Description:
N
N
Affixing an origin story to a character best known for his unchanging nature is a risky proposition, but this tale of Peter Pan's preflight days justifies itself via some strong performances, particularly by Rhys Ifans as a morally thorny Captain Hook. Originally produced as a two-part miniseries, writer-director Nick Willing's story starts off as a niftily cockeyed take on Oliver Twist, with a turn-of-the-century Peter (Charlie Rowe) being trained in the art of grifting by fatherly mentor James Hook. After the theft of a mysterious orb strands the pair in Neverland, however, the two find themselves on different sides, esp
N
N
Affixing an origin story to a character best known for his unchanging nature is a risky proposition, but this tale of Peter Pan's preflight days justifies itself via some strong performances, particularly by Rhys Ifans as a morally thorny Captain Hook. Originally produced as a two-part miniseries, writer-director Nick Willing's story starts off as a niftily cockeyed take on Oliver Twist, with a turn-of-the-century Peter (Charlie Rowe) being trained in the art of grifting by fatherly mentor James Hook. After the theft of a mysterious orb strands the pair in Neverland, however, the two find themselves on different sides, especially with the introduction of a beautiful pirate queen (Anna Friel) with a serious thing for pixie dust. Like many of the made-for-television sagas produced by Robert Halmi Sr. (Tin Man, Earthsea), Neverland's reach tends to exceed its grasp, with a second half marred by narrative compression and some jarringly low-grade CGI. (The decision to reimagine Hook's eternal nemesis as an eight-legged Apatosaurus-sized supercroc doesn't help matters, either.) Viewers willing to overlook such budgetary bumps will still find much to enjoy here, including some vividly expressionist set design, the palpable chemistry between Ifans and Friel, and a stellar supporting cast featuring Charles Dance as a mysterious benefactor, The New World's Q'orianka Kilcher as a note-perfect Tiger Lily, and, in an especially nice touch, Bob Hoskins reprising his role as Smee from Steven Spielberg's Hook. Cue the tick-tocks, happy thoughts, and handclaps. --Andrew Wright
... (more)
(less)
Manufacturer: BABY GENIUS
Release date: 13 March 2012
EAN: 0883476062174 UPC: 883476062174
My tags:
Add tags
Login
