The story of Peter Pan is a true classic, but I had never seen a Peter Pan movie that I really liked before. The animated Disney version was not bad, just over the top and too 'Disneyfied'. Spielberg's Hook was simply awful; casting an old guy in the role of the eternal boy was one of the biggest mistakes he has ever made. However, most of his colleagues made matters even worse by letting old women play Peter. Reviewers of those movies sometimes applaud the fact that adults 'and even some children' in the audience managed to suspend their disbelief. Hey, wouldn't it have made more sense to cast a Peter that you could simply believe in?
Director P.J. Hogan has certainly managed to do that in this new version. Lead star Jeremy Sumpter was born to play Peter Pan. His role is simply the best by a young actor that I have seen in many years. Let us hope that he will not be pigeon-holed for years to come, as happened to Haley Joel Osment. Somehow, I have a feeling that we do not have to worry about that in Sumpter's case.
The rest of the cast is equally good, some are even excellent, but fortunately none of them distract from the story (as Dustin Hoffman did in Hook). The same goes for the action and CGI sequences. It all blends together in a wonderful movie that is capable of keeping both children and adults like me glued to their seats. This Peter Pan is exciting, moving and breathtaking. It is a movie that I definitely want to see again. 10/10
Director P.J. Hogan has certainly managed to do that in this new version. Lead star Jeremy Sumpter was born to play Peter Pan. His role is simply the best by a young actor that I have seen in many years. Let us hope that he will not be pigeon-holed for years to come, as happened to Haley Joel Osment. Somehow, I have a feeling that we do not have to worry about that in Sumpter's case.
The rest of the cast is equally good, some are even excellent, but fortunately none of them distract from the story (as Dustin Hoffman did in Hook). The same goes for the action and CGI sequences. It all blends together in a wonderful movie that is capable of keeping both children and adults like me glued to their seats. This Peter Pan is exciting, moving and breathtaking. It is a movie that I definitely want to see again. 10/10