Back in 1902, Beatrix Potter put out The Tale of Peter Rabbit and a beloved character was born. Nearly 120 years later, the property continues to show life, and we find a 21st century take on the material via 2018’s Peter Rabbit.

Set in rural England, Peter Rabbit (voiced by James Corden) and his relatives love to harass Joe McGregor (Sam Neill) as they steal vegetables from his garden. The dynamic changes when McGregor abruptly keels over.

With no one to oppose them, Peter and the other critters run roughshod over the estate. However, McGregor’s nephew Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson) soon takes charge of the property, and he engages in a battle of wills with the mischievous Peter.

Going into Rabbit, I figured the movie would offer an “in your face” version of the character that would also emphasize cheap slapstick. Some of this proves true, but the film also fares better than anticipated much of the time.

This occurs because Rabbit boasts a good sense of self-awareness. While it eagerly engages in lowbrow moments, it winks at the audience as well.

In a neat trick, that allows the flick to have its carrots and eat them too. The film engages in enough childish antics to entertain the target audience, as it also allows adults to find amusement in the ways it twists those clichés.

Don’t expect wall-to-wall slapstick and scatological material, though, as Rabbit incorporates plenty of sly, subtle gags as well. The film rewards the attentive viewer to a surprising degree, with a mix of small bits that manage to score.

A fine cast embellishes matters, and Gleeson offers impressive work as the ostensible villain. He gives his all into a potentially one-note role and brings a comedic fury to the part.

All of this adds up to a surprisingly amusing little romp. Peter Rabbit completely surpasses expectations.

Peter Rabbit appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie offered a good but not exceptional presentation.

Overall sharpness seemed good. Some shots came across as a little soft – mainly during interiors – but the film usually provided positive accuracy and delineation.

The image lacked jagged edges or moiré effects, and edge haloes didn’t become an issue. Rabbit also avoided print flaws.

Rabbit opted for a subdued palette, with a mix of light teal and orange. The colors worked fine; they didn’t seem memorable but they fit the production design.

Blacks were acceptable – though a little flat – and shadows showed pretty good delineation. All of this added up to a “B” for the image.

As for the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it offered occasional pleasures. The mix boasted good stereo presence to music as well as some effects.

Much of the mix opted for general ambience, but a few scenes added life, mainly via the battles between Peter and McGregor. Still, the track stayed with semi-low-key information much of the time, so don’t expect a consistently active track.

Audio quality worked fine, with speech that appeared natural and distinctive, without edginess or other issues. Music sounded lush and full.

Effects provided similarly rich material, as those elements seemed accurate and dynamic, with deep low-end as necessary. Again, this track lacked consistent vivacity, but it still seemed good enough for a “B”.

Only minor extras appear here, and we find a featurette called Mischief in the Making. This seven-minute, 25-second reel includes comments from director Will Gluck, executive producer Jodi Hildebrand, stunt coordinator Lawrence Woodward, producer Zareh Nalbandian, and actors Rose Byrne, Margot Robbie, James Corden, Domhnall Gleeson, Daisy Ridley and Elizabeth Debicki.

“Mischief” looks at the source and its adaptation, cast and performances, the mix of live-action and animation. A few insights emerge but most of “Mischief” offers promotional fluff.

Next comes a Mini-Movie. Called “Flopsy Turvy”, it spans three minutes, 55 seconds and focuses on some of the movie’s secondary bunnies. It’s not especially entertaining.

We also get a Dance Along. A two-minute, 36-second clip, we see a few youngsters dance to the strains of the blatantly McCartney-esque “I Promise You”. This seems like a forgettable extra.

The disc opens with ads for Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Swan Princess: A Royal MyZtery, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and The Star. No trailer for Rabbit appears here.

Given the tacky nature of so many modern kid-oriented films, I expected more of the puerile same from Peter Rabbit. Happily, I found a pretty bright, clever and witty experience. The Blu-ray brings generally good picture and audio along with minor supplements. This seems like a flick that works for adults and kids alike.