Here’s a gem of a fantasy adventure film that I’m very glad surfaced on Blu-ray as it escaped me when it was released on television last year. It’s called Neverland and tells the story of the life of Peter (Pan) up to when (Captain) Hook looses his hand and watch to the nasty old alligator. This live action thrill ride turns a kids book into a fascinating piece of entertainment that’s great for all, especially if you always wondered where Peter came from and why he was able to take Wendy on a great adventure.
Brilliantly written and directed by Nick Willing Neverland melds so well into the J.M. Barrie classic Peter Pan that now it all makes sense. The miniseries answers questions like where Peter grew up, why he’s an orphan, how he knew the lost boys and why they were dressed like Injuns, where Tiger Lilly fit into the picture, the pirate ship involvement and his hatred for Captain Hook, why Peter never grows old, the strange crocodiles, why Tinker Bell befriended Peter, why Peter can fly and more all packed into a non stop adventure.
I could tell you the story but it would drain all the pleasure out of it because of all the spoilers I would have to reveal in order to give a good synopses. Instead, I will just say that you won’t get bored and since you already know J.M. Barrie’s story of how this young boy looking for his shadow ends up in the Wendy’s house and takes her on an adventure to Neverland. The fun of this prequel to that story comes with every turn that Peter takes in his live you say to yourself; Oh that’s why they call her Tiger Lilly and so that’s how he got to Neverland in the first place and that’s were they get fairy dust.
Creatively directed by Willing using special green screen techniques, the adventurous backgrounds, tree city, Bull Island and other locations are incredibly lifelike. His ability to infuse his actors into this great adventure stage without them missing a beat, doing a lot of their own stunts, and delivering their characters in true form is testimonial to greatness.
The Blu-ray release comes with the two night miniseries (without all the commercials) and some wicked bonus features. I’ll just say this; after you watch the film that runs 169 minutes of non-stop fantasy, turn on the commentary by writer/director Nick Willing and watch it again, for me the movie became new all over again.
In addition to the aforementioned fine extra, the disc has:
- The Story Behind The Story: Cast Interviews
- Green Screen To Scene
- Journey Into Neverland: Art Gallery and Neverland Access all areas (a making of feature showing a lot of action sequences.
In addition to the Bonus features is a sealed packet that has 3 collectors Limited Edition Postcards.
Never in the movie theaters (what a pity) the miniseries was originally shown on the Syfy channel on December 4 and 5 of 2011. If you can, you should visit the Neverland website and check out the trailer, photos, background on the film and more. BUT, I recommend you get he Blu-ray or rent it first so you will have the wonderful surprises that I experienced watching the film not knowing any of Peter’s past.
The technical aspects of the Blu-ray are perfect for my home entertainment center. The movie filled the whole HD screen … there were no black spaces top and bottom. Yes!
Neverland Technical Features:
- Cast: Charlie Rowe, Rhys Ifans, Anna Friel, Bob Hoskins, Charles Dance and Keira Knightley as the voice of Tinker Bell
- Directed by: Nick Willing
- MPAA Rating: Unrated (contains action violence)
- Genre: Fantasy, Adventure and Comedy
- Discs: 1
- Original Air Date: Syfy Channel, Miniseries, 2011
- Language: English
- Audio: English, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Video: Color, Widescreen, 1.77:1
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Running Time: 169 min
- Street Date: March 13, 2012
- Distributed by: Vivendi Entertainment
FINAL ANALYSIS: Fly to your nearest store and take home a fun night of entertainment. [rating=4]
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
