3.5/5 Star Rating

This 2018 Peter Rabbit film is a computer animated/live-action family feature based on the works of Beatrix Potter. It is directed by Will Gluck who has previously brought us Friends With Benefits and the newest version of the musical Annie in 2014.

Film Trailer courtesy of YouTube

The film follows the antics of the very naughty, yet loveable Peter Rabbit who lives with his three sisters Flopsy (Margot Robbie), Mopsy (Elizabeth Debicki) and Cotton Tail (Daisy Ridley) along with their cousin Benjamin (Colin Moody).

Plot

Peter and his family are constantly foraging for fruits and vegetables in the garden of the very grumpy Mr McGregor (Sam Neill) and causing havoc as they do so. Due to the unfortunate death of Mr McGregor, Peter is pleased to have 'defeated' his nemesis and now believes he has the rights to the old man's property and the garden. Although the denim wearing rabbit is in for a surprise when he discovers that the house has been inherited by Thomas McGregor (Star Wars actor - Domhnall Gleeson) - the great nephew of Mr Mcgregor. After his arrival Peter has a lot more to be concerned about than his ongoing feud with Thomas, as both he and Peter find themselves rivalling for the affection of the kind-hearted artist, Bea (Rose Byrne) who lives next door.

Review

If you are a parent of young children that love the current cbeebies series Peter Rabbit, then be warned, this film to be nothing like the series at all. Lily does not appear once, so be prepared to answer questions from your little ones when they are questioning her whereabouts. This film shows the rabbits as mature animals. Following the unfortunate passing of their parents (poor Mr Rabbit was baked into a pie by the McGregors) Peter is now head of the family, with a lot more responsibility and yet still so little maturity.

Other film critics have faulted the film for casting British comedian James Corden as the voice of Peter.

Many have said that the rabbit is known to be cute and immature and have also mentioned that the voice would have been better suited to actors Tom Holland or Taron Egerton. I love both of those actors and I completely agree that those casting choices would have both been ideal candidates for the role, but....As I have already stated, the rabbits are now portrayed as older animals. So what was the point in commenting on the age of the voice that was attached to the character? It makes no sense to me. I thought Corden did a good job. To be honest he was probably a perfect casting choice for an older version of the immature and cheeky little rabbit. If Peter had a human clone with the same personality, the first person I would think of is James Corden. Lets talk about the voices behind the rest of the lovable bunnies. There's Suicide Squad actress Margot Robbie who plays the role of Peter's sister, Flopsy. Robbie herself has described the character as having middle sibling syndrome and being very nervous but very playful. To be honest it's not easy to tell who is voicing the character as she has a rather cute little lisp when speaking. Margot Robbie also narrated the whole film too. Along with a great script she did a good job. Then there's Mopsy who has borrowed her voice from Elizabeth Debicki. Mopsy is the oldest of the triplets and is a rational and quick thinker - quite ideal to have alongside a reckless older brother. She also has a talent of being able to lipread (or so she thinks she does anyway), there are quite a few laughs to be had from her rather slanted interpretations. The last of the triplets is Cotton-Tail. In the current TV series she is shown as a baby, much younger than Peter, Flopsy and Mopsy, so seeing her as a 'grown up' is quite intriguing. Cotton-Tail is voiced by Star Wars heroine Daisy Ridley. Ridley herself describes her character as a bit of a loose cannon, mental and awesome. To me Cotton-Tail was very much like the actress' most famous alter ego Rey (Star Wars) which although is great if you're a fan of the character but it does mean that Daisy can come across as a little typecast. However, that doesn't mean that the actress' efforts as the little bunny in green were disappointing. She was easily the most entertaining of the rabbits throughout the whole film. I can't forget to mention Benjamin Bunny - the cousin to Peter and his sisters. In the original Beatrix Potter story "The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies", Benjamin is actually married to Flopsy. There's a little interesting fact for you if you aren't familiar with the original stories. In the 2018 film adaptation, the pair are just cousins. Benjamin is voiced by Colin Moody. This little bunny is Peter's right hand rabbit. He is always by his cousin's side no matter how many terrifying situations they manage to find themselves in. The character comes across as reserved and a little shy and is also a victim of sarcastic comments from his cousin regarding him being a brown bunny wearing a brown jacket. A fashion no no.

Rose Byrne took on the role of Bea (Beatrix Potter). She lives in the house next to the McGregor home. She moved to the countryside in an attempt to escape her busy lifestyle in order to focus on her art work. Most of her paintings are of course of Peter and his family over the years. Her paintings also bring back some hard memories for the rabbits each time they see them. Especially Bea's portrait of Mr and Mrs Rabbit. Byrne's character is a very stereotypical loving and nurturing role. She has formed a bond with the local wildlife when observing them for her art. Peter and his siblings, along with their cousin Benjamin would often be encouraged into Bea's home. She is a very relaxed character with a positive energy.

On the opposite end of the scale is Thomas McGregor - the great nephew of Bea's former unreasonable neighbour. Thomas is played by Domhnall Gleeson. He is a low-grade manager in the famous Harrods Toy Store in London. Great marketing there for the toy shop indeed. His character is one that strives for nothing short of pure perfection. So annoyingly so, that he even drinks water from a toilet bowl in his place of work to show how clean the facilities are and makes sure that all pillows within the doll houses are fluffed...well...Perfectly. His traits and personality pretty much screams OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). To be 'perfectly' honest (see what I did there), the film would have scored far lower across the board if it wasn't for Gleeson in this role. He was very entertaining to watch and makes a fantastic effort in slapstick comedy scenes when feuding with Peter Rabbit.

Continuing with some fairly forced comical scenes, there is a frame where the rabbits decide to make slingshots to pelt Thomas with the fruit and vegetables from his own garden. Earlier on in the film Thomas states to Bea (Byrne) that he is allergic to blackberries. You may have guessed what I am about to say. Yes, Peter (Corden) and his family deliberately use the character's medical allergy to give them the tactical advantage. You can even hear one of the rabbits telling another "aim for the mouth". To a toddler this won't mean a lot. But to older children it can be seen as a terrible influence. One of the rabbits successfully manages to get a blackberry into the mouth of their enemy. Thomas is then sent into anaphylactic shock and is forced to reach for his epi-pen in his pocket to save his own life. How is this a good idea to put into a children's film!? When is it ever a good idea to promote using someone's medical conditions against them? I wasn't best pleased with my 3 year old son watching this. Although it will mean nothing to him at his age now, he loved the film and will undoubtedly want to re watch it again and again. This scene will become clearer to him as he gets older. Which is concerning. So parents please be warned.

Peter Rabbit was better than I had anticipated that it would be. And yes it's a great all round family film with a great cast, lovable characters and a good story. But some scenes do show the Peter and his family taking things a little too far, even leading up to Thomas McGregor to blow up the bunnies' home and causing destruction to Bea's house too. But as most family films go, apologies are made and all ends well. I would recommend it to others, but I would do so with some caution.