Does Peter Rabbit, the movie match up to its book written by Beatrix Potter? Let me know any movie that has matched up to the standards of its book, and then we will discuss on this. Please don’t mention about the movies based on the novels of best selling Indian Author. Yes, in those cases the movie is better than the book.
The movie itself is relevant in today’s world. It is a live-action computer-animated comedy film. The comedy comes mostly from the smart dialogues and to a greater extent it succeeds in making the audience laugh hilariously, especially the sharp witted ones. There is also some slapstick humour due to incorrect lip reading. The story is predictable but it is an epic tale in human/rabbit emotions. It has romance, nostalgia, revenge, misappropriation, jealousy, possessiveness, hyper reaction, cold bloodedness, remorse, apologizing and finally all is well that ends well.
The film had its own allergy controversy and it should have been avoided because humour cannot be based on an individual’s deficiencies. There is also a needless naming of ambulance as an `ice cream truck with lights’. We should also remember one of the world’s biggest democracies elected an individual as it president after he mimicked a handicapped journalist. He is not the only politician and this is how the society is evolving. It is becoming cruelly sarcastic.
The movie is all about rabbits getting the rights to rampage the neighbour’s garden; Old McGregor who would have none of it but doesn’t mind settling for a rabbit pie; the lovely girl next door Bea who does horrible paintings but has a heart of gold; Peter Rabbit who is unfazed by McGregor’s desire for a rabbit pie; Mr. McGregor who has a heart attack while squeezing the life out of Peter Rabbit; Peter Rabbit who claims that he was one who slain Old McGregor; Thomas McGregor who comes to Lake District only for selling his Uncle’s estate and open a toy shop in front of Harold’s from the money; He falls in love with Bea which does not impress Peter Rabbit; electric fences, dynamites thrown into rabbit burrows, rabbit detonating a dynamite; Bea studio along with the rabbit burrow getting reduced to rubbles; break-up between Bea and Thomas; Peter feeling remorse and finally uniting the couple. As a passing treat, how the buyers of the Thomas estate are chased away by Peter and his friends is well depicted.
The film is a great contemporary lesson. We have countless Peter Rabbits’. There is one politician and his supporters who claim credit for everything good that happens during his regime. Peter Rabbit claiming that in fact he was the one who vanquished McGregor is the best example. There is no shortage of Thomas’s who come up with hyper reactions for small situations in life. You will find many Bea’s pursuing relentlessly something which they are not good at. Benjamin’s are always there in the middle of us, they know what is right and wrong but never speak up.
Every parent should take their kid to this movie. Movies are not the only source of cruelty, the film should be explained by the parents in the right away and to avoid all the pitfalls mentioned in the story. Morals in today’s world can no longer be told with Aesop Tales or Panchantantra, they have to be told through such stories also.
Plot : 5/10 ; Animation : 8/10, Relevance : Infinity.
