Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? No.
Should you watch this for free? If you like Hugh Jackman.
Running time: 111 minutes (~1.75 hours)
Secret ending? No.
“Pan” is a fantasy film that serves as a prequel to “Peter Pan.” It gives us the origin of Peter Pan and many of the different aspects of Neverland. It stars Levi Miller (Peter Pan), Hugh Jackman (Blackbeard), Garrett Hedlund (James Hook), Rooney Mara (Tiger Lily), Amanda Seyfried (Mary), and Adeel Akhtar (Mr. Smee). It is rated PG.
“Pan” tries its very best to be a magical film for those who grew up with the Peter Pan story, but does so in a very mechanical way, approaching each plot point with a very set formula. From a structural standpoint, there’s nothing wrong with the movie. But watching it, you can feel its tired, lackluster attitude, and you wonder what happened to the sense of childlike wonder that the trailers promised you.
Highlight
Weaves in references
There’s a heavy amount of foreshadowing in “Pan” for a movie that most have watched before, ie, “Peter Pan.” It takes the effort to utilise the fantasy elements that already existed in “Peter Pan” and make it a significant part of the story. Although it tries to be a prequel, in the sense that it tries to explain why the universe of “Peter Pan” is in its current state, it still manages to hold its own as a story, and doesn’t go overboard in its references and hints.
Letdowns
Blackbeard had so much potential
While some may have found Hugh Jackman’s performance as Blackbeard the intriguing highlight of the film, it felt like he wasn’t trying very hard. The problem with Blackbeard is that he isn’t evil enough, hammy enough, devious enough, or even threatening enough. He hits all the right notes — just that he doesn’t hit them hard enough. With a little bit more effort, Blackbeard could really have stolen the show.
Hook is boring
Garrett Hedlund’s accent as Hook is incredibly distracting. He sounds like a cowboy lost between Britain and American, leaving you constantly scratching your head at his origins. It doesn’t help that his backstory is intentionally kept vague, so you really have no idea how to attribute the way he speaks. Besides that weird accent, his character has little to keep you hooked.
Pan is too straight
Pan plays his stereotype, the prophesised hero of legend, with absolutely no deviation from the norm. He goes through the exact beats that you’d expect someone carrying such a burden would have to experience. He accepts his responsibility at the most critical of junctures. In other words, Pan’s story arc is so predictable that it leaves nothing to surprise.
Treatment feels random rather than wondrous
You can see how hard they try to make Neverland a land of dreams and wonder, what with all the inexplicably fantastic creatures and flora they keep encountering. Yet the plot feels random, as if they are being bounced from set piece to set piece, rather than actually being in a magical world. With no explanation or connecting theme to all the magic, your suspension of disbelief gets ripped to shreds, making you acutely aware that these are beautiful sets in a movie rather than mystical locations.
Too many plot holes
The problem is that the resolution to the film could have happened any time, rather than at the end of the movie. With this in mind, the trials of our protagonists seem utterly pointless. Why go through so much trouble when really, there was a way to resolve the conflict in a quick and painless fashion lying there all along?
“Pan” is a fantasy movie that does everything correctly on paper. But it loses its magic on screen, and is truly a disappointment for those wanting another sojourn to Neverland.
“Pan” opens in cinemas 8 October, 2015 (Thursday).
This review was also published on Yahoo.
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