Updated: October 9 at 5:04 P.M.
Aimed as a prequel to Disney’s 1953 animated classic, Warner Bros.’ “Pan” introduces Peter and Hook before they were the ever dueling rivals of Neverland. Peter, played by newcomer Levi Miller, is living in a London orphanage when he is carried away by the infamous ship The Jolly Roger to magical Neverland. Part of the island is ran by Blackbeard, who forces all the boys he has taken to mine for a fairy dust called Pixel. In this labor camp Peter meets James Hook played by Garrett Hedlund and reluctantly, the two form a sort of friendship.
FAILING TO PROVIDE A STORY
While aesthetically the movie perfectly captures the wondrous Neverland, it was unable to capture who the characters were before we came to know them as Peter Pan and Captain Hook. It failed to provide a story structure and as a result, it did little to answer my questions about their backstories. By focusing the majority of its limited 111 minute run time on Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman) and his incessant hunt for Pixel, Joe Wright’s prequel to “Peter Pan” cannot really classify itself as such.
DISTRACTING AT TIMES
Aside from the fact that “Pan” easily could have been called “Blackbeard,” considering who the movie focused on, the characters themselves fell short at times. Hedlund’s portrayal of Hook was so trite that the voice he used for his character was distracting at times, taking away from every scene he was in.
Miller, however, captured Peter as audiences would imagine the boy to be before the legend. While the story of how Peter is connected to Neverland was explained, the animosity between Hook and Peter was never touched on. In fact, the movie ended with Peter asking Hook if they would always be friends, to which Hook replied “Of course, what could happen?”
HOPING FOR A FOLLOW-UP
When the credits rolled, I left the Warner Bros. lot where the screening took place and hoped a follow-up movie was in the making. If that is not the case, then Wright failed to do what a prequel should — give a definitive explanation for why things are the way they are in the original movie.
