Movie Review

New live-action Peter Pan & Wendy charms with just the right amount of fairy dust

The tale of Peter Pan has been told and retold so many times in multiple forms, whether it’s in books, theater, TV, or movies, that it is one of the most familiar in all of storytelling. In addition to the classic 1953 Disney animated film, there have been numerous live action adaptations, although – until now – not one done by Disney itself.

That changes with Peter Pan & Wendy, making its debut on Disney+, a film that uses the familiar to expand the story in a host of ways. As the film begins, Wendy (Ever Anderson) is getting ready to go off to boarding school, pretend playing what she and her brothers, John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacobi Jupe), believe is the fictional story of Peter Pan and Captain Hook. Their minds are blown when not only do Tinker Bell (Yara Shahadi) and Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) actually show up, but then also whisk them away to Neverland.

Once there, they encounter Captain Hook (Jude Law), Smee (Jim Gaffigan), and their crew of pirates; a diverse group of Lost Boys (and girls); and Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wapanatâhk), an indigenous girl who often comes to the aid of Peter and the Lost Boys. All involved go through a series of adventures in Neverland, with more than a few surprises along the way.

Written and directed by David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon), with help from co-writer Toby Halbrooks, the film touches on many of the recognizable elements of the original animated film, but does so in a way where the reverence is not the point. Lowery and his team insert details like John’s ever-present top hat, a hint of the music from “You Can Fly…” when Wendy flies for the first time, and the gigantic crocodile that torments Captain Hook, but each of these and more serve only as reminders what’s been seen before instead of being the focus of the film.

What truly makes the film sing is letting Wendy take the lead. No shrinking violet who’s merely in awe of Peter Pan and everything in Neverland, this Wendy challenges the cocky Peter and has a maturity that allows her to be both in control at almost all times and empathetic to everyone around her. In a similar vein, Tiger Lily goes from a non-speaking role to a strong character who speaks in Wapanatâhk’s native Cree language and plays the hero more than once. Giving Wendy and Tiger Lily more to do makes the story even more adventurous than it already was.

The film as a whole is remarkably inclusive, but done in such a way that feels completely natural. As mentioned, the Lost Boys also includes a few girls, as well as a boy with Down syndrome, but each of them is highlighted without making a big deal of their presence, making them simply part of the group. The pirate crew, while mostly anonymous, also has a nice multicultural blend to it.

Lowery also makes a point to go beyond the “good/bad” dynamic between Peter and Hook. They are antagonistic toward each other, to be sure, but their relationship is given a backstory that not only explains their enmity, but also gives it an unexpectedly emotional bent. Lowery plays both sides of the fence well, delivering the fun of Peter and Hook facing off while also allowing both characters to be three-dimensional characters.

The way Anderson commands the film, they probably should have named it Wendy & Peter Pan. The young actor announces herself in a big way here, and should she want it, you’re likely to see much more of her in the coming years. Molony is a serviceable Pan, although he’s not quite as dynamic as previous actors in the role. Law makes for an outstanding Hook, especially given the new demands on the performance. And Wapanatâhk does a lot with a relatively small amount of screen time.

Given the proliferation of Peter Pan adaptations through the years, you may not think you need to see another version. However, Peter Pan & Wendy bucks the trend of bad live action updates of Disney’s animated films, sprinkling just the right amount of fairy dust on the story to make it feel new again.

$Alyssa Wapanat\u00e2hk in Peter Pan & Wendy$

Photo by Eric Zachanowich

Alyssa Wapanatâhk in Peter Pan & Wendy.

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Peter Pan & Wendy is now streaming on Disney+.

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Movie Review

Avatar: Fire and Ash returns to Pandora with big action and bold visuals

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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