Review of Peter Rabbit (2018) by Jacob B — 23 Aug 2018

Peter Rabbit could be considered a representation of just how bad Paddington could've been. It's not terrible but boy was I appalled by the trailers. Less because of pop culture references to keep parents awake unlike those childish Paddington movies that dared not include modern crap despite its 21st-century setting.

More because the titular character was stealing vegetables from a garden and we're supposed to root against General Hux for daring to protect a garden. Not to mention they partied when the last homeowner died.

And of course, there was that attempted murder-through-allergies attempt that Peter and his family knew damn well he had. And you're supposed to root for them for doing all of this to poor Thomas McGregor.

It's not entirely bad. Some of the jokes work, the animation blends seamlessly into live-action without falling into the uncanny valley - that's Animal Logic for you -, there are a few instances of 2D animation done in Beatrix Potter's classic style that are nice to look at, Tom goes through some character development although you'll probably want him to exterminate Peter, Domhnall Gleeson's performance is entertaining and the third act is a bit dramatic.

That somber, acoustic version of Rather Be was beautiful. Yet Peter Rabbit ends up pandering to children rather than having all-ages appeal like Paddington did, it's hard to root for a protagonist who steals vegetables for his own amusement and throws parties when archnemeses die.

You'd think after The Emoji Movie, Sony Pictures Animation would demand reshoots. But no, Peter Rabbit might entertain children but I think the movie might send a bad example for them. Murder-through-allergies is hilarious, kids!