Review #19 | "Pan" (2015)

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"Pan" sorely missed the mark with audiences during it's opening this weekend. Hollywood and fans had high hopes for an imaginative backstory for the boy that never grew up, but quite honestly "Pan" gives Peter more of a Harry Potter complex than anything else, complete with mermaids and scary-looking cave doors.

Director Joe Wright is widely known for is amazing work adapting titles such as "Pride and Prejudice," "Anna Karenina," and "Atonement," all of which recieved high accolades even from the Academy. So, why then, did he take a turn directing a computer-heavy children's tale backstory? Perhaps the potential for the adaptation is what drew him to the project, but unfortunately his intentions just didn't translate on screen. Mixing styles is hard to do, and in this case it just didn't work. His signature sweeping long shots were nowhere to be seen and the would-be cohesive backstory-adaptation is instead a children's movie featuring some confusing music choices and Blackbeard's (Hugh Jackman) atrocious hair and makeup. Everything in Neverland is overdone, from Blackbeard to the Natives, to help the audience buy into the absence of time and that Neverland is a place for children. However, "Pan" is not marketable to that young demographic because of the Messiah/Harry Potter/Chosen One complexity of the story line. The production concept sorely misses the mark in relation to the screenplay. The casting could have saved this film, but the character choices and the relationships between them feel as if they were executed independently, enhancing the lost sense of cohesiveness.

The disappointment of this film is surprising because it is a work from Joe Wright. He should stick to what he knows best. His grandiose imagination may have been too big, even for Neverland. Not that the film isn't enjoyable, it's just not something to run to the theatre to see again. This would be a fun movie to see with your kids.

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"Pan" is rated PG and runs 111 minutes.

Directed by Joe Wright. Starring Hugh Jackman, Levi Miller, Rooney Mara, and Garrett Hedlund.