Joe Wright (Hanna) introduces us to yet again, another movie about the notorious Peter Pan; the boy who dwells in Neverland and never grows up.This isn’t like all other depictions of this character. This is a prequel about he came to Neverland and how he fell in with Hook (Garett Hedlund) but before Hook, there was the infamous Captain Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman). Blackbeard is the most cutthroat pirate there is and is soon to be portrayed by Ray Stevenson in Starz’ Treasure Island prequel, Black Sails.
This the story of a boy who was taken in by nuns, and one of them was very greedy as she was very fat but also had a love for gold. It’s about a boy named Peter Pan (Levi Millier) who learns how to live, but in a way, he does grow up in Neverland. He experiences the fun and playful sides of life but also the dangers and perilous sides as well. By doing this, he fulfills his destiny, much to Blackbeard’s dismay. Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara) also joins Pan and Hook on their crusade against Blackbeard. I won’t say too much about her as her role is pivotal to the plot. Amanda Seyfried (Red Riding Hood) also stars as Peter’s mother, Mary.
Rooney Mara As Tiger Lily
The movie itself felt very Disney despite Disney not having a hand in it at all. It was actually made by Warner Bros. There were parts that felt very dramatic much alike Pirates Of The Caribbean, which is a Disney product. Also, the bad, but bearable one-liners by Hook and the love story between himself and Tiger Lily. It was all quite cringeworthy but it was watchable. What can one expect from a kid’s movie like this? Kids find over-dramatized acting amusing. For example when Hook first meets Tiger Lily and says “we come in peace” in a very ‘put on’ voice. She replies by knocking him out with a face full of fist as seen in the trailer above. Their story is pantomime worthy. WB’s James Hook in Pan is uncanny to Disney’s Captain Jack Sparrow and Hugh Jackman’s Blackbeard is similar to Barbossa in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise. The effects are very good and the CGI pretty good as well.
Pan has the characteristics of a Disney movie. Only the villain gets killed being the first one. Another characteristic being there has to be a cheesy love story. Even Pirates Of The Caribbean had the romance storyline between Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). Thirdly it has the hero defying the odds and defying evil in the face aversety. This is a mere child taking on the big all-powerful establishment, that being Blackbeard and his crew of pirates.
Captain Blackbeard: Now kneel (pointing sword at Peter)
Peter Pan: I will never bow to you
I liked how this movie was nothing like its predecessors. It had the comedic value of the others but I admired how they used a Hook as a main protagonist rather than the main antagonist. There was no Wendy either as it was a prequel. It felt strange watching a film about Peter Pan with Hook as the good guy and without Wendy Darling. After seeing Peter Pan in season three of Once Upon A Time as the titular villain, this movie seemed so mellow. That being said, Once Upon A Time is made by ABC which is owned by Disney. It shows Disney can create darkness and not all their works are lovey-dovey with a happy ending. Plus with epic twists between Peter Pan and the infamous Rumpelstiltskin.
Robbie Kay As Pan. He’s British and has weird eyebrows. That’s a recipe for villain if there ever was one. He’s one of those characters that you love to hate.
Seeing Once Upon A Time take us to Neverland showed us the origins of Pan and how he succumbed to the darkness. It was scary. Much of the former storylines had been mellow compared to Neverland. Neverland is alive. It’s an island built on magic and if the island doesn’t destroy you and make you go mad, it’s court jester will. Peter Pan in Once Upon A Time is Disney’s reply to DC’s The Riddler or even the Joker. He’s crazy and always has a trick up his sleeve. He’s akin to the Pied Piper. Then there’s also the story with Pan’s shadow which gave me the heebie-jeebies.Tinkerbell is also part of that storyline. Season 3 of this series would seriously ruin the childhood memories of the die-hard Disney fans and also the hardcore fans of the animated movie, Peter Pan (1953). Hardcore fans would find this equal to a horror movie.
Rose McIver As Tinkerbell in ABC’s Once Upon A Time. All you need is a little pixie dust!
I love Rooney Mara but I don’t understand why they needed to cast a formerly Indian character as a white female. Call me controversial but I don’t get why Hollywood felt the need. Call me old fashioned but shouldn’t an Indian princess remain Indian? It’s just some food for thought.
It just doesn’t seem quite right despite Mara’s solid performance
The majority of the casting for Pan was good. The acting was good for the type of film it was. Films like these aren’t made for acting performance. They are made to entertain children. For the audience, it was good. I enjoyed the movie. The movie ended well and it leaves lots of room for expansion. This is only a prequel so I expect two more films in the future. I reckon the second film will be about the founding of the Lost Boys and Hook slowly becoming a villain to Pan. The conclusion of the trilogy will be about Pan meeting Wendy Darling and bringing her to Neverland thus defeating Hook like in the previous movies. I sincerely hope they do a trilogy. I’d certainly watch another two of this movies in the cinema. It was a fun flick and thoroughly entertaining.
How does it go again?
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