Released March 13th, 2012
On this edition of Direct to DVD Dissection, another old story is retold, as we look at the story of Peter Pan & Captain hook in the Syfy release “Neverland”
The Story
Telling the origins of Peter and his gang, Peter is an orphan child in 1906 London, led by a con man named James Hook. Jimmy and the rest of his gang steal a mystical orb for a big score, but end up transported to a place where time stands still and people don’t age. This eventually leads to new discoveries and battle lines drawing between Peter and the orphans versus ruthless pirates and their new Captain.
Q'orianka Kilcher as Aaya
The Cast
Rhys Ifans as James Hook, the adult leader of the band of orhpan bandits in 1906 London and the man who would be Captain Hook. He has appeared in several movies like The Replacements, Little Nicky, Notting Hill, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows Part 1, and the upcoming Spider-Man reboot, “The Amazing Spider-Man”. Also, his last name has FAN right in the middle, so you know he’s Freakin’ Awesome.
Charlie Rowe as Peter Pan, a young orphan thief who would be the boy would could fly and leader of the Lost Boys. He has appeared in a few films before, such as Pirate Radio & The Golden Compass.
Q’orianka Kilcher as Aaya, the daughter of the Indian chief the boys encounter, known in the book as “Tiger Lily.” She played Pocahontas in “The New World” with Colin Farrell, so she’s no stranger to the role of the Indian princess.
Bob Hopkins as Smee, Captain Bonny’s right hand man, as well as Hook’s after the events of the movie. Besides films like “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” “Michael,” “Unleashed” and a whole host of others to his name, he also played Smee in the 1991 movie, “Hook.” Plus, he was also Mario in “Super Mario Bros,” and that’s gotta count for something.
Rhys Ifans as Hook "delivers a brilliant performance in this series"
The Dissection
We have a movie that combines two things people don’t find that interesting. We have another modern retelling of an old story, like the recent string of Snow White movies, combined with an origin story about a character told in a grim perspective. However, this movie pulls out some big guns in the process, and they are effective.
Before the review, I should mention this is a Syfy production. Now, while Syfy might be known now for wrestling shows and repeats of made for TV movies, Syfy is also adept at making miniseries that look really good and are told well beyond the level of typical made for TV miniseries. Along with their version of the Wizard of Oz, named “Tin Man,” “Neverland” puts together some great underrated names in acting.
Bar none, the greatest strength this movie has is the acting of the cast; Rhys Ifans in particular. He delivers a brilliant performance in this series, crafting a villain you want to see be defeated. The rest of the cast is strong as well. While some aren’t as prominent as others, they give great performances and maintain the viewer’s interest in these smaller roles.
Charles Dance makes an appearance as Dr. Fludd
A main difference here, compared to other movies is a longer running time. It runs for around 3 hours, broken up in two chunks. Because of this, going through it in one sitting isn’t as easy as with movies with half the run time. However, there is no real issue with lulls in the story or points where it feels dull until the next bit of progression. The story flows well and keeps you invested in each scene.
The only thing that could be considered a negative would be how it tries to fit the mythology of Peter Pan in every place. It hampers the film to throw in everything possible to prove that it and the original story are related, sometimes to a suspect degree. However, this is minor in respect to the complete film, and deserves to be given a watch.
On the extras side, and in a nice change of pace, the disc has a number of special features and additions. Along with a commentary track from the writer, there’s also some making-of featurettes, cast interviews, behind the scenes videos, and a few other additions. Still, the language and captions are all in English only, so that’s a bummer.
The Verdict
Syfy has gotten a reputation of losing their way after their name change and shift in programming. Neverland shows that there is still some life in the old channel and gives us a nice spin on the tale of Peter Pan. Fans and people new to the mythos will enjoy this.
Recommended.