Peter Pan and Wendy

Director: David Lowery
Starring: Jude Law, Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Yara Shahidi, Alyssa Wapanatâhk, Joshua Pickering, Jacobi Jupe, Molly Parker, Alan Tudyk, Jim Gaffigan
Running Time: 109 min.
Rating: PG

★★½ (out of ★★★★) 

With a traffic jam of live-action adaptations based on their classic animated films hitting screens, it was inevitable Disney would need to prioritize. So that Peter and Wendy went straight to streaming speaks volumes about where it ranks on the studio's agenda. Continuously remade, rebooted and sequeled over the decades, there aren't many creative avenues left to explore in J. M. Barrie's source material. If it dropping on Disney Plus wasn't a red flag, then a poorly received trailer did the trick, with many already jumping to criticize the effects and dark cinematography. Fortunately, what this has going for it is director David Lowery, whose Pete's Dragon proved an accomplished filmmaker is capable of sliding their vision into a highly commercialized family product.

Lowery (who co-wrote the script with Toby Halbrooks) isn't as successful this time around, and while it's not the disaster you've heard, the outcome is still uneven. Clocking in at a bearable length, for everything that works, you'd have little trouble finding something else that doesn't. The good news is that after a somewhat clunky start, there is an attempt to add some depth to the Hook character and his connection to Pan. But whether that novel approach does enough to sufficiently distinguish this from previous takes is debatable.

In London, Wendy (Ever Anderson) spends her last night at home playing with younger brothers John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacobi Jupe) before preparing to leave for boarding school the next day. Dreading her departure and not wanting to grow up, she's visited by Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) and his pint-sized fairy companion Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi), who invite the three children to fly to Neverland, a magical island where Wendy will seemingly get her wish. 

Upon their arrival, the kids are attacked by a pirate ship commandeered by the evil Captain Hook (Jude Law), who vows revenge on Peter for cutting off his hand. After joining forces with Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) and the Lost Boys to battle Hook, the complicated relationship between him and Peter is revealed, setting the two sworn enemies on course for another battle in their ongoing feud. As Wendy witnesses this, she slowly comes to the realization that her reluctance to face adulthood could carry unexpectedly negative consequences.

At first, the film does check off the usual boxes those even slightly aware of the story will recognize. To its credit, that's done quickly, but there are points where you wonder how effective an entryway this is for younger viewers getting their first exposure to Peter Pan, assuming that's even the project's goal. You usually don't hire a director like Lowery without plans to put a serious-minded, nostalgic spin on this, as we've hit a turning point where these adaptations aren't geared toward kids, but older audiences who grew up watching the originals. The screenplay does almost seem to be working under the assumption that everyone knows the tale inside and out, at least until it takes a fairly significant detour in fleshing out Hook's psychological motivations.

Wendy's relationship with her brothers and parents (played by Molly Parker and Alan Tudyk) are given no more than a few scenes before the action shifts to Neverland. It's all sort of flat until Jude Law's entertaining Hook arrives on the scene, playing the sleazy captain as if he's auditioning to replace Johnny Depp in the next Pirates of the Caribbean sequel. Things gets progressively better the more Wendy interacts with her new friends and Hook and Pan dredge up their messy past. The latter is a big change, but in the case of a familiar story beaten into the ground, any alteration feels welcome and this one actually plays pretty well. Any change to a beloved text is usually met with immediate backlash, but adding an extra dimension to Hook is hardly a crime when this desperately needs something to set it apart.

There's definitely an effort to be more inclusive, with the Lost Boys adding girls, people of color and a mentally handicapped member. That's fine, but nothing's done to give us greater insight into these supporting players than in previous iterations. A really likable Yara Shahidi makes for an emotive Tinkerbell, endlessly expressive in her facial reactions and body language, while Alyssa Wapanatâhk's Tiger Lily is depicted stronger and more respectively this time around. In addressing valid criticisms an indigenous character was treated insensitively in previous adaptations, this at least bothers to get it right, with the actress making a brief but memorable impression as the brave warrior. As Peter and Wendy, Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson don't have much chemistry together, but still fair well, especially since the film isn't contingent on any of the performances so much as the spectacle of a story that's been reheated countless times now.

Lowery has a good handle on what he wants to convey, and despite some occasionally spotty CGI, the production design and visual aesthetic is impressive, if thankfully not quite as dark as it looked in the trailer. He may have been creatively handcuffed a little more on this one, but it's not a debacle, as his style still finds a way in during some bigger moments. Peter Pan and Wendy tries to put a slightly different spin on the material, only to falter by not adding much to what was already there. It's become an all too familiar complaint for those tired of Disney reimaginings safely recycling beloved catalogue classics with increased frequency, but mixed results.