are not pleasing, the characters are poorly developed and I don't feel connected with any part of this film.

One of the best literary allusions is for someone to be a "Peter Pan," a Pollyanna who refuses to grow old. Benh Zeitlin, writer and director along with writer Eliza Zeitlin, remakes that story into Wendy about a wandering girl and her pre-teen friends. Zeitlin's love of nature and kids is evident as it was in his acclaimed Beasts of the Southern Wild, which garnered multiple Oscar nominations.

The emphasis on her (Devin France) is a timely take on a little girl who runs from home and returns, always the mistress of her own heart even when she's following charismatic troublemaker Peter (Yashua Mack). Although the shots of mountains and sea are almost too many, they and the kids are lovingly and powerfully rendered in a satisfactory allegorical sense.

Although the fantasy has a few too many episodes that steal from potentially longer character-making scenes, I still get it-you can't, even on a magical island, evade forever the demands of aging. Sophisticated audiences will immediately see a serious Disney-like philosophy at work, its emphasis on dealing with old folks and facing your fate with equanimity. You might lose an arm, but you'll still make it through if you believe in the goodness of life, especially of mother be she your own or a giant loving fish.

While the allegorical implications of this rugged, romantic, and lyrical adventure could fill a book, here it is necessary only to praise the sumptuous seas and mountains of Neverland, scenery J.M. Barrie would wholly approve. The eye-piercing beauty of the magical island, teeming with geysers of enigmatic steam, strikes the right balance between the beautiful dreams of children and the realities that bite them at the same time. Sometimes the tableau-like shots of nature are overwhelmingly sumptuous, just as the underwater world of the giant mothering fish is dark and foreboding.

At no point do the filmmakers create overly-colorful, unreal images that could lead a child to believe that life is easy. Here it is work just to survive and beauty when you realize where the real beauty is-in loving fealty to friends and family.

Even the story's Captain Hook must admit that love is the salvation and sometimes you can't go home. Fortunately for our little band of adventurers, they can become adults and realize that growing up is the greatest adventure of all.