Like many classic children’s books, Peter Rabbit is dark, menacing and you never know what is entirely going to happen, and in all likelihood, it is going to be bad, not good. Beatrix Potter’s beautiful watercolours give the reader a sense that Peter Rabbit is quite charming but he isn’t, he is naughty. I have read a lot of negative press on Peter Rabbit, and if you believed everything you read, you would think that Will Gluck (director) took an innocent and sweet rabbit and made him rebellious and cruel, which isn’t quite the case, at all. If you were to ask a child what they know of Peter Rabbit they would say he was naughty and his father was cooked up in a pie because Mr MacGregor caught him in his garden. I’m not quite sure what is whimsical and sweet about any of that.
Aside from any of that, the movie is set a few years later in Peter’s life. I am assuming he is a teenager. Peter was a naughty and mischievous child, so one can only begin to imagine what Peter would have been like as a teenager with no parents to supervise him.
So why did I like the movie?
- James Corden perfectly captured Peter’s rebellious, naughty spirit.
- The brilliant soundtrack. All songs integrate into the movie surprisingly well and actually bring a lot of humour to the film and add to the story. The soundtrack is like another character and brings a lot to the movie.
- The live-action actors, Rose Byrne and Domhnall Gleeson who both brought a lot of charisma and love to their characters. It was refreshing to see Rose Byrne in a role where she smiled and was happy.
- It was surprisingly hilarious. The dialogue was cheeky and funny.
- It was beautiful. I want to live in Bea’s house. I want to sit in Bea’s garden and read and write.
Photo: Lan Patrick
Worthy Thoughts 