Wendy (2020)
Director: Benh Zeitlin
Stars: Yashua Mack, Devin France, Gage NaquinRuntime: 111 minutes
Synopsis: Lost on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, Wendy must fight to save her family, her freedom, and the joyous spirit of youth from the deadly peril of growing up.
Performances: 5/10
Screenplay: 5/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10
Screenplay: 5/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10
Verdict: It was only a few weeks ago that I found myself wondering what Benh Zeitlin was working on these days. Ever since his wildly acclaimed directorial debut "Beasts of the Southern Wild", which earned him an Oscar nomination, he proceeded to completely disappear from the filmmaking map. A couple of days later, the trailer for "Wendy" dropped and I was instantly sold.
The most important thing to remember going into the movie is the fact that it's not an exact retelling of the Peter Pan story. The Darling family doesn't live in a big house in London, there's no Tinkerbell or ticking alligators, and no flying around using fairy dust. It's a very grounded atmosphere that is built by the director and, as the title suggests, it's Wendy that's at the center of it. It's clear that one of Zeitlin's fortes is world-building, especially when it comes to depicting worlds that can only be described as almost trashy. The first 40 minutes or so, which were by far my favorite of the entire movie, were all about displaying the themes of the film without really englobing them in a narrative. It showed children being free and without a worry in the world, enjoying their youth by being one with nature. It was effective and heartwarming at the same time, and the amazing and epic score by Dan Romer only enhanced that experience. The only real issues I had with it were the acting, which unfortunately clearly lacked direction, as well as the unnecessary and distracting use of narration. But sadly, the film lost me in its second half, when a narrative was included to present the movie's messages in a more direct way all the while trying to stay faithful to the original tale. It wasn't nearly as interesting as one would expect, and the chain of events lacked depth, subtlety, and control.
"Wendy", despite everything, still had a personality, and I'd recommend it for that reason alone. Even though some aspects of it could've been improved in my opinion, I'd still present it as an example when asked what Disney remakes should look like. It had a vastly different vision than the animated one that most of us are familiar with, and most certainly had its heart in the right place.
The most important thing to remember going into the movie is the fact that it's not an exact retelling of the Peter Pan story. The Darling family doesn't live in a big house in London, there's no Tinkerbell or ticking alligators, and no flying around using fairy dust. It's a very grounded atmosphere that is built by the director and, as the title suggests, it's Wendy that's at the center of it. It's clear that one of Zeitlin's fortes is world-building, especially when it comes to depicting worlds that can only be described as almost trashy. The first 40 minutes or so, which were by far my favorite of the entire movie, were all about displaying the themes of the film without really englobing them in a narrative. It showed children being free and without a worry in the world, enjoying their youth by being one with nature. It was effective and heartwarming at the same time, and the amazing and epic score by Dan Romer only enhanced that experience. The only real issues I had with it were the acting, which unfortunately clearly lacked direction, as well as the unnecessary and distracting use of narration. But sadly, the film lost me in its second half, when a narrative was included to present the movie's messages in a more direct way all the while trying to stay faithful to the original tale. It wasn't nearly as interesting as one would expect, and the chain of events lacked depth, subtlety, and control.
"Wendy", despite everything, still had a personality, and I'd recommend it for that reason alone. Even though some aspects of it could've been improved in my opinion, I'd still present it as an example when asked what Disney remakes should look like. It had a vastly different vision than the animated one that most of us are familiar with, and most certainly had its heart in the right place.
FINAL GRADE: 5/10
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