So this wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I was expecting a bit more whimsy in Come Away, more scenes set within the imagination of the children. Instead, a great deal of the film was set in reality, and it was a bit of a dark reality. In fact, it is not surprising that it was given a PG rating. In my opinion, it's not quite enough children-friendly imagination and adventure scenes to keep the attention of young children. There are also a couple of scenes that you'd have to talk through with older children so they don't get any ideas.
We didn't get a full-fledged Wonderland and Neverland until we had less than 20 minutes left in the film. However, it did tie the two magical worlds together nicely, as well as the real world. While Alice's storyline was able to conclude somewhat in reality, it's not clear what truly happened with Peter. Despite being mostly set in reality, the film seemed to have opted for a magical ending in that regard.
As an origin story, I did appreciate the interesting ways in which they tied in elements of the well-known Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan stories. At times, they even brought in those elements in unexpected ways, which keeps you intrigued for what other elements they will tie in and how they will do it, despite being so familiar with the stories which have been re-imagined so many times in films. The acting was wonderful, not surprising with David Oyelowo and Angelina Jolie as the stars. The young stars, Keira Chansa and Jordan A. Nash, were great as well; as were the rest of the cast. And the sets and costuming struck the perfect balance for the film given its blending of reality, imagination, and magic.
On a not so great note, though it's in the trailer, the brick through the window was a bit triggering for me in the current climate of racial tension. Though it should be noted, the race of the characters does not seem to come up in the film, which is fine. In ways, it does seem however this is replaced by Oyelowo's character being considered from the lower-class, which seems to be the crux of the issue Jolie has with her sister. Meaning the way in which Jolie's sister interacted with the family could have easily been interpreted as related to Oyelowo's race, but as his race was actually never mentioned and only his growing up in the lower-class, I think it's safe to say racism does not play a role in this world.
While some may appreciate that, I must say there is one aspect of race that was present and made me cringe, the use of the term "Indian" multiple times. I couldn't help but think, if there was an outdated/racist/offensive term referring to Black people, it would not be included in the film. So I questioned how "Indian" could be so comfortably used in the film. I am certainly not an expert on the preferred term of those who may consider themselves to fall under the group the story was clearly using the term for, but growing up I was taught it is outdated and offensive to use the term "Indian." I did some minor research, meaning I am still nowhere near knowing the right answer if there is one answer (when it comes to terms used to describe groups, there often isn't one answer as individuals have the right to determine how they individually choose to identify), but I came across something very interesting that lines up with my overall feeling about the use of the term in the film. In an article from the Smithsonian Magazine, "The Racist History of Peter Pan’s Indian Tribe," it was noted that the same group was identified as "piccaninny warriors" and a "Piccaninny tribe." Now imagine if this film dared to use such terms. Thankfully, it did not, but I wonder how much time, consideration, and research was spent on the decision to use the term "Indian."