It is hard to imagine there were many people clamoring for yet another remake of JM Barrie’s “Peter Pan,” but the decision makers at Disney clearly felt there was scope for a live-action take on the 1953 animation that remains beloved by so many and so, here we are.
For “Peter Pan & Wendy,” director David Lowerey (behind the excellent 2016 adaptation of “Pete’s Dragon” and the much-lauded 2021 film “The Green Knight”) assembled a cast of enthusiastic young actors to play the boy who wouldn’t grow up, his rag-tag Lost Boys, and the Darling children – John, Michael and the titular Wendy. In something of a masterstroke, Lowerey also has Jude Law as the nefarious Captain Hook and Jim Gaffigan as the hapless Smee – both actors bring a level of charisma to a film that, while crammed with special effects, feels a little lackluster when relying on its younger stars.
Wendy (Ever Anderson), John and Michael find themselves swept off to Neverland by Peter (Alexander Molony) and thrown into the middle of his latest battle against Law’s hook-handed pirate. The backstory behind Peter’s complicated relationship with his nemesis shows glimpses of getting a little interesting, but any such nuance is swiftly dropped in favor of spectacle, with “Peter Pan & Wendy” throwing the full weight of the Disney CGI arsenal into the mix, with everything from flying pirate ships to enormous crocodiles painted in vivid, impressive detail.
It is actually a shame as some of those more interesting plot points — Tiger Lily’s relationship with Peter, why Wendy does not want to grow up, the story of who Captain Hook was — could have given the movie a bit of substance had a few more minutes been given to exploring them. Instead, “Peter Pan & Wendy” is a perfectly serviceable but ultimately unremarkable movie that (Law’s rollicking portrayal of Hook aside) look set to get lost in the Disney+ miasma.