Crass, clichéd tale of timeless classic

made her tales timeless. But with Peter Rabbit, director Will Gluck and co-screenwriter Rob Lieber aim to prove there’s no classic that can’t be improved by an injection of modernity, all with an eye to mass-market appeal.

A free-spirited artist, Bea (Rose Byrne) lives in a cottage next to Old Mr Mcgregor (Sam Neill), where she has befriended a rabbit named Peter (voice of James Corden), as well as his sisters Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, along with their lop-eared cousin Benjamin Bunny (played by Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki, Daisy Ridley and Colin Moody, respectively).

We first encounter Peter as he’s racing to Mcgregor’s garden with a raid in mind. When the film’s narrator (Robbie) observes that Peter wears a blue coat – “and no pants” – it’s clear this isn’t your great-grandmother’s rabbit tale.

Long ago, Peter was warned by his mother to steer clear of Mcgregor’s garden, since Peter’s father was caught and baked in a pie. But the danger-loving rabbit feasts brazenly on Mcgregor’s produce, until the man comes after him with rake and hoe.

Then Mcgregor drops dead. Enter his persnickety greatnephew and heir, Thomas (Gleeson), who has gone berserk after being passed over for a promotion at Harrods department store in London. Jobless, he comes to the countryside to sell his greatuncle’s home. What he doesn’t count on is Peter’s intention to force him out, or Peter’s jealousy when Thomas and Bea fall in love. Man and beast go to war.

That’s when the narrative goes awry. The climactic battle, complete with nonlethal explosions and electrocutions, reveals Thomas to be a rabbithater, and Peter a destructive trickster.– Washington Post