Peter Pan and Wendy movie review: Jude Law redefines Captain Hook for a new generation in David Lowery’s unconventional Disney movie

Peter Pan & Wendy isn’t quite as good as that film, nor does it have the deep melancholy of Christopher Robin — a Winnie the Pooh movie set in postwar London (!) — but it certainly cements Lowery’s stature as one of the most individualistic filmmakers currently working in the studio setup. Each of his movies, in one way or another, is a fairytale. It just so happens that one of them was about a renegade outlaw couple in the Old West, and another about a medieval knight trapped in the body of a millennial. Lowery’s films are known for their straightforward plots, which are often held in contrast to rich, painterly visuals.

This would probably be the best way to describe Peter Pan & Wendy, on which the filmmaker reunites with his Pete’s Dragon cinematographer Bojan Bazelli to create a movie experience that looks like something that is perpetually in active conflict with its otherwise familiar story. We know how it goes: Wendy Darling wants nothing more than to remain a child, and on the eve of her departure for boarding school, she and her two brothers are transported to the magical Neverland by their hero, Peter Pan. There, they encounter the wicked Captain Hook and his band of pirates, the adventurous Tiger Lily, and the ragtag group known as the Lost Boys.

No amount of Wizard of Oz touches in Daniel Hart’s score can distract from the fact that Peter Pan & Wendy has considerably more personality than most movies of its size and scope. And even though it’s paced like a thoroughbred — presumably to avoid losing the younger viewers — Lowery builds individual scenes with patience, and composes his frames with an eye for detail. The geography of the action is limited, essentially, to a small radius around one island, and unlike most Disney movies — which often look like they’ve  been made either inside a warehouse or a computer — Peter Pan & Wendy makes ample use of real locations, a lost art these days.

It’s almost a shame then, that barring a few moments, the movie doesn’t attempt to alter the source material, which, to be sure, has been adapted to within an inch of its life already. It positively demands a radical reimagining. One of Lowery’s key new decisions is to not restrict the Lost Boys group to just boys. The movie addresses any potential outrage by having Wendy make this observation herself, before shrugging her shoulders and remarking, “Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter.” But perhaps Lowery’s biggest input is to bless Captain Hook with a tragic backstory that, if nothing else, gives Jude Law more to chew on.

Curiously enough, Law plays the iconic character neither comedically nor with moustache-twirling villainy. Instead, he makes the rather interesting choice to play it completely straight; even Hook’s most menacing scenes are pitched as if he’s placing an order at McDonald’s or something. It’s enough to make you sit up and pay attention to the performance, and a welcome departure from the scenery-chewing tone that most actors would aim for when presented with a character like this. Without necessarily humanising Captain Hook, Lowery succeeds in making him more human.

For a moment, it almost seems as if he’s showing sympathy for the devil, but Captain Hook in this movie serves almost as a cautionary tale. It’s no wonder that Peter Pan & Wendy, like Pete’s Dragon and Christopher Robin before it, also deals with themes such as loss of innocence and regret. Filmmakers often mistake nostalgia for the sight of one’s favourite childhood superhero. But real nostalgia is looking at that superhero and being reminded of the time when you thought that you could become one too. Lowery’s movie, while steeped in nostalgia itself, is also about the tragedy of living in a world without it.

Peter Pan & Wendy
Director – David Lowery
Cast – Jude Law, Ever Anderson, Alexander Molony
Rating – 3.5/5