THE thing with re-telling fairy tales is that everyone already knows the story so there can only be very limited scope to do something original.

This is particularly true of Peter Pan, with the Disney film accepted as the definitive version and Hook a pleasing enough alternative.

So it was with some trepidation that I settled down to watch P J Hogan's effort. But I needn't have worried - it really was quite good.

Beautifully shot, Hogan has used the story as a blank canvas onto which he paints worlds both real and imagined which are a joy to behold.

Victorian London is wonderfully recreated and Neverland is absolutely fantastical. Everything, from the splendid pirate ship to the characters' costumes, is perfectly realised.

Underrated and under-used talent Jason Isaacs takes on the role of Captain Hook and portrays him as a human being rather than an archetypal pantomime villain, with feelings of loneliness and bitterness.

Olivia Williams is their mother and brings an almost magical, angelic quality to the role. Jeremy Sumpter is a revelation as the eponymous hero and could well be a star in the making. And Rachel Hurd-Wood is delightful as Wendy.

SC