You may have been to Neverland many times, but in Peter Pan and Wendy, you would see the best available version of the place, where kids do not grow up. In the new live-action film from Disney, filmmaker David Lowery decided to update Peter Pan with his own pixie dust and does a decent job.

The story begins in Edwardian London, when a young girl Wendy Darling is about to be sent to boarding school. It is the very moment that Peter Pan, chasing his shadow, flies into their lives with the pint-sized fairy Tinker Bell. Both of the Neverlanders take Wendy and her younger brothers Michael and John, on a trip to Neverland, where they encounter the atrocious Captain Hook and his pirates. The story, this time around, gives a very different angle to the backstory of the Captain and Peter.

The role of Captain Hook is played by veteran actor Jude Law, who steals the show with his power-packed performance. Law is more of a neurotic comic figure than a nasty villain and joins the list of all those legendary actors like Dustin Hoffman and Hugh Jackman who did justice to the character before him.

Young British actor Alexander Molony stars as the titular leader of the Lost Boys, while Ever Anderson stars as Wendy Darling. Molony was good as Peter, but his story looks half-cooked.

Ever leads the film with a scene-stealing performance, and looks a lot like her mother, actress Mill Jovovich from the Resident Evil series. She even matched Jude Law’s character of Captain Hook in all the scenes they shared together.

What had to be Peter Pan vs Captain Hook, came out as Captain Hook vs Wendy. Tinker Bell’s role is shorter in this version, and she is no longer Peter’s boss. Hook’s sidekick Smee, who saved Hook as a kid long ago, is excellent as an emotionally bruised person, while Native American Princess Tiger Lily shines in her brief appearance. The 106-minute movie is what one would expect from a live-action version of a Disney classic. A visually stunning film with a few new twists, excellent locales and beautiful camera work, it makes one feel just like the boy who has been entertaining for the last 70 years and never grew up.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 9th, 2023