Pan brings me back to the days when my grandfather brought me to the theatre to watch pantomimes every Christmas. Pantomimes, if you are not aware, are fourth wall breaking stage shows that are aimed for a comedic and yet over-the-top performance. They’re very popular in England, and they’re enjoyable for the entire family. The film also features a beautiful world, an interesting narrative, and some fantastic action scenes. The spotty acting by lead Levi Miller, the cheesy writing, and some awkward CG effects do let it down slightly, however.
Pan tells the story of Peter’s beginnings before he took the mantle. His orphanage in wartime London is taken by pirates, and the children have to become miners to get pixie dust for the wonderfully villainous Blackbeard played by Hugh Jackman. As the film progresses, we find out that Peter is the chosen one to defeat Blackbeard, and it is up to him, Tigerlilly, and James Hook to save Neverland from the pirates. It’s an interesting take on the Neverland mythos, but we don’t fully see how he became Pan and how James Hook became Captain Hook. Peter never swash buckles or learns to fight with the sword, and despite a little hint at the end, we never really know why James turned on Peter. The ending is weak as well, as we never see Peter actually fighting Blackbeard at the end to save the day. Instead it’s Tigerlilly, and she isn’t a well developed character. She’s that obligatory female character who is there for a male to fall in love with that you see in almost every blockbuster.
The main plot points of this premise of a movie are missed, but it is still a fun adventure. The writing, despite being cheesy at parts, brought me back to the days in which I sat and watched a pantomime. The banter between Hook and Peter worked well, the slapstick comedy made me grin and sometimes laugh, and Blackbeard is a villain who felt ominous and who you loved to hate. The action scenes shown within the movie are spectacular. Flying ships, well choreographed fight scenes, and thrilling chase scenes all work well within the film. And yes, despite laughing out loud in the theater and while watching the Blu-ray when these scenes occurred, I love the inclusion of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit and The Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop. Once again, they bring me back to the pantomimes when they sang modern songs in an unfitting setting. They make no sense in the film, but I find the songs a fun way to introduce the two scenes.
The performances were spot on to the characters of Peter Pan as well, except for Levi Miller’s spotty acting here and there. From his performance, you can tell Hugh Jackman relished in playing a villain. He was maniacal, you do not know what’s going on in his mind, and he, like the pantomimes I watched as a child, overacted in the best way possible. He is threatening on screen (I was about to write on-stage) and as the plot unravels, you see more personality being fleshed out from the character. Jackman is the best actor in the movie by far, but Levi Miller and Garrett Hedlund (as Hook) played well together. The jokes and the conversations between them are hilarious, and the two actors compliment each other perfectly. Keeping in mind that he’s young, Levi Miller is at most points a solid actor. He can show the character’s emotions through his facial expressions very well, but the way he presents lines can be overacted. His performance took me out of the film multiple times, but overall, he delivers and fits the role of Peter Pan. Despite the underdeveloped character of Tigerlilly, Rooney Mara delivers a believable performance with no hiccups to speak of.
However, the CG special effects do have a few hiccups. Overall, Pan is stunning to behold. The flying island of Neverland fills your heart with wonder, and you want to see Peter and company explore the area. In the behind-the-scenes footage, you can see the concept art that was created for the film, and the animators were able to bring it to life. Seeing pirate ships fly in the skies of wartime London and around Neverland is a treat as well. There is also a scene in which Peter is in space and is hovering in low gravity; it’s a spectacular scene that made me as giddy as when I watched Disney’s Treasure Planet for the first time as a child. The CG has its faults, though. For example, in multiple scenes in which Peter is flying, you can easily tell that Miller is animated. The face, in particular, makes him look like a cartoon. The Neverbirds also feel out of place in Pan. They contrast from the actors far too much and are included for an incredibly forced chase scene. In result, the Neverbirds take me out of the film for a few minutes. What brought me back in to the film, on the other hand, is John Powell‘s soundtrack. The opening melody is magical to listen to, and the action scenes are complimented with a thrilling orchestral score that takes notes from the opening theme in some shape or form.
The Blu-ray also offers plenty of featurettes alongside the movie. They include information on how Peter Pan came to be written and how they adapted J.M. Barrie’s original books, how they found Levi Miller to play the role of Peter, and they showcase the stunning sets from the movie. All of these featurettes are well produced with interviews from the cast and crew of the film. They even include Blackbeard’s crew and how they were designed. The audio commentary from the director of the film, Joe Wright, also provides great insight into how this film came to be and how it was altered during production. For example, after showing Pan to test audiences, they included an introductory scene to explain that this was Peter Pan’s origins while also acknowledging the other tales that movie-goers are used to. This was included, so they can explain that this was a completely new story.
Contrary to the issues that other critics bring up, I find Pan simply fun to watch. It’s not a masterpiece, but Pan offers an entertaining action-packed adventure with interesting characters, mostly wonderful special effects, great fight scenes, funny comedic elements, and a brilliant cast of actors. I have a feeling that after a few years, this will become a cult hit among Peter Pan fans.