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Peter Pan and Wendy is the timeless tale of a young girl who, defying her parents' wishes to attend boarding school, travels with her two younger brothers to the magical Neverland. There, she meets a boy who refuses to grow up, a tiny fairy and an evil pirate captain, and they soon find themselves on a thrilling and dangerous adventure far, far away from their family and the comforts of home.

Letterboxd users deserve a shoutout for not taking part in the “review bomb” trend that we often see for movies that have this stigma. IMDb is showing mostly one star ratings for this, so do they expect anyone with half of a brain cell to buy that these are authentic ratings, or are these groups just insane? Nonsense aside, this is a flawed film, so certain issues are justified. What manages to salvage this experience is a mixture of David Lowery’s style and a few notable performances. Ever Anderson is great as Wendy, and Jim Gaffigan is solid as Smee, but Jude Law’s Captain Hook is the star of this show. Some haven’t loved this interpretation, but it is just different enough to work well. The performances themselves feel distinct, as does the entire vibe, but the story is what follows the basic Peter Pan formula. Keeping a lot of it the same isn’t all that bad here, as a competent director can mostly overcome the “Disney remake” stigma, but there is one factor that drags this movie down: Peter Pan is not compelling in a Peter Pan movie.

Being unfamiliar with Alexander Molony, I did not know what to expect, but this just doesn’t work. There is a lack of charisma and confidence in the character, and everything feels clunky. The fight sequences come across as awkward because of this, and there is a huge issue with chemistry between certain characters as well. All of this throws off what could have been a good experience and turns it into a somewhat forgettable product. It still isn’t apparent if Lowery is to blame for not giving better direction or not. I am more than willing to defend the film itself, as some are calling it bland (which I disagree with), but the lead performance and occasional sluggish scene really manage to bring it down. I also felt that Lowery never truly broke out of the Disney formula here. There were so many opportunities to be more edgy or showcase something authentic as he did with Pete’s Dragon, but these moments never came to pass. Instead of a full Lowery product, Peter Pan and Wendy is a safe and somewhat stylish remake with a few massive problems. The experience itself is not bad at all, as the score may just be one of the best of the year, and the effects work. There are a few scenes that look as if this is indeed made for Disney Plus, but it mostly looks good. It felt as if Disney needed this to be amazing, but it falls short of being what it could have been.

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