Pan review: “A fun, fantastic fantasy adventure”

Pan review: A fantastic fantasy adventure with the stand-out being Jackman’s glorious new villain, Blackbeard.

Joe Wright, the British director who, up until now has settled on bringing mainly period dramas like Pride and Prejudice and Atonement to the screen, focusses his talented sights on a retelling of the Peter Pan classic, which too can be wedged in that aforementioned genre, with the action taking place during World War II.

Pan is a brand new origin story written by Jason Fuchs, and was a screenplay that has appeared on the famous Blacklist, Hollywood’s list of the best of the best unmade screenplays. The action kicks off just before WWII, where Peter Pan’s mother Mary (Amanda Seyfried) is seen seemingly abandoning her newborn child at the gates of the Lambeth Home For Boys in south London. We very quickly skip forward 12 years to find Peter (newcomer Levi Miller) living amongst the rest of the orphans at the home, some of which are beginning to mysteriously disappear. One night Peter himself is kidnapped by pirates in a flying ship, who take him to Neverland which is ruled by the pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman). There, Peter meets a young James Hook (Garrett Hedlund), Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara), and The Lost Boys, where a new adventure to find out what really happened to his beloved mother begins.

The existence of Pan is indeed in itself quite questionable. It seems a little early to be presented with yet another retelling of the classic story; after all, it is just 12 years since P.J. Hogan dropped the clunker that was Peter Pan, starring Jason Isaacs as Hook, into our laps. However, here we are treated to a very different Pan, and our story begins before Peter even becomes the boy who never grows up, or meets the darlings, or even steps into Neverland. Miller is exceptional in his first big feature as the title character (his casting was a result of a worldwide search for a new actor to play the iconic role), and the opening scenes set against the backdrop of the capital during the Blitz are visually gorgeous, complete with zeppelins and spitfire planes above a blazing London. The integration of a flying pirate ship within this environment is something to behold, and the first part of the opening reel, set up the magic and wonder of what’s to come.

We saw some footage from the film back in July, and we heard that Wright had chosen to use modern rock tracks in the film as the crew roll into Neverland for the first time. There was a worry as to how this would integrate and play in this kind of film, but the addition of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit and various other well-known songs are not a problem, and in fact, work wonderfully. That soundtrack, set to the over-the-top, scenery chewing dialogue delivery from Jackman as the new villain Blackbeard, is pure cinematic gold, and perhaps his villain in this kind of fantasy movie is one of the best since Geoffrey Rush’s Barbossa in the Pirates Of The Caribbean films. In fact, the whole film could be up there in terms of quality, with the earlier movies in that franchise; the script, which, along with Wright’s masterful, inventive direction, is that good.

As for the other performances? Well, Garrett Hedlund is fine in his incarnation of a younger Hook – a kind of hybrid of Dustin Hoffman’s performance, mixed with the cheeky wit of Han Solo and the adventurer spirit of Indiana Jones. He’s superb. Then we have Rooney Mara, whose casting was a little frowned upon when it was announced (Tiger Lily is traditionally Native American), but she brings a humanity to the piece, and is perfectly fine. Also, there are some great extended cameos from the likes of Kathy Burke as an Irish nun, who really has things coming to her, and an almost unrecognisable Paul Kaye as Mutti Voosht, one of Blackbeard’s henchmen.

The visuals in Neverland are stunning, magical and colourful as you would imagine. From Tiger Lilly’s head-dress, to the blunderbuss explosions, to the glittering fairies; this production has been designed to dazzle, and does so… and them some. The visual effects are absolutely tip-top too; from flying pirate ships, to plunging mining quarries, leaping crocodiles and beautiful mermaids, who just bear a resemblance to three, identical Cara Delivignes. The CGI is difficult to fault.

With a PG rating in the UK, the film does have some pretty harrowing scenes for young children, but with so much fighting and violence going on, Wright manages to swerve what we see on-screen quite superbly. However, some moments involving big scary crocs, and various people falling from great heights, the minor peril felt more major in our eyes, so parental guidance is very much recommended.

If there was a downside to the film, then the very significant open-ended finale may not satisfy some viewers, with Warner Bros. possibly looking to extend this strong opener into a potential franchise, which may not be all that unwelcome.

Overall, this is a great family movie, and a great way to kick off the autumn season. A fantastic family adventure that dazzles and delights in equal measure. Go as soon as you can.

Pan review by Paul Heath, September 2015.

Pan is released in UK cinemas on 16th October, 2015, and in the US on 9th October.