After the long-awaited arrival of Peter Pan & Wendy starring Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, and Jude Law, fans don’t appear to be too happy with the film. There are concerns that it’s being review bombed, but it seems the reason is simply because it doesn’t offer much of anything new.
What started out as a play by J. M. Barrie in 1904 was adapted into a book in 1911, and from there has spawned an entire franchise including Pan in 2015, Peter Pan in 2003, Peter Pan in 1960, and the animated classic Peter Pan in 1953, as well as The Lost Girls in 2022, Wendy in 2020, Come Away in 2020, Finding Neverland in 2004, and, of course, Hook in 1991. These are but a few to name along the way, and now there’s the 2023 Peter Pan & Wendy that does sport a diverse cast, which is refreshing. The problem is that fans might be burned out from simple remakes.
The new film doesn’t really offer anything new to the story. It’s still set in London in 1953 just like the first animated film. The characters are all played the same with very few risks being taken. John Darling still has his top hat, and Michael Darling still has his teddy bear. Even though there are great stars with plenty of talent from veterans like Jude Law, Jim Gaffigan, Alan Tudyk, and Molly Parker — as well as fresh faces Alexander Molony, Alyssa Wapanatahk, Joshua Pickering, Jacobi Jupe, and Yara Shahidi — what they brought 2023 viewers was the same story hatched 70 years ago.
With her mother being actress Milla Jovovich and her father director Paul W. S. Anderson, Ever Anderson is hardly an unknown on the cast. Plus, having twins Kelsey and Skyler Yates as part of the Lost Boys is a refreshing twist. It all looks good on paper, but it really didn’t translate that well to film. On IMDb, it has a 3.3/10 rating, and the Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes is 46% with some pretty telling reviews.
Aiden J’s half-star review raises concerns if the film is being review bombarded out of spite because of casting decisions. “Changing beloved characters to suit the sensibilities of presentism is offensive.”
Dustin B’s half-star review is tired. “A complete disservice to the original book. Stop with the remakes.”
And Wendy D’s half-star review is simply stated, “Terrible film. Absolutely hated it.”
Drew C’s 1-Star review is pretty telling. “At 40 minutes in, my niece said ‘This is stupid’ and left the room. She was right to do so.”
However, there has been a rise in score since the first few hours of its release when the initial reviews started coming in. Charmaine C gives it 5 stars. “Amazing remake and casting was beyond expectations. I loved Alyssa as tiger lily and our new face of tinker bell.”
Raquel C’s 5-Star review says, “Amazing movie! … Tinker Bell is incredible, cry haters!”
David S also gives it 5 Stars. “Amazing movie, it truly understands the spirit of the story.”
This trend might just take over and skyrocket the straight-to-streaming film to positive voting. Watch it now on Disney Plus and see if the bad reviews are accurate or not.