Review of Pan (2015) by Wilder S — 12 Mar 2016

For all its eye-popping action scenes and stylish design, Joe Wright's Peter Pan prequel feels wonderfully old-fashioned. Screenwriter Jason Fuchs creates a prequel to the J.M. Barrie classic, sprinkling it with insider nods to what is yet to come but British director Joe Wright has gone bonkers putting it on the screen. His airy sensibility regarding the material melds with the arts-and-crafts production design to create an earnestly fun, brightly colored joyride. Full of non-stop action, an intriguing new take on J.M. Barrie's classic "Peter Pan" tale and some old-fashioned, swashbuckling mischief led by Hugh Jackman, director Joe Wright's Pan is one heck of a charming romp. When on screen, Jackman gives a bravura performance. It's almost as if he's imagining he's back on Broadway and he has to be "big" enough for the people in the back of the balcony to hear him. Joe Wright creates feelings of pure joy and wonder in the audience as he takes our hand and flies us over the surreal landscape of a world that does not exist. This Pan is loud, colourful, busy and full of ideas. Not all those ideas work in sync - but most are bold and some are winningly eccentric. Occasionally things get a little overcrowded, particularly during a sticky final act, but Pan has a certain timeless buoyancy that keeps it bouncing back.

VERDICT: "High-Quality Stuff" - [Positive Reaction] This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent. (Films that are rated 3.5 or 4 stars).