Peter Pan Live! (2014)

disgusting, overrated, pointless

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

We watched this with great expectation of a good to great show. How could it not be great? Christopher Walken as Hook. A live production! Christian Borle from SMASH. Kellie O'Hara. I was even interested in Allison Williams.But starting from the beginning it seemed as if it just didn't quite jell. "Peter Pan" didn't quite hit the mark when he shows up. Not bad. Just a bit too rushed or nervous sounding. The kids were fine, the mom and dad were fine.Then we get to Neverland, and "Hook" shows up. Or maybe, just walks on as if exerting energy in the part would be to go against the director's expressed wishes.I thought from the reviews that people were being unfair to Walken, but no, they were not unfair. Unfortunately, Walken pulled the whole show down. The pirates, for example, were campy and energetic and and clearly trying to have a good time. But Walken in the middle of them all? Scene after scene just sinks. It might be that he's tired, or that he doesn't care, or that he is just horribly miscast. Whatever the reason, he was completely wrong and spoiled the production. (Even the previews of the production show him as giving way less than 100% in rehearsal--which is disastrous for any production--a professional *must* be at 100% at *every* rehearsal and production.Other people were fine. I wasn't overly impressed with the choreography, but it was fine. The sets weren't distracting--it's a representation of a live show, and so the sets are larger than life like they would be for a Broadway show.I liked some of the new songs they inserted (one of them was from the 1954 production, if I understand correctly), and I thought the music was great--great production values.All in all, given anyone else as "Hook," this would have been a good-to-great production. Give a fantastic "Hook," it would have been fantastic.But with Walken, it was just a so-so production.Five stars. Good enough to maybe watch again with your kids or grandkids, but not something you'd watch again on your own.

I have watched this twice now (missed part of the original broadcast), the second time with local kids. They absolutely were enchanted. I really believe the problem so many reviewers are having (we can see the wires, why is a girl playing Peter, blah blah) is the reaching for an adult sense of cynicism.With the exception of an oddly-stone-faced Captain Hook (why not make him have an over-reaching evil expression?) I think the actors were very good, with some acquiring excellence. The sets were what they should be - obvious fantasies -- and the music, while mostly familiar, coupled with simple, easily-filmed choreography, was fun, especially "I Won't Grow Up." Could it have been better? Not with the film restrictions of a live broadcast. I would say this revealed and displayed convincingly the "innocence on the reluctant edge of adulthood."

Get out the cranberry sauce - you will need it for this turkey!This stinkeroo should forever end any pretension that Alison Williams should be in the Entertainment Industry. The only reason she was castis because her Father, Brian Williams, is a powerful part of NBC news.NBC hyped the daylights out of this production, and it still crashed and burned.As bad as Alison Williams was in this production, she was by no means the worst performer - that distinction has to go to Christopher Walkin. Walkin confuses "pirate" with "really bad drag queen " as he prances his way through his scenes. His Captain Hook comes across more as an aging pedophile than a serious villain.This is a lovely family friendly story. I encourage you to watch any of the previous versions of this production which have been filmed over the past fifty years.

I loved the songs like "Is it Just for Pretend" , "Never Grow Up" and the insult song Pan and Hook sing to one another. It was a well acted, well sung production. Allison Williams was great. I have never heard of her before this and she was a great Peter Pan with her androgynous look in the makeup and costume. She has a very nice singing voice. Christopher Walken was hilarious, perfect choice for Hook. The dance numbers with the Lost Boys and the Pirates and Hook were fun to watch. I did not notice big gaffs in this live show. It did seem that Peter Pan flew a little slow but this was so minor. I recorded it and have been re watching it.