The animals are cute and Gleeson is extremely game. What keeps Peter from Paddington-style delight is a self-conscious need to distance itself from its source material.
It's by no means a disaster, with Corden a distinct presence as Peter, but those looking for a trip back to their childhoods will be sorely disappointed.
In an era when so many animated features are so cloying, the slapstick, malice and offbeat humour here can’t help but seem bracing and refreshing.
This attempt to turn Beatrix Potter’s creation into a sassy, low-grade British Bugs – voiced by James Corden – is cynical and tiresome.
Horribly misjudged.
The visual side of Peter Rabbit is very impressive and children will warm to the menagerie of cute animals. But us adults are in for a bit of a shock.
Beatrix Potter’s children’s books may have been out of copyright since 2014, but that’s no excuse for this manure-scented take on her best-known tale.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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