Do we really need another journey in Neverland? There have been so
many adaptations of J.M. Barrie's fantastical novel that finding some new take
on the boy who wouldn't grow up seems like a foolish errand. But does anyone
want to know Peter Pan's origin story, or is the mystery best left preserved?
Joe Wright's beautiful, CGI-fueled Pan figures that audiences really want
to know the forces that drove Pan to be the protector of orphans everywhere and
the savior of Neverland. In exploring Peter's early days the film takes some
absolutely bizarre turns that will leave most scratching their heads, but kids
will be too enamored with the lush visuals and colorful characters to care.
First thing to note is that Wright's
vision for Pan is completely bonkers, beginning with Peter's (Levi Miller)
adventures in a Hellish orphanage run by evil nuns. If Charles Dickens were
high when writing Oliver Twist it might look something like this. Nuns are
hoarding entire cases of gold and food while the boys starve in their beds.
Peter was left there as a baby by his long-lost mother (Amanda Seyfried
in a bit part), and his sole desire is to be reunited with her. But he isn't
going to find her in post-WWII London, so it's to his benefit that he and other
boys are kidnapped by zip-lining pirates in the service of Blackbeard (Hugh
Jackman).
The film picks up momentum once Peter is
whisked away to Neverland, and it's also where we see just how much freedom
Wright and screenwriter Jason Fuchs have been given to wildly reimagine
Barrie's magical world. Sugar-coated with every color of the rainbow and some
that have never existed in reality; Neverland is like someone blew up a box of
Crayola crayons. That vibrancy is matched to jarring effect by the grim reality
of Peter's predicament, forced into slavery mining Pixie Dust, or
"pixum", which turns out to be a drug which Blackbeard snorts like
cocaine. Uhhhh, say what now? The flamboyant pirate, who has no problem sending
the boys to their deaths by booting them off his flying frigate, has a crew who
routinely recite Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Uhhhh, say what
now? While we might expect something like that out of Baz Luhrmann a Nirvana-inspired
musical act was hardly what one would expect out of Wright. It does serve as a
chance to let Jackman show off his singing voice, but that's about the only
value in it.
As oddball as this whole thing sounds, the
film sheds its quirks for a traditional adventure narrative with the
introduction of a pre-evil Hook (Garrett Hedlund). He and Peter become
reluctant pals and plot their escape, eventually encountering Neverland's
indigenous tribe and queen Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara, a controversial choice to
say the least), who believe Peter is the "chosen one" meant to save
them. 
So there's a lot going on here, from
Peter's search for his mother, his embracing of a destiny, plus a brewing
romance between Hook and Tiger Lily. Not all of these disparate parts mesh well
into a convincing whole. How any of this informs Peter's "never grow
up" mentality is completely unclear, but to be fair the story is basically
one big mess despite the energetic, swashbuckling pace. There are some weird
and utterly pointless diversions, like a stop to hang out with some mermaids
(one played by Suicide Squad's
Cara Delevingne) that adds nothing to the story. Other than Peter, who is
played with a plucky intensity by Miller, the other characters simply aren't
very engaging. Hedlund's wannabe Indiana Jones routine quickly grows tiresome,
and maybe he saw this as a backdoor interview for when that franchise is
revived. Mara, who has been singled-out due to the white washing of the role,
actually fares pretty well overall. Decked out in her garish headdress and
jungle gear she gets to kick some ass while taking on a mentor role for Peter,
who is overcome with the responsibility of his destiny. 
Like some Marvel superhero film the
conclusion is a star-spanning laser show of magical powers because that's what
these franchises think audiences want. And this is indeed being positioned as a
potential trilogy, although any plans for sequels may be premature at this
point. Pan isn't terrible; as a 3D CGI
spectacle it has a lot to offer and the kids will love it. It just doesn't
offer anything to the Peter Pan mythos that we need to see more of.
Rating: 3 out of 5
