I'm not sure how much we ultimately learn about the man behind the Pan, but it's a pleasure spending time with him.
But all of this is talk talk talk. For as quiet a film as "Finding Neverland" is, you never get the feeling that it's all a lot of monologuing. That's one of its chief strengths. There are other things to admire as well. Director Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball") avoids the easy trap of sentimentality somehow, and we're never quite sure how he managed that while also investing the film with real emotional content. Forster also does a good job of integrating point-of-view shots so that we can see the world the way that Barrie sees it. Shots like these can be tricky because they can seem so gimmicky if not done well. But understatement is the operative word with this film, and so even in a scene where Barrie envisions a hook on the end of one of he character's arms, it doesn't seem overly intrusive. Throw in location filming in London and Surrey and you have a movie that's really a delight to watch. I'm not sure how much we ultimately learn about the man behind the Pan, but it's a pleasure spending time with him.
Video:
The 1080p Blu-ray picture looks great. What more can I say? The colors are bright and vibrant when the scenes call for it, and when the film has a bluish cast there's still a great amount of detail visible. "Finding Neverland" is presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
Audio:
The featured soundtrack is an English PCM 5.1 uncompressed audio (48kHz/24-bit) with additional sound options in English and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and subtitles in English SDH, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. As with the video, the sound is quite wonderful. There's a richness and resonance to the sound in the better Blu-rays, and in the best ones the sound seems to fill the room in a natural way. This soundtrack doesn't quite do that, but it does fall into the "better" category.
Extras:
All the bonus features from the standard DVD release are included, but when you get right down to it they really aren't as extensive as they look. The best feature is the commentary with director Forster, producer Richard Gladstein, and writer David Magee, who offer a nice blend of anecdotal information mixed with the philosophical. A featurette on "The Magic of Finding Neverland" is pretty standard, with the usual blend of talking heads and clips, but it does give background on the history of this timeless children's classic. There's just not as much about the real-life circumstances of Barrie's life as I would have expected in a biographical film like this. A very brief "Creating Neverland" feels like a pre-release promo for the Disney Channel, it's so limited at roughly three or four minutes. More interesting is the Red Carpet feature that even has Hillary Clinton commenting.
There are just three deleted scenes with optional commentary, none of which are long or substantial enough to be missed--so if an extended director's cut of "Finding Neverland" is offered, I know that I won't be tempted.
Rounding out the extras is a blooper reel which runs for just five minutes and shows, among other things, the laughter that ensued when Depp placed a fart machine under Christie's seat.
Bottom Line:
"Finding Neverland" is rated PG and will certainly appeal not only to adults, but also older children who've grown up watching the Disney classic. I don't know how penetrating a look it gives into the author's life, but as a film that celebrates the imagination and the power of creativity, it positively soars.
Video:
The 1080p Blu-ray picture looks great. What more can I say? The colors are bright and vibrant when the scenes call for it, and when the film has a bluish cast there's still a great amount of detail visible. "Finding Neverland" is presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
Audio:
The featured soundtrack is an English PCM 5.1 uncompressed audio (48kHz/24-bit) with additional sound options in English and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and subtitles in English SDH, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. As with the video, the sound is quite wonderful. There's a richness and resonance to the sound in the better Blu-rays, and in the best ones the sound seems to fill the room in a natural way. This soundtrack doesn't quite do that, but it does fall into the "better" category.
Extras:
All the bonus features from the standard DVD release are included, but when you get right down to it they really aren't as extensive as they look. The best feature is the commentary with director Forster, producer Richard Gladstein, and writer David Magee, who offer a nice blend of anecdotal information mixed with the philosophical. A featurette on "The Magic of Finding Neverland" is pretty standard, with the usual blend of talking heads and clips, but it does give background on the history of this timeless children's classic. There's just not as much about the real-life circumstances of Barrie's life as I would have expected in a biographical film like this. A very brief "Creating Neverland" feels like a pre-release promo for the Disney Channel, it's so limited at roughly three or four minutes. More interesting is the Red Carpet feature that even has Hillary Clinton commenting.
There are just three deleted scenes with optional commentary, none of which are long or substantial enough to be missed--so if an extended director's cut of "Finding Neverland" is offered, I know that I won't be tempted.
Rounding out the extras is a blooper reel which runs for just five minutes and shows, among other things, the laughter that ensued when Depp placed a fart machine under Christie's seat.
Bottom Line:
"Finding Neverland" is rated PG and will certainly appeal not only to adults, but also older children who've grown up watching the Disney classic. I don't know how penetrating a look it gives into the author's life, but as a film that celebrates the imagination and the power of creativity, it positively soars.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]20878[/release]