At the beginning of the year, I was pretty excited for Ghosted on Apple TV – it was in my top fifteen most anticipated films. I loved Dexter Fletcher’s last film, Rocketman and looked forward to what he was going to do next. However, this film is quite bad. I was really let down. Fletcher obviously has some sort of friendship with Matthew Vaughn (they collaborate frequently), so it seemed like this is his attempt at a Vaughn-like action flick, but it just didn’t work.
Chris Evans and Ana de Armas have been great in the past (they were the best part about Knives Out) but Ghosted seriously did them no favors. Their acting felt super wooden here, and I didn’t believe either of them in these roles. Adrien Brody does fine work, but he’s just a generic villain. My biggest issue with this film is mostly the script. None of the jokes in this film land, and I didn’t laugh once.
At first, I was wondering if the actors just weren’t funny, but then I wondered if Fletcher’s pacing was just strange. Then it hit me that this script just isn’t funny. The thrills are not thrilling, and the romance was subpar – it’s super rushed and I do not understand how these two, who always bicker and yell at each other (even when they first meet) fall in love with one another.
Ghosted is just lame overall. Look at this poster as my example: it looks like something they’d use for an ABC action spy series that would be cancelled after one season. It just feels so lackluster. It also looks so ugly – the cinematography is so bland and boring. The only part that interested me about this movie was some of the action, when it was shot in the daytime and not obscured in darkness – it seemed like there was effort involved.
And I will say that about Ghosted: I don’t think this is a case of no one caring or trying. It seemed like people were definitely attempting to make something interesting here, but I think it just falls on its face hardcore. Maybe super fans of de Armas or Evans will like this movie, but, I wanted so much more from the director of Rocketman. It’s ambitious, and I appreciate that ambition, but I don’t appreciate how poorly it was made.
I’ve grown up with Peter Pan stories, and I’ve been attached to a few of them. I loved Hook and the one with Jason Isaacs, and obviously, the original, and even the Disney Channel animated sequels. So I was weary of another adaptation, especially in this age of soulless remakes and direct-to-Disney+ shlock. But David Lowery gave me some confidence, and when his movies are great, they are GREAT, I even liked Pete’s Dragon.
However, I can’t say I was ever really sold on Peter Pan and Wendy. I’ll start with what I liked: Lowery did bring some exciting stuff with this film. I think the action is pretty distinct in tone and allowed for some actually magical moments. The music is also pretty solid and brought a tone of charm and whimsy to the world. There was a dynamic with Pan and Hook that I actually really loved that I didn’t think had been done like this before. It gave their relationship some purpose and gave it some layers.
However, I think the rest of Peter Pan and Wendy falls flat. Firstly, none of the characters or acting really stood out to me. Other than maybe Michael, I didn’t really like the child performances, which is a problem considering that is the focal point of a Peter Pan movie. I also wasn’t, like, in love with Jude Law’s Hook. I think he did a fine job, but it does not compare to pretty much any other version.
Furthermore, I think the movie is pretty ugly, if I’m being honest. The muted colors made the magic of Neverland feel fuller than the one from that ABC show. It also just feels like a more rushed version of the original, despite being longer. Like, what did Tinkerbell even do in this film? It’s a diet version of every single iteration you’ve ever seen from the Peter Pan world, and I really don’t see how this improved on anything.
Some cool set pieces with the pirate ship, good music, and some solid action, but other than the specific relationship between Pan and Hook, there isn’t a lot of new material being brought to the table with this tired story. The 2003 version holds up better than Peter Pan and Wendy will.
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Related: “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” Review
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