In an attempt to capitalize on the fairy tale origin trope, “Pan” puts a new twist on the characters from the classic children’s book “Peter Pan” by J. M. Barrie in explaining how Peter Pan came to be. Despite its ambitious effort, “Pan” flounders due to a bizarre, jumbled and completely unsatisfying plot.
The movie begins with the eponymous Peter Pan (Levi Miller) living in a miserable orphanage in 1940s London. He is then kidnapped by pirates and taken to Neverland where he is forced to mine fairy dust, or pixum, for the nefarious Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman). Peter discovers he can fly, and then Blackbeard tells Pan of a prophecy in which a flying boy would lead an uprising against Blackbeard. But before Blackbeard has a chance to kill Peter, the boy escapes with the help of James Hook (Garrett Hedlund) and is quickly captured by the native Neverlanders, led by Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara). Tiger Lily informs Peter that the prophecy is true and that she needs his help to free the fairy kingdom and defeat the pirates. Peter must decide if he is brave enough to fulfill the prophecy and help the people of Neverland, or risk letting Blackbeard rule for eternity.
“Pan” was the subject of controversy long before it was even released. The director, Joe Wright, was accused of racial discrimination by casting Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily, a character portrayed as Native American by J.M. Varrie himself. Wright did cast a multicultural tribe of natives, but the decision to cast Mara is still questionable. For a warrior who’s supposed to be brave and strong, Mara is wooden and unconvincing.
“Pan” tries to differentiate itself from other fairy tale origin stories through its edginess and unconventionality. It doesn’t work. For example, when Peter first enters the mines in Neverland, thousands of workers are inexplicably chanting Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” In another unnerving scene, a group of mermaids, all played by Cara Delevingne, save Peter from a giant flying crocodile. Wright is obviously trying to make the film unique but instead the extra effects make it confusing.
A good chunk of screen time is also devoted to a forced and unnecessary romantic subplot between Hook and Tiger Lily, which is made far worse by the fact that actors Hedlund and Mara have zero chemistry. The romance does nothing to advance the plot or add depth to the story, and feels a bit creepy given that Tiger Lily is supposed to be a young girl.
Newcomer Levi Miller as Peter, however, is a bright spot in the film, stealing the screen from veteran actors like Jackman and Mara. His emotional depth and comedic timing reflect an acting skill far beyond his years, and he has no weak moments despite being on screen almost the entire time. If it were not for Miller’s remarkable performance, “Pan” would have been a complete and utter disaster.
“Pan” could have been interesting if it told a story that people wanted to hear, but instead it raises more questions than answers. So much time is spent establishing the friendship between Hook and Peter, one would expect to find out how they became mortal enemies. Yet “Pan” ends without explaining anything. “Pan” is a great example of a film that didn’t need to be made and perhaps its failure will persuade filmmakers to move on and leave Neverland alone.
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