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Warning: Spoilers
There's so much to say about this movie, I don't even know where to start. But, long story short, the movie is terrible. The acting is bad, the visual effects, the plot, the characters, everything. The idea of replacing the old plot for a more modern and critical one is actually well-intentioned, but the way it's done is superficial and it lacks meaning. For example, Tinker Bell, this time portrayed by a black actress, no longer has any romantic interest involving Peter, and, therefore, has no spite towards Wendy. This change makes room for a new role for Tink, a role that could've given her even more highlight, but that's not what happened. Instead, she can't make herself heard for the majority of the film, because no one understands what she's saying. That being said, in theory, her purpose is to communicate through expressions, but she was not able to do so, since the acting missed every emotion she was supposed to express (for example: the actress would do a confused face to express sadness, or a happy face to express confusion, which did not make sense to me). So, I think her character was not really useful to the story, because she didn't add anything to it, which is a shame considering she could've had a more complex role, since she holds the main black representation of the movie. The same thing can be said to the leader of the Lost Boys, whose actor has Down Syndrome, and, before the movie was out, I was excited because I thought he would've had a major role, but he barely had lines or screentime. Tiger Lily is also a victim of lazy writing. On the one hand, I was happy to see an indigenous character having a non problematic role, more screentime and meaning. On the other, even with more participation, she's still not that relevant to the story. But, she does save Peter from death and fights fiercely at the final battle, so I'll give her that. Now, Wendy. Even though her character's actress had probably the best acting of the film, that does not make her acting good at all. It felt overacted, too dramatic and she was not really likeable even when she tried hard to be. However, the way this Wendy Darling was written is what bothered me the most. I liked the idea of giving her character more depth, focusing on her personal goals and independence rather than motherhood and marriage. But that was not well developed, so her character ended up being bland, too grumpy, defensive and meaningless, since she expresses no real willing to stay or leave Neverland, to grow or not grow up, etc. Also, Wendy was supposed to be, regardless of the misogynistic conotation of her original role, a kind, gentle yet brave, strong, feminine and caring character, and she's none of that in this new movie. That not being bad enough, Wendy is known to be a storyteller, that is the trait that draws Peter to her, because she's a good narrator, her gift is to tell stories. Yet in the movie, instead of telling stories, she sings, more specifically, one lullaby to the Lost Boys, and that's it. Now that I mentioned the Lost Boys, I should say that it was a bit pointless to have girls in this particular group and it still be called "Lost Boys". I guess they added girls to the group to be more inclusive (and I love the idea), but the point of the Lost Boys being boys is because girls were too smart to be lost, so this is, by itself, an empowering plotline, with no need of alteration. Besides being pointless, there's no real problem in including the girls, the thing is that they have almost no screentime or lines, which makes, again, their inclusion pointless. If you're going to add women characters in a male predominant story, you need to give them voice and representation for it to make sense and have meaning, which was not what happened in this movie. Changing the subject, let's talk about Capitain Hook. I personally am a fan of Jude Law's acting, but not even that was enough to save the movie. This new Hook is not terrifying at all. He, at the end of the day, seems a bit pathetic. His storyline was basically his former friendship with Pan and the fact that he missed his mother, how he was a victim of Peter's selfshiness and resents how things ended with their relationship. Although this gives a deeper reason to empathize with the villain, it eliminates his misterious aura and makes him more of a whimpering tall child than a scary man who's disappointed and bitter with life. And now, the worst part: Peter Pan himself. The actor, poor kid, is just a really bad actor. He does not understand Peter's personality and charisma, nor does whoever wrote the script. He's completely apathetic, he shows no real expressions or feelings, making it hard to feel bad for him or to understand his reasons. He's chill, conformed and unlikeable, his lines - even tho most of them are references of the original material - have no impact when he delivers them. He's supposed to be charming, energetic, fun, cocky and joyful. These traits are mentioned in the film as if Peter has them, but the acting shows the opposite. The movie is called "Peter and Wendy", but the two barely have scenes together, and when they have, they lack both romantic and platonic chemistry. The relationship between Hook and Peter is the focus of the movie, with backstory, climax and a possible forgiveness by the end of the movie, knowing the fact that Hook was not killed by the crocodile in this new version. All of that makes me think the movie should be named "Peter and Hook", it would've been more coherent. The cinematography is flat and lifeless, Neverland is like a bunch of green hills and a beach that could've been filmed at literally any part of planet Earth (and it was, but the point is that it shouldn't look like it was). Neverland was supposed to be magic, the landscapes were meant to be fantastic, unreal, with vivid colors and breathtaking visual elements. The scenario was too normal for a fantasy tals: beaches, hills, woods, a cave. The pixie dust did not shine, the fairies weren't bright. The color palette was opaque, the sword fights were poorly choreographed, the filming angles and editing transitions looked lazy and cheap. The overall plot was rushed and full of holes (for example, Peter losing his ability to fly and falling at a thirty feet height and not dying because of the fall, but for the cut in his chest made by Hook before he fell). Anyway, all of this to say I had great hopes for the film, and ended up entirely disappointed. I rate this 1/10 for the one good thing that is the attempt of representation and inclusion, but that's all.
1/10
