Love Beatrix Potter's truly charming and beautifully illustrated stories, there are some talented actors on board and have a soft spot for family films. Wasn't all that enamoured by the trailers and advertising, which dampened my expectations a little but saw it anyway as 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' is one of my favourite Beatrix Potter stories.
Found 'Peter Rabbit' to be much better than expected. It is not perfect and there are better family films out there, but it was hugely entertaining and charming that is ideal for kids and adults. It has endured, and will continue to endure, the wrath of those expecting a straight up adaptation of the story. Understandable, as the title and advertising made it seem as if it was going to be with a modern twist. This is misleading, it is not a straight up adaptation and wasn't trying to be from my personal perspective (more of a modern day follow-up) which is very likely to be wrong. It is best judged as a standalone, on that front there is a lot to enjoy.
Oh, and the allergy bullying controversy does seem as if it has been blown out of proportion for a scene that was over very quickly and didn't seem that insensitive or distasteful, or at least to me.
Sure, 'Peter Rabbit' does have the odd joke that is a little too repetitive, a notable one being with Pigling Bland. Some of the second half is predictable where it is easy to see where it's all going to go, some of the supporting characters are underused (there could have been more of Jeremy Fisher and Jemima Puddle Duck for examples) and maybe there could have been less narration. Regarding the last point though, it is delivered beautifully by Margot Robbie and captures the storybook nature of some of the storytelling very well.
However, even with the witty modern setting, the quaint nature of Potter's stories is intact and loved the affectionate references to other Potter characters in other stories of hers and it even includes the style of her illustrations at points.
'Peter Rabbit' manages to be enormously entertaining, a vast majority of the jokes do hit the mark and they are very funny to hilarious. Especially the scene-stealing cockerel, Mrs Tiggy Winkle and the electric fence and Peter's sisters, while the very physical and increasingly violent comedy that Domhnall Gleeson is given to do is a lot of fun and didn't feel gratuitous, cartoonish or mean-spirited.
It's not just about the comedy. There is a heart too with well-meaning messaging and the whole stuff with Peter's parents and past was very heartfelt. There is a natural charm with the character interaction, and the relationship between Thomas and Bea is very sweet. All the characters engage, the soundtrack is suitably peppy, everything goes at a lively pace and can find little if any fault with the cast. Gleeson makes Thomas more than just a standard clichéd archetype that he appears to be at first and manages the difficult physical comedy and the difficult task of interacting in real life with nothing with ease. Rose Byrne is effortlessly charming without being sugary or without substance, her chemistry with Gleeson and the animals is sweet. James Corden is a likeable Peter and Robbie and Daisy Ridley are particularly colourful of the supporting voice cast. Didn't recognise Sam Neill.
The visual look of 'Peter Rabbit' is one of its biggest pleasures. It is very colourful and picturesque with beautiful photography, that is never garish or flat, and there is a seamless blending of CGI and live-action. The CGI itself is simply great and is so well blended that one can't tell that it's CGI.
Overall, very enjoyable and much better than expected. 8/10 Bethany Cox
