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Quote of the Moment
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"No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, it's the ones I love who will always be the ones who pay. I want a life of my own...I'm Spider-Man no more!"
- Peter Parker, Spider-Man 2
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Rating:  out of five
The Cast
Peter Pan: Jeremy Sumpter
Wendy Darling: Rachel Hurd-Wood
Mr. Darling/Captain Hook: Jason Isaacs
John Darling: Harry Newell
Michael Darling: Freddie Popplewell
Tinkerbell: Ludivine Sagnier
Mrs. Darling: Olivia Williams
Smee: Richard Briers
Aunt Millicent: Lynn Redgrave
Universal Pictures presents a film directed by P.J. Hogan; written by Hogan, Michael Goldenberg; based on the original stageplay and novels by J.M. Barrie. Photographed by Donald M. McAlpine; production designed by Roger Ford; music by James Newton Howard; produced by Lucy Fisher, Douglas Wick, and Patrick McCormick. Running Time: 113 Minutes. MPAA Rating: PG (for adventure action sequences and peril).
Written By: Kelvin Hui
There are absolutely no words to describe how wonderful this movie is, I could use all of the descriptive adjectives that are in my vocabulary and it still wouldn't do justice to its greatness! It truly is magical and will become timeless not only for people who have seen it, but also for those individuals who will view it years from now. Peter Pan is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the greatest motion pictures ever to be created in the history of cinema! Oh what an absolutely gorgeous film, my heart is still soaring from the thought of it, even months after I first watched it. As with most movies that I am looking forward to, I simply hope that it will be good but almost every aspect, scene, and moment blew me so far away that I was in my very own Neverland. I cannot begin to express all of the emotions that I felt throughout the course of seeing it for the very first time. It gave me joy, excitement, and that feeling of exhilaration which simply makes you glad to be alive. It has been quite some time since a motion picture made me feel this way; it is an awesome experience that I wish happened to me more often because it makes me so happy. For these reasons alone, I loved watching Peter Pan and I will always cherish it until the end of my days.
Truth be told, this experience was such an unexpected surprise, albeit an incredibly pleasant one as it would turn out. Since the moment I heard that they were making a brand new version of Peter Pan, which was almost three years ago now, I had an interest in it. This is because of the fact that while I've never read the play or novel (I do intend to in the future); I enjoyed the 1953 animated Disney version every time I watched it. Then many months later after several tidbits of news, the teaser trailer came out and I really enjoyed watching it, the film appeared to be good...this was the understatement of my life! The full trailer came some time afterwards and it instilled the same feeling in me, thus I was looking forward to its release on Christmas Day in 2003. Yet, I didn't view it in the theatres because I was actually quite busy with school work and vacation (wow, that's a lame excuse). I wouldn't change this experience for anything though, since it all turned out so well in the end. The DVD was released on May 4th, 2004 and this was my opportunity to watch the movie. It took my family and I quite a while to rent it from Blockbuster, but on one fateful day we finally did just that.
Now, I would like to give you an idea of the extent to which I enjoyed this breathtaking motion picture. I first saw it with my family including my sister, Kimberly, cousins Lauren and Joshua, and lastly my beloved Uncle Stephen on Friday, September 3rd, 2004. It was really Lauren, Kim, and I who were mesmerized by everything in the story so less than twenty-four hours later, the three of us viewed it for a second time! We would have watched it again immediately on that very day if it wasn't already three o'clock in the morning by the time we finished. Less than a week after the original viewing, I saw it for the third time with my sister before we finally returned it. Months later, Kim went out and bought it for my cousin for Christmas so we all watched it again on New Year's Eve and Day bringing my grand total to five (you don't want to know how many viewings my sister's had). This is not to mention the fact that I watched certain scenes (Real Feelings, Alone and Unloved, and A Family Again) dozens of times, it was completely insane! It was still good considering the number of screenings that we had in such a short period of time. I have never done anything like this before in my entire life and that unto itself is an incredible feat, this just proves how excellent the film truly is.
(Darn! Jeremy Sumpter is so unbearably good-looking! Oh, Tinkerbell is cute too of course.)
A lasting tale of adventure, discovery and dreams, Peter Pan has thrilled audiences around the world since it premiered on a London stage over 100 years ago. Yet J. M. Barrie's classic story of the boy who wouldnˇ¦t grow up - and the girl whose family insists that she must - has never been fully realized onscreen...until now. Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios are joining forces to create the first live-action version of Barrie's enduring classic since the silent era. For the first time in a feature-length motion picture, a boy - Jeremy Sumpter (Frailty) - stars in the title role, opposite Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) as Captain James Hook. In stifling Edwardian London, Wendy Darling (Rachel Hurd-Wood) mesmerizes her brothers John (Harry Newell) and Michael (Freddie Popplewell) nightly with bedtime tales of swordplay, swashbuckling and the fearsome Hook. The children become the heroes of an even greater story when Peter Pan flies into their nursery one night and leads them over moonlit rooftops through a galaxy of stars to the lush jungles of Neverland. Wendy, with her brothers, join Peter and the Lost Boys in an exhilarating life free of grown-up rules, while also having the inevitable showdown with Hook and his bloodthirsty pirates.
The story of Peter and Wendy's trip through the night skies is rooted in the collective consciousness like a recurring dream - intoxicating, fantastical, and irresistible. It is so much more than romantic nostalgia or a simple bedtime story, Peter Pan represents the most primal hopes and fears that every single person has in life. Its powerful emotional truth springs from a fantasy of flight and adventure that is universal around the world. Technologically, the time has never been better to tell this story on screen. Philosophically, the world's need to dream, imagine and believe, as Peter Pan urges us to do, is greater than ever. A beguiling duality ripples through Peter Pan. Are we meant to imagine that the Darling children actually stepped off their window ledge and flew to Neverland one night when their father had been especially stern? Or should we instead assume that Wendy bid her childhood a poignant farewell with a fantastic dream on her last night in the beloved nursery? Either scenario offers audiences an awfully big adventure.
Now, you may be asking yourself what makes this movie so good? The answer is that it has everything you could possibly ever want from a motion picture! It has such a great balance and combination of all the different genres: comedy, action, adventure, romance, fantasy, and of course drama which is arguably the most pleasant surprise of all. In the very same sequence, you may be laughing quite hard one moment since its hilarious and then the next you suddenly feel very emotional because it becomes very sad so quickly. From the minute it begins, the film hooks (oh come on, it's the best I can do) you right away and never lets go until the very end. It has so many good things going for it including its fantastic cast, a well-written screenplay, lovely music, impressive action sequences, eye-popping special effects, one of the best love stories that I have ever witnessed, and so much more. Make no mistake about it; this is the timeless story as you've never seen it before.
The movie is wonderfully cast and it offers breakthrough performances for its two star leads - Jeremy Sumpter, remarkably handsome, and Rachel Hurd-Wood, the new face to launch a thousand ships. Of course, more importantly they're arguably two of the most talented and rising performers to appear in Hollywood in a very long time. Although the title does not elude to this, the story is truly from Wendy's perspective and when she is up against the many challenges that face her, she has to get her courage. She has to move from being the little girl that she was to being more grown-up and take control of the situation. She embodies the theme of maturing in the story and Rachel is amazing in her very first acting experience. They are both perfect in their roles, she is Wendy Darling and he is Peter Pan. Jeremy does a wonderful job of making us believe in the boy who refuses to grow up, which is ironic since he grew eight inches while shooting the film! In fact, they had to enlarge the window in the nursery four times so that he could fly through without hitting his head. They will both be huge stars when they are older if everything goes well for them, I sincerely hope that we will see much more of these two in the future. You must appreciate all of the hard work that they put into the movie, it is reported that both passed out on set from the scorching heat. Jeremy had to be rushed to the hospital, although Rachel was fine and stayed on set.
(Argh matey! Chris Issacs is brilliant as both the sinister Captain Hook and the timid Mr. Darling.)
The best actor may be Chris Isaacs though as he really shivers the timbers and shows his greatness as a thespian. He is both the meek father and dangerous pirate; roles traditionally played by the same actor as per author Barrie's instructions when it was first written as a play. His Mr. Darling and Captain Hook are such polar opposites in the tale and he pulls it off very nicely. I'm sure some of the younger children wouldn't even be aware that it is the same man playing both characters. Every other main actor/actress in the cast is great as well, they all fit their roles incredibly well. Ludivine Sagnier as Tinkerbell, Olivia Williams as Mrs. Darling, Richard Briers as Smee, and Lynn Redgrave as Aunt Millicent all contribute much to the film. This movie overcomes many obstacles including predominantly having children in most of the lead roles such as Peter, the Darling family, and Lost Boys. All of the kids are great though, considering how young and inexperienced they are. My favourite of the bunch was Slightly (Theodore Chester) because he's the best actor and says some funny lines such as "So looking forward to being your son!" or "And isn't she just first class?!" Finally, although she doesn't appear in the final cut of the motion picture; Saffron Burrows (Troy) does an effective job narrating with her soft and smooth voice that is perfect for classic storytelling. She also has some great sentences that she says including "It would be delightful to report that they reached the nursery in time, but then there would be no story" and the highly emotional ending is brought about with the help of her voice.
This film contains some of the best dialogue that I have ever heard, it is very well-written by director Hogan, who does an excellent job of bringing this tale to life, and Michael Goldenberg. The whole story is incredibly charming; each word moves the plot along while making us laugh or even cry at what the characters are saying and doing. There are so many great scenes; they continually hit the audience one after the other and it gets better as it progresses (all of the best ones do). There are numerous examples and if you have seen the movie, then you know how lovely these lines are. Indeed, I believe that most of the sentences are wonderful so it was frustratingly difficult to only choose several. These are the ones that I loved when I originally watched it and I would like to share them with you. The first is from the scene entitled Dance of the Fairies, when Wendy questions Peter's feelings after he asks her to confirm that their relationship is only make-believe:
Wendy: Peter, what are your real feelings?
Peter: Feelings?
Wendy: What do you feel? Happiness? Sadness? Jealousy?
Peter: Jealousy? Tink!
Wendy: Anger?
Peter: Anger...Hook.
Wendy: Love?
Peter: Love?
Wendy: Love...
Peter: I have never heard of it.
Wendy: I think you have Peter...I daresay you felt it yourself for something...or someone... (She looks down and says this with hope in her voice.)
Peter: Never. Even the sound of it offends me.
The second also involves Peter and Wendy, which makes sense since they are the main characters. It is during the sequence Before We Are Forgotten where they literally fight each other:
Wendy: Sir, you are both ungallant and deficient.
Peter: How am I deficient?
Wendy: You're just a boy... (Shakes her head slightly.)
Peter then looks slightly taken aback.
Michael: Are you really to be a pirate, Mother?
Wendy: No. We're going home.
Slightly: Home?!
Tootles: What?!
John: Leave Neverland?!
Wendy: We must! We have forgotten our parents...we must leave at once, before we, in turn, are forgotten. (The camera shows Peter's eyes becoming tearful as she says this.)
The end of this very same scene also showcases fantastic dialogue between the two. It occurs after everyone, including the Lost Boys, decides that they will leave Neverland to return to their homes:
Wendy: You too Peter.
Peter: Won't they send me to school?
Wendy: Yes...
Peter: And to an office.
Wendy: I suppose so.
Peter: Soon I should be a man... (She nods.) you can't catch me and make me a man!
Wendy: Peter!
Peter: I want always to be a boy and to have fun...
Wendy: You say so, but I think it is your biggest pretend. (She walks away, leaving him standing there, thinking about what she has said.)
Finally, the last scene that I wanted to mention consists of only one line but its such a powerful and uplifting sequence that this picture is all that is needed to bring it back to memory:
(Now repeat after me: I Do Believe in Fairies, I Do, I Do!)
What I love about the movie is that it encapsulates the entire spectrum of what it would be like to be eternally youthful like Peter and have his abilities. Yes, he does things that we can only dream of, but to never grow up and experience what adults are able to is unspeakably sad. This approach has never been taken in any other version so it is very special and a wise decision on the part of the writers and director Hogan. With lines like "You're just a boy" and "You're a tragedy!" it brings so much drama and emotion to his story. I believe that he is both the coolest kid in the world and a tragic character at the same time. Much like other epics such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Harry Potter series, or Star Wars saga, I have now memorized and hum the melodies from Peter Pan almost everyday (yes I am a nerd). It took a while to learn actually but I kept watching certain sequences and listened to samples online so I eventually ingrained it into my mind. I absolutely love the music from this motion picture; it is incredibly beautiful and adds so much to it. Over the past several months, from attending film class, I have learnt how incredibly significant it can be since it helps scenes be more entertaining. James Newton Howard does a fantastic job of bringing fitting and wonderful harmonies, which made everything that much better.
Peter Pan versus Captain Hook. It's one of the most legendary battles of all time and it's done very well here. The swashbuckling is very fast-handed and close contact, which is both exciting and impressive. Both main fights that the two characters have are pure entertainment but they're very different as well. The first is mostly fun but the second is much more dramatic and serious. The funny thing about battles is that usually it's when the characters speak to each other which is the amazing part. Sure, the fighting itself is of course important but the dialogue between two individuals is equally significant, if not more so. In the second one, it is exactly this that helps the sequence be that much more emotional. A large part of the end battle is done in the air, amidst the sails of the Jolly Roger. Some of this is like an aerial dog-fight for brief moments, it becomes slightly over the top but it's still mighty entertaining. Pan's advantage has always been his quickness and ability to fly but this is taken away, raising the stakes between him and Hook. There are so many great fights in film history but these action sequences are some of my new favourites.
In the hundred years since it was first performed, technological advances have occurred that would have sounded like science fiction in 1904. Even 20 years ago, when Lucy Fisher first acquired the rights, a live action version could not have been made that depicted the story's fantasy elements with the surreal seamlessness that it has now. This is why it truly is the perfect time for the movie to be created and released. The backgrounds in Peter Pan included the streets and rooftops of London, clouds, planets, the landscapes of Neverland and the Jolly Roger, which were all fantastically created with a combination of sets and special effects. Not to mention the fact that it has the best flying ever to be captured on film thus far, it's beautiful and smooth while being incredibly fast as well. The new interpretation remains a fairy tale, one that is lavishly designed and strikingly shot by Roger Ford and Donald M. McAlpine. I usually don't mention people who work behind the scenes but they deserve to be recognized since they did such a breathtaking job. The look of the motion picture emphasizes sparkly storybook qualities over realism, and the characters are often shot in a beautifully muted bluish light, especially at the end of the fairy dance. In other scenes such as the arrival to Neverland, the forest greens and other bright colors burst out around them. Ultimately, there are approximately 1200 F/X shots (wow!) with the majority produced by ILM (Industrial Light and Magic, the same company developed by George Lucas and used for the Star Wars saga). Special effects technology was created for a movie like this, it adds so much beauty and visual scenery that the mind can take in with pleasure.
(The most dazzling and romantic sequence of all time. Their story is just so heartbreaking...someone please get me a tissue!)
Oh my goodness, this is one of the most wonderful love stories that I have ever witnessed in my life thus far. I absolutely adore it and I will always be in awe of it. Athough the film does push the pubescent yearnings more vigorously than previous popular interpretations (you can cut the sexual tension with a knife!), their relationship is still amazingly sweet and innocent. The introduction between Peter and Wendy is so cute, sweet, and delightful. When they first meet it is simply fun for the audience, but by the final scenes it means so much more than I could have ever imagined. The sequences that I have mentioned above will live with me forever, they're some of my favourite from the entire motion picture and they bring it to an entirely new level of greatness. The dance is one of the most gorgeous scenes that I have ever seen. With the fairies swirling around them as they fly in the air until they are cast perfectly in the centre against a full moon is too beautiful of an image. They're such amazing sequences that show the growth of their love for each other. The ending simply breaks my heart in two; it is incredibly poignant and touching. It will bring tears to your eyes while making your heart swell with emotion, it never fails to do this to me! The credit must be given to Jeremy and Rachel who have such fantastic chemistry together; they make you believe that the characters are each others' first love.
Needless to say, this adaptation is simply better than the fifty-two year old animated classic and Hook (released in 1991), which I continue to hear is terrible although I have never watched it. Simply put, this is the best motion picture to ever have been made about Peter Pan and I believe that it will continue to be so for many years to come. The timing is just about perfect as it was released almost one hundred years after the play debuted in London on December 27th, 1904 at the Duke of York's Theatre. I personally couldn't think of a better gift to celebrate the centennial anniversary than a movie that delivers everything you could possibly hope for and more. I sincerely believe that if no other film version of the tale were made in the next century, then that would be fine because it could last us for that amount of time, it is the definitive interpretation of the legend. Please take the time to watch it on video or DVD, I am positive that you will love it no matter how old you are because it is a motion picture for all ages, it's very entertaining for adults and children alike. The message of the story is eternal. Who hasn't worried about growing up and what the world has in store for us? I know I certainly have. This movie has something to say to any nation and individual in the entire world. It is one of the best films to ever have been created in the history of cinema and it will take you back to your childhood which is priceless, for all children grow up...except one.
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