Review Rating: 8
In turn of the century London, Peter and his pals are pickpockets surviving under the mastery of Jimmy, who convinces them to steal a magical treasure that transports them all to Neverland.
It’s actually not a bad premise at all, for SyFy. Everyone knows the story of Peter Pan, flying leader of the Lost Boys, the boy who never grows up and can always be found fighting the villainous pirate Captain Hook, right? Then there’s also the side stories with the Lost Boys, the Indian Princess Tiger Lily love story, and of course the ever loyal Tinkerbell and the fairies to take into account. But couldn’t all that timeless story stand with some modernization, or even a re-take on it? On we go!
It is a SyFy channel presentation, just bear that in mind. This means most of the backgrounds in fairyland are very…CGI and I’m sorry to say, fake-looking. Noone bothers with sets anymore! But that’s just a personal peeve. So Peter and his gang, who have improvised whole methods of thievery, getting out of being caught, and even communication signals via Peter’s flute, work for the notorious and desiring of legitimacy Jimmy. (Yes, that Jimmy.) And there’s this magical glowing orb thingie that Jimmy desperately wants Peter to steal, so after bungling the job quite a bit, the whole lot of them get transported and meet a whole new cast of characters. Dangerous pirates, led by the power-mad Elizabeth Bonny; Kaw Indians and Tiger Lily; and of course Tinkerbell and the fairies. Everyone wants the fairy dust the fairies make, especially the pirates, and of course the ambitious now-Captain James Hook is all for that. Peter, who has a loyalty complex as far as Jimmy goes, tries to do as Jimmy commands, but after meeting up with the Indians and the fairies and learning the consequences of his intended actions, decides to band everyone together to fight.
I don’t want to give the ending away, but it is a very SyFy ending, a lot like their retake on Alice in Wonderland. Worth a watch for the imaginative re-storytelling, Neverland will make you want to fly and fight the bad guys too!