Pan : Movie Review


Pan (2015)  - Movie PosterJ.M. Barrie's famed literary figure who refused to grow up has seen a near-countless stream of screen adaptations over the years—among them, Disney's 1953 animated classic "Peter Pan," the magical 1960 filmed stage version with Mary Martin, Steven Spielberg's 1991 semi-sequel "Hook" starring Robin Williams, P.J. Hogan's excellent, largely faithful 2003 picture with Jeremy Sumpter, and 2014's televised "Peter Pan Live!" featuring Allison Williams. Positioned as a revisionist origin tale unveiling how Peter became the ageless boy from Neverland, "Pan" is a lavish $150-million production with a decidedly restless spirit. Refusing to play by the rules of more commercial family fare, director Joe Wright's (2011's "Hanna") eye-candy adventure isn't afraid of going dark, not only at the hands of the fantastical villains located at the second star to the right and straight on 'til morning, but also by the imminently real dangers of World War II. As written by Jason Fuchs (2012's "Ice Age: Continental Drift"), "Pan" is a little all over the place, neither following through on its ambitious heap of ideas nor satisfactorily interlocking with the Barrie story so many know and love. In spite of its deficiencies (mostly at the scripting level), credit must be given for how arresting the story and visuals remain.

As a newborn, Peter (Levi Miller) was left by desperate mother Mary (Amanda Seyfried) on the doorstep of London's The Lambert Home for Boys. Twelve years later, he is at the mercy of the vicious Mother Barnabas (Kathy Burke) just as war-torn air attacks place everyone in immediate peril. When Peter is abducted in the night by a pirate crew who sweep him off to Neverland, he is suddenly confronted with an entirely new set of threats. Narrowly escaping execution (and discovering in the process he can fly) when he dares to question the megalomaniacal, slave-driving Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman) on his motives for mining for pixie dust, Peter goes on the run with fellow prisoner Hook (Garrett Hedlund). Peter is convinced his long-lost mother may be found in Neverland's hidden Fairy Kingdom, but Blackbeard, who has become privy to a prophecy pinpointing the boy as the one responsible for his ultimate demise, has plans to supersede his journey.

See Dustin Putman, TheFilmFile.com. for full review

Author : Dustin Putman, TheFilmFile.com.