British filmmaker Scott Chambers revisits J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan in the third installment of his long-gestating The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU).
This aspect of re-adaptation warrants particular attention. While the mention of Peter Pan might first conjure the cartoonish iterations popularized by Disney, the character originally conceived in 1902 by the Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie is, in fact, quite steeped in the gore tradition.
(Peter Pan, the book, has frequently faced accusations of racism due to its often barbaric depiction of Native Americans. However, some researchers and writers have argued that the book should be evaluated within the context of the era in which it was written. This issue is largely absent from contemporary versions of the book and its cinematic adaptations.)
Those who follow the young filmmaker Scott Chambers, barely past his thirtieth birthday, will already be familiar with his characterizations and color palettes, and this film maintains a consistency that should satisfy his established audience.
Martin Portlock delivers a quite satisfactory performance as an actor who appears to have thoroughly internalized the narrative.
Another name to note in the film is Peter DeSouza-Feighoney. Having already accrued credits in numerous gore productions at a young age, one hopes that DeSouza-Feighoney will emerge as a significant actor in the genre's future.