Starring: James Corden, Domhnall Gleeson, Sam Neill, Rose Byrne, Margot Robbie, Sia, Colin Moody, Elizabeth Debicki, Daisy Ridley
Director: Will Gluck
Release date: 16th March 2018
Peter Rabbit (James Corden) lives with his sisters; Mopsy, Flopsy and Cottontail and their cousin, Benjamin in a burrow under an old tree. The tree is very near to the garden of a cantankerous old man named McGregor (Sam Neill), whose gardens’ veg is being pilfered on a regular basis by the aforementioned rabbits. One day during a daring raid, Peter is captured by McGregor and looks all set to become the filling of a pie. Unfortunately McGregor suffers a huge coronary and drops down dead. Peter is saved!
The action cuts to the bustling streets of London and to Harrods department store. A young, driven sales manager, Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson) is highly respected by everyone but a promotion soon arises and he is passed over for it. He’s devastated and has a major meltdown. He soon discovers that he has inherited a large house in the countryside and decides that he’ll go there, do it up and then sell it. His plan is to get enough money to open a toy shop of his own. Unfortunately he doesn’t count on the local wildlife, which has now taken over the house. A battle of wilts soon begins between Thomas and Peter, but who will come out on top?
The movie is based on the much loved children’s book, ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ by Beatrix Potter, which was released back in 1902. In recent times, it’s thought that around 40 million copies of the book have been sold worldwide. The animals in the story are all anthropomorphic (they wear clothes and act like humans) and it is said that the character of Peter himself was inspired by a pet rabbit that Beatrix had as a young child. Her books have enthralled many generations and will probably continue to do so for many years to come.
You know exactly what you’re letting yourself in for with a movie like this; Loveable animals, a devious baddie(s), a battle of wits between a human and animals, and a love story as an undercurrent.
The animation in this movie is absolutely breath-taking, and by that I mean that you can pretty much see every single hair on each one of the animals. The attention to detail is just amazing. You’d almost think that you’re watching actual animals. Domhnall Gleeson is brilliant as Thomas McGregor and plays a grumpy character very well. I have to admit that I went off him a bit after his first appearance in the Star Wars movies, but I’ve definitely warmed to him a lot more now. Then there’s Sam Neill… He’s only in the movie for a short while but I absolutely adore him as an actor. You probably wouldn’t even guess that it’s him under all the make-up and hair.
I think that kids are going to absolutely love this movie. As many adults know, there’s nothing that kids love more, than seeing an adult comically being electrocuted over and over again and outsmarted by small woodland creatures. I literally laughed out loud when Thomas went to grab the door handle and was immediately thrown backwards across the room. And then he did it again! Kids love seeing stuff like that and I think that this movie will be a huge hit during the Easter holidays.
At its heart, ‘Peter Rabbit’ is about learning to get along, no matter whether you’re human or a small rabbit. Take the kids along to this one and enjoy some great family time.
Overall: 8.5/10
