Peter Pan is a very charming movie. It represents the adventures all young boys have when playing make believe (I'm not ruling out girls' ability to play make believe, I'm speaking from my own personal experience, and since I was a little boy and not a little girl, that's what I'll be referring to.)
Every boy dreams of running off and having adventures, not having parents around, and staying young forever. This is the spirit that pervades the movie, and it's a lot of fun. Captain Hook and Smee are legends for a reason and they make a great pair of villains, but not as much as Tinkerbell. She's a jealous, treacherous bitch. She tries to have Wendy killed twice in this movie. TWICE!! She's so hellbent of getting rid of Wendy that she's the one who tells Captain Hook Peter's secret hiding place. The only reason we don't remember her as an infamous traitor is that she does save Peter from being blown up. But she's just trying to undo the damage she already did. In fact, the only female in Neverland who isn't a crazy jealous nutjob or grumpy old cow is Princess Tiger Lily.
Speaking of Tiger Lily, the biggest problem with this movie is the rather impressive racism against Native Americans. If you've ever seen a clip of an old lone ranger episode, you have an idea of what I'm talking about. It's the whole 'noble savage' cliche. At one point John tells the lost boys, "Remember men, the Indian is cunning, but not intelligent." Which makes no sense at all, how can you be cunning and not intelligent?! On the other hand, there does seem to be a definite affection for the Indians as characters. It's like the 'Injuns' were created in the mind of a British children's author in the late nineteenth century who'd never met them.....oh, wait...
And that's they paradox. The stereotypes are horrifically offensive, but seem to be created with no malicious intent. It's like a child's misunderstanding of a culture. The love for the characters is such that I'm charmed by the scene while being repulsed by it. I don't know what to make of it.
I need to mention is the action scenes between Captain Hook and the crocodile. The chase scenes are some of the best ever that don't include Willie Coyote and the Roadrunner. The final thing to take away is the lesson Wendy learns through the course of the film. Never Land may be a fun place to visit and tell stories of, but there comes a time when childish playfulness needs to give ground to an sense of responsibility. If that thought is too sad, don't worry; Never Land will always be there. It's like Captain Kirk said, "Second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning."
7.5/10*
I'm taking a bonus nerd point for using a quote from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
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