Pan awakens the child in all of us in this modern reimagined fairytale.
Spin offs of traditional fairy tales have been creating quite a box office reaction these days with the popularity of releases such as Cinderella and Maleficent. Directed by Joe Wright and based off the original characters, Pan takes us to the very beginning. Peter (Levi Miller) drifts off into Neverland from a London orphanage around the turn of the 20th century, after World War II. The film is motived by Peter’s longing to find his mother, played by Amanda Seyfried.
As he is catapulted into Neverland, he befriends Hook (Garrett Hedlund) in search to fulfill a prophecy. The two make their way to a secluded indigenous village, which protects the sacred map of the fairies. At the same time, Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman) and his team of pirates are also in search of the treasure map. The two sides play cat and mouse, racing to attain possession whilst gallivanting from forest to sea and sky. With the help of Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara), the three make their way to discovering what lies beyond the prophecy.
Each sequence of the film takes on a unique and vivid rendition of the traditional fairytale, from the soundtrack of Nirvana and The Ramones to the costume, Pan takes the viewer on a bold and exhilarating visual experience. Also not falling short were the fighting sequences, which took place on top of floating ships and massive trampolines. Ultimately the film lacks in one of the most important characteristics of a fairytale which is sentiment. The primary motivation to finding Peter’s mother comes off as selfishness more than determination and ambition, making the storyline difficult to connect with on a moral level.