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First off, if the Academy Awards had a Best Villain Oscar, I’d nominate Jason Isaacs for it. Damn, but that man can do evil-but-sexy like nobody’s business. Lucius Malfoy, that guy from The Patriot and now Captain Hook (whom he actually managed to make very sympathetic). And he played George Darling, too (*clears throat* “A little less noise there.”).
Having squee-ed about Jason Isaacs, I will now squee about the movie.
I loved it. Loved it. Loved. It. The Lost Boys were cute, Peter and Wendy’s shy (often unintentional) attempts at flirting were adorable, and the kid they got to play Peter had this thoroughly evil looking little smile that was just perfect. Plus, he was so friggin’ cute (in an “awe, kawaii, I want him for a pet” sort of way, not a sexy way). The sets used for Neverland were also good—they did some nice things with painted backdrops and intentionally cartoony-looking CGI stuff that gave the island a sort of fantasy/not entirely real feel.
I loved the book as a kid, and have seen both the Disney cartoon and the stage (Mary Martin) version several times, and used to watch the cartoon “Peter and the Pirates” (or something like that. I can’t remember exactly what it was called) back when I was about eleven, and I have to say that I like this film version best. The earlier Disney one got all of the adventure and excitement of the story down, but never quite managed to convey the sad/painful aspects of the book. The new movie does--- I spent approximately the entire final ten-fifteen minutes of the film crying uncontrollably (started getting teary-eyed during Peter’s last fight with Hook, started sniffling when Hook died, began bawling outright when Wendy, John, and Michael went home, because it was all so sad and happy at the same time). The bit about the window staying open/being shut always got me in the book, because the shutting-of-the-window concept is pretty much every child’s deepest fear—that their parents will stop wanting them. And what they still didn’t include even in this version is the bit in the book where you find out that Peter once tried to go back home (just a bit after running away) only to find that his parents had closed and latched the bedroom window and that there was another baby in the crib. If you know this, that last fight with Hook has even more impact, and the scene at the end where he’s watching the Darlings and Lost Boys through the window is “rip your guts out” sad.
The movie really reminds you both of how innocent children can be, and how cruel they can be, and how that cruelty can almost stem from their innocence sometimes, because they simply don’t understand some things, and thus don’t really realise how they’re hurting someone (the Darling children leaving their parents, the Lost Boys shooting the Wendy Bird, Peter not realizing that Wendy has a crush on him, Peter and Hook… the list goes on).
Oh yeah, and Hook. Captain James Hook rocks. Because he’s not just a pirate, he’s the pirate. If you’re exposed to Peter Pan at a very young age (like I was) then every time you watch/read something with pirates in it, there is, somewhere in the back of your brain, an image of Captain Jas. Hook, with his long black curls and plumed hat, sitting in a sedan chair carried by his crew (Smee the Bo’sun, Skylights, handsome Cecco, who once cut his name on a man’s back in letters of blood, Bill Jukes, with every inch of him tattooed, the sinister black sailor who tells no one his real name, Noodler, with his hands on backwards…) smoking his double-barrelled cigarette holder, and polishing his hook.
Having squee-ed about Jason Isaacs, I will now squee about the movie.
I loved it. Loved it. Loved. It. The Lost Boys were cute, Peter and Wendy’s shy (often unintentional) attempts at flirting were adorable, and the kid they got to play Peter had this thoroughly evil looking little smile that was just perfect. Plus, he was so friggin’ cute (in an “awe, kawaii, I want him for a pet” sort of way, not a sexy way). The sets used for Neverland were also good—they did some nice things with painted backdrops and intentionally cartoony-looking CGI stuff that gave the island a sort of fantasy/not entirely real feel.
I loved the book as a kid, and have seen both the Disney cartoon and the stage (Mary Martin) version several times, and used to watch the cartoon “Peter and the Pirates” (or something like that. I can’t remember exactly what it was called) back when I was about eleven, and I have to say that I like this film version best. The earlier Disney one got all of the adventure and excitement of the story down, but never quite managed to convey the sad/painful aspects of the book. The new movie does--- I spent approximately the entire final ten-fifteen minutes of the film crying uncontrollably (started getting teary-eyed during Peter’s last fight with Hook, started sniffling when Hook died, began bawling outright when Wendy, John, and Michael went home, because it was all so sad and happy at the same time). The bit about the window staying open/being shut always got me in the book, because the shutting-of-the-window concept is pretty much every child’s deepest fear—that their parents will stop wanting them. And what they still didn’t include even in this version is the bit in the book where you find out that Peter once tried to go back home (just a bit after running away) only to find that his parents had closed and latched the bedroom window and that there was another baby in the crib. If you know this, that last fight with Hook has even more impact, and the scene at the end where he’s watching the Darlings and Lost Boys through the window is “rip your guts out” sad.
The movie really reminds you both of how innocent children can be, and how cruel they can be, and how that cruelty can almost stem from their innocence sometimes, because they simply don’t understand some things, and thus don’t really realise how they’re hurting someone (the Darling children leaving their parents, the Lost Boys shooting the Wendy Bird, Peter not realizing that Wendy has a crush on him, Peter and Hook… the list goes on).
Oh yeah, and Hook. Captain James Hook rocks. Because he’s not just a pirate, he’s the pirate. If you’re exposed to Peter Pan at a very young age (like I was) then every time you watch/read something with pirates in it, there is, somewhere in the back of your brain, an image of Captain Jas. Hook, with his long black curls and plumed hat, sitting in a sedan chair carried by his crew (Smee the Bo’sun, Skylights, handsome Cecco, who once cut his name on a man’s back in letters of blood, Bill Jukes, with every inch of him tattooed, the sinister black sailor who tells no one his real name, Noodler, with his hands on backwards…) smoking his double-barrelled cigarette holder, and polishing his hook.
From:
no subject
I've never read the book, nor seen the other versions. For me, *this* becomes the ultimate Peter Pan. While swashbuckling/adventure aspects are always nice, this particular story affected me so because of its underlying sadness and sensuality.
Jason Isaacs was pure perfection as Hook. I had to seriously fight myself not to start bawling out loud when Hook died. And the final "escape" flight of Peter... So sad. To me, it looked like Peter was Hook and Hook was Peter. Kind of. What a beautiful movie it was, all around.
From:
no subject
Excellent review. I had liked the movie so much that I had to go see it again the day after I saw it the first time. And yes, while my sister feel in love with Peter, I was thinking "Now, we can keep in the back yard during the day and bring him in to play with at night, and I wonder if we have to get him some lost boys so he doesn't get bored and rip up our furniture."
Captain Hook has always been my Pirate Captain. Sure, I'm in love with Jack Sparrow, but Hook was the first, and only Pirate of my bedtime reading. There is always a special place for him in my heart, no matter how hot he is.
BTW, what is this Cartoon you speak of?
/de-lurk
From:
no subject
About Hook and PotC--I think the Hook-inspired pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean was, not Jack, but Barbossa. Think about it. Suave yet sinister manner, educated-sounding speech, giant plumed hat... Maybe that's why I had a bit of a soft spot for him (he never got to eat his apple *sniff*) despite liking Jack better.
Gibbs reminded me just a bit of Smee.