televisionReview
‘Neverland’ fantasizes about what went into J.M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan' characters
Originally Published: Thursday, December 1 2011, 8:00 AM
Syfy
Q’orianka Kilcher as Aaya and Charlie Rowe as Peter in ‘Neverland’ “Neverland,” a new prequel to the beloved story of Peter Pan, weaves a complex, often disturbing tale demanding considerably more of its audience than the breezy musical versions that regularly fly across our theater stages.
It’s also packed with action, much of it violent, and even more packed with special effects — though the visual effects budget for a four-hour TV miniseries falls well below the level available for a “Harry Potter” or Steven Spielberg movie.
In the end it may wear down viewers who have only a passing attachment to Peter Pan. But it should stimulate lively discussion among those with a deeper fascination. Michael Jackson, who named his fantasy estate “Neverland,” is hardly the only boy drawn deeply to Peter’s story.
Like many fantasy tales from childhood, “Peter Pan” originally had an undertone of social commentary that made it much darker than simply the adventures of a boy who can fly and doesn’t want to grow up.
J.M. Barrie’s original 1902 book and 1904 play positioned Peter and the Lost Boys, their older friend Wendy, Captain Hook and other characters as representative figures from contemporary British society. Even the good ones were often selfish and nasty, and Barrie seemed to suggest a couple of things: that innocent children can be cruel and that the larger society could be troublingly indifferent to children left adrift.
“Neverland,” which launches Sunday night at 9 and finishes Monday, plays on these troubling roots while also exploring man’s inability, even in the theoretically carefree world of Neverland, to live in harmony and respect. Even when there’s enough for everyone, someone wants more.
The back story also adds new shades of gray to Barrie’s implicit debate about the desirability of growing up.
The third Syfy collaboration between writer/director Nick Willing and executive producer Robert Halmi Sr., “Neverland” begins like a Dickens story, with Peter and his friends scrambling to stay alive on the streets of London.
Their anchor is James Hook (Rhys Ifans), a fallen aristocrat determined to win back his position in society even while he trains the boys to hustle and steal.
Peter (Charlie Rowe) has good instincts, particularly toward the other boys. He also wants to grow up to be the next Hook.
He’s a kid headed for trouble until Hook steers them to a magical orb that sends them all to
Neverland, a world full of Indians, pirates and woodland spirits — yes, including Tinker Bell, voiced here by Keira Knightley.
Viewers have to start paying serious attention at this point, as a large cast of characters swirl through multiple dramas that stretch over two worlds.
The second half breaks out the full gauntlet of special effects as it steers the story toward the place we previously knew as the story’s starting point, with Hook as a pirate captain and Peter preparing to weigh the merits of growing up against staying a boy forever.
“Neverland” doesn’t presume to settle the question. It does suggest the call might be tougher for Peter than we realized.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/neverland-fantasizes-m-barrie-peter-pan-characters-article-1.984499#ixzz1fJCqBPmb
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