What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this movie is OK for early tweens
who aren't frightened by a brief but graphic image of Captain
Hook's amputated arm as he puts on one of his hooks. The movie
has a lot of fantasy violence, including swordfights, guns, and
hitting below the belt. Pirates are killed. We see boys' bare
behinds. There are a couple of sweet kisses and some subtle
references to puberty. Characters drink and smoke and a pirate
offers liquor and cigars to a child.
Families who see this movie could talk about why someone might not want to grow up. What do grown-ups do to keep the best part of childhood inside themselves? Is that what Barrie was doing in writing this story?
Common Sense Media Review
Oh, the cleverness of storyteller James M. Barrie, who gave
us Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, a St. Bernard nanny,
Tiger Lily, and the crocodile that ticks because it swallowed a
clock! And oh, the cleverness of P.J. Hogan, the director and
co-screenwriter who has brought us this sumptuously beautiful
re-telling of the classic story that maintains its timeless
charm.
This is the story of the Darling children, Wendy, Michael, and John, who fly to Neverland with Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up. Neverland has pirates, mermaids, and no baths, bedtimes, or schoolwork.
But there are no mothers, either, and without mothers, there are no stories. So Peter listens to the stories that Wendy tells her brothers. One night, his shadow is caught in the window. When he comes back to get it, she sews it on, and Peter invites them back to Neverland. There they meet up with the Lost Boys, and battle Captain Hook ( Jason Isaacs, Harry Potter 's Lucius Malfoy).
The production design is simply gorgeous. A storybook Victorian London is imagined with exquisite period detail. Even state-of-the-art special effects like flying and computer graphics are consistently conceived and gratifyingly believable. The jarring notes are Peter's (unforgivably) American accent and some anachronistic-sounding music. Swimming Pool 's Ludivine Sagnier does her best, but Tinkerbell is probably best portrayed as a spot of light. And some Pan lovers will object to some gentle tweaking of the story. But it's not so much to be politically correct or bring it up to date as it is to remove any distractions from what in today's view would be seen as sexism.
The story is about growing up, after all, and it is not a coincidence that Wendy flies away with Peter on what is supposed to be her last night sleeping in the nursery with her brothers before she must start to become a young lady. But even though, like her mother, Wendy has a kiss hiding in the corner of her mouth, she is not at all sure that she wants to become a young lady. Part of the charm of the story is the way it looks at the terror and wonder of that bittersweet moment on the cusp of an adventure that can be scarier and more thrilling than a battle with pirates. Barrie thought that it was really Wendy's story, and she is the one who really makes a journey. When she kisses Peter to bring him back to life, both of them wake up.
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