There has been a mixed narrative around the new ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ film on Disney+. The trailers were downvoted. Many complained about how dark the footage seemed (what is it with Disney making everything so dark lately?) When any complaints were raised, the diversity of the cast was invoked to dispel any concerns as bigotry, as is the case with Hollywood and Hollywood journalism current year. At the same time, many people were praising the casting choices.

Finally, the film is out, and before we move on, we will look at the reviews.

There are only 55 Critical Reviews and 100+ audience reviews. However, the film just released today.

As of writing this article, the Critical Score sits at 69%, while the Audience Score is at 46%.

Again, it was just released.

What is interesting to me are the Critical Reviews. Many are listed as “rotten,” but even a lot of the ” fresh ” ones are mixed. Mostly the critics seem to think it’s a good retelling, visually beautiful but thin.

Here are some of the Critical Scores:

I tried to choose the ones that were from significant publications. You can read them all Here.

“Lowery, for what it’s worth, does attempt to add depth with the thornier character dynamics and his trademark ethereal directorial flairs, but Peter Pan & Wendy ends up coming off a listless attempt to recapture a magic that was never there to begin with.“- Inverse.

“It’s caught between the mature treatment Lowery likely had in mind and the Disney-friendly imperatives that make Peter Pan & Wendy watery.” – TV Guide.

“Visually hearty but ultimately thin.” – Pittsburgh Magazine.

“On its own, Peter Pan & Wendy is enjoyable enough.“- Slashfilm.

“Kids will eat it all up, as they have been doing for well over a century, and Lowery’s not necessarily necessary retelling does nothing to harm the impact of a story that itself is forever young.” – Deadline Hollywood Daily

“David Lowery’s second Disney reimagining is artfully constructed and full of interesting ideas. But for a film about the energy and imagination of youth, it often feels trapped in its own head.” – Empire Magazine

Of course, we get one like this. It’s almost like the source material is from 1904 or something.

“This version of the fairytale grounds the fundamental wistfulness of the original tale with empathetic backstories and takes care to remedy the original’s overt racism and latent sexism.” – Hollywood Reporter.

“Infused with bounding energy but little meaningful invention, it climbs to only modest heights, weighed down by its inability to add much to the iconic legend.” -The Daily Beast.

“In Disney’s haste to adapt more of its precious IP, the studio has sublimated another classic into mere “content,” to be swept downstream and forgotten.” – Variety.

“[Lowery’s] 21st century take on this age-old tale flies high and sticks the landing because it stays true to the moral of 119-year-old story: Accepting that everything changes is the first step towards discovering that nothing is truly lost.“-indie Wire.

Here are some of the Audience Scores:

Most of these are 3-5 star reviews.

“Fun movie for kids. Nothing will be able to beat “Hook” when it comes to Peter Man. Jude Law was fantastic. The kid who played Peter Pan seemed to give no effort at times, aside from that the lost boys were well cast.” – Sean T.

“I liked it but it lacks everything that the animated film had. On the contrary, it has a lot from the book. Despite everything, it takes certain licenses in terms of modifications. There are no mermaids, there are no Indians, the hanged man’s treehouse is not spectacular, we don’t know the Neverland, and it stays open (as expected). For the rest, it is entertaining and you can enjoy a bit of history.” -Carlos P.

“Amazing movie!🤩🤩.. Tinker Bell is incredible, cry haters!” – Raquel C.

“This is one of the better live action remakes. Instead of just being a retelling of the movie, it takes some elements from the book and the musical too. The fight scenes were super fun and imaginative, the writing was really good, there were scenes that actually made me feel things, and some stuff that was pretty funny from the pirates. The captain hook twist was nice because we have seen this tried in other media but it wasn’t done well. I like the arc they gave him. The big problems I have. Nederland looks so dull, it looks like a normal island for the most part. Peter Pan’s acting was horrendous! They could’ve done another take or gotten a different actor. There is no need for lost girls! I get giving girls a chance to shine, but you already did that in this movie! Wendy is the best character, I’ve always found her boring, but I really like her arc in this. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out, it is worth it.” – Eli O

“It didn’t feel magical and the actor ayer Peter showed no enthusiasm. It was faithful to the 2003 version in manner ways, however it fell flat in so many regards because of the lack of charisma in key characters. Wendy was absolutely wonderful, as were her brothers in the roles. Captain Hook had a depth to his character that we’ve never seen before which was refreshing. Tigerlily was completely underutilised as a character and Tinkerbell lost her signature starkness. I would not recommend watching this movie when an absolutely amazing adaptation already exists, having been released 20 years ago exactly.” – Emma D.

Again, it’s early into the reviews. I look forward to seeing how they change as more people chime in. The takeaway from Audience reviews is that the film is more like the book, some actors do a great job while others are lacking. Overall it’s one of the better re-imaginings Disney has done, but the bar was low.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!