Peter Pan

In an era of severely dumbed-down children's movies, the first live-action version of Peter Pan since the silent era does something extraordinary--it un-Disney-fies the story, reviving the deeper themes of J.M. Barrie's original book and play. From its exquisite, Maxfield-Parish-inspired Neverland of golden sunlight, lush green forests, and cotton-candy clouds to the quintessentially pubescent and enigmatically tingly chemistry between Peter (the boyishly pretty 15-year-old Jeremy Sumpter) and Wendy (the even prettier 13-year-old Rachel Hurd-Wood), the film is a vivid and surprisingly visceral experience. Director P. J. Hogan (My Best Friend's Wedding) evokes the true wonder of childhood in the eyes of his young stars, yet also embraces Barrie's subtexts of emerging sexuality clashing with immaturity, the traditional roles men and women adopt in relationships, and the sacrifices one makes when one grows up. Despite many nitpicks (annoyingly abbreviated plot advancement, incomprehensibly over-edited swordplay), this movie has the makings of a potential children's classic--thanks in no small part to the delicious, seething, sinister, and yet almost piteously forlorn performance of Jason Isaacs as Captain Hook. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include five “magical worlds” of DVD exclusives: 1) “The Pirates' Ship,” including the brief montage “Board the Pirates Ship,” the six-minute behind-the-scenes home video segment “Through the Eyes of Captain Hook” featuring Jason Issacs, “The Pirates vs. The Lost Boys” (2 min.), and a brief look at the rehearsal for “The Lost Pirate Song”; 2) “The Neverland Forest,” including the brief montage “Explore the Forest,” the five-minute featurette “Tinkerbell: Behind the Fairy Dust,” the two-minute fairy dance segment “I Do Believe in Fairies,” and a brief segment on “Princess Tiger Lily”; 3) “The Black Castle,” including the brief montage “Enter the Castle,” the six-minute featurette “Learning to Fly,” the two-minute segment “The Mermaids' Tale,” and DVD-ROM features; 4) “The Home Under the Ground,” including the brief montage “Dig Under the Home,” the 11-minute featurette “The Legacy of Pan,” hosted by Duchess Sarah Ferguson, two minutes of “The Duchess's Outtakes,” and the two-minute featurette “Lost Boys on the Set”; and 5) “The Darling House,” including a four-minute alternate ending with a grown-up Wendy, the four-minute deleted scene “Mr. Darling in the Dog House,” the brief behind-the-scenes segment “Me and My Shadow,” and the three-minute featurette “In the Dog House with Nana.” Bottom line: a whopping extras package for a winning film.] (R. Blackwelder)