Special effects are really the essence of this
prequel version of J. M. Barrie’s Peter
Pan. Here, Pan is left by his mother on the steps
of an orphanage run by an evil conniving Mother Barnabas (Kathy Burke) when he
was a newborn child. Twelve years
elapse, but Peter continues to wonder about his origins and question the
motives of the nun who is still in charge of the orphanage. When he notices that boys frequently
disappear during the night, he takes notice and begins to investigate with his
friend Nibs (Lewis MacDougall), first in the apartment of Mother Barnabas where
he finds many treasures that confirm his suspicions. But her chest of coins is a puzzlement.
Soon after, he finds himself captive on a
pirate ship owned by the infamous Blackbeard (Jackman) that sails through the
sky as well as the ocean. Their
destination is Blackbeard’s mines in Neverland where he conscripts hundreds of
boys to hammer through the rock looking for the fairy dust that will keep him
forever young. There, Peter meets
Hook (Headlund), who is older but not wiser—more of an operator who takes every
opportunity he can to forge an exit from the mines.
Through a series of misadventures, Peter comes
to the attention of Blackbeard who learns enough about him to determine that
Peter is the one to fulfill the prophecy of his own demise. Of course, that puts Peter’s life in
danger, and the rest of the story is his alliance with not only Hook, but also
Tiger Lily (Mara), a fairy who has much to fear from Blackbeard as well,
because the fairies could be Blackbeard’s undoing in alliance with Peter.
To be a children’s movie, Pan has complex relationships and plot story lines that will go far
beyond their comprehension. Joe
Wright is an accomplished director (Atonement,
Pride and Prejudice, Anna Karenina, Hanna, The Soloist), but this film
falls far short of his previous work, which could be attributed to a confusing
screen play (Jason Fuchs) and special effects that essentially take over and
obscure the essence of the story.
Case in point and major flaw is Blackbeard’s and Tiger Lily’s physical
bouts that seem to go on forever.
Alas, connections to the original story and its
principles are nowhere to be found in this modern rendition that looks more
like a video game than an enlightening film for children.
Pan is sacrificed to special effects in
this traditionally beloved story of Peter Pan.
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