Peter Pan & Wendy [David Lowery?] (Disney+)

I mostly like Lowery's films, and Pete's Dragon is definitely the little 'Disney remake that could'. But I don't think he found a way to navigate Peter Pan in a particularly interesting way.

The visual design of the thing highlights the central tension here. It is certainly a film that looks as if it was directed by, well, an actual director. The wide-angled lenses frequently pulled out are pure Lowery, and the more grounded, naturalistic realisation of Neverland as a beautiful green archipelago lends things a much-needed sense of physicality (ditto the pirate ship). The best scene in the film is when the characters joyfully float to the ground and touch the Neverland grass for the first time.

But this is also a Disney remake, and so there's all this need for CG enhancement and spectacle. Unfortunately, home viewing and crystal clear 4K HDR presentation tends to highlight the shortcomings of CG - and here the crocodiles, retro London cityscapes etc... just look far too artificial to fit in snugly with Lowery's directorial style. He also has an unfortunate tendency to shoot in pretty low light conditions, so much of the film looks bland and staid when it should be vibrant. There was one scene near the end when Peter was escaping a cave, where it went from dark and dank to suddenly sunny and brightly lit - I think it was a thematic / character choice, but it actually just looked like a colour correction error to me!

That said, the cast do their best to elevate a story that feels largely slight (90 mins should be an immediate asset given the bloated runtimes of many Disney remakes, but this sadly feels too lean and inconsequential). Jude Law has plenty of fun as Hook, while Ever Anderson is a charismatic Wendy. The Lost Boys are wonderfully cast to reflect the spirit of the gang, but I don't think they're given enough to do which is a shame because the film picks up when they're on screen. I also do think the final setpiece with the flying ship also has enjoyable setpiece moments, especially when it's more focused on the gravity-shifting action on the ship rather than big CG shots.

It's instructive to compare this to Wendy, Benh Zeitlin's almost entirely unseen reimagining of Peter Pan from a few years ago.

Both films sadly don't work, but Zeitlin's film is a more audacious, distinctive proposition that actually has some of the Malickian energy some of PP&W more positive critics have (IMO incorrectly) suggest this also has. That film, despite the stunning 16mm cinematography / effects (it looks so much better than PP&W in every respect, despite having a fraction of the budget) and soaring score, falls apart because it's almost too resistant to have a clear, focused story. PP&W has the opposite problem: it's too beholden to the Disney remake formula that even Lowery and team's admirable attempts to put their own visual signature on things aren't enough to elevate it. We've had two indie darlings attempt to make a fresh take on Peter Pan, but alas as the immeasurable other attempts to make a live-action version also show, this is a story that's surprisingly hard to wrangle.