Pan

Conceived as a prequel to J.M. Barrie's beloved Peter Pan, this origin story fails miserably, turning into a grotesque, maudlin mess. Pan begins with a distraught young mother (Amanda Seyfried) leaving her infant son in a Dickensian-like London orphanage; the boy's name is Peter and he wears a pendant around his neck of a tiny pan flute. During a WWII bombing raid, rambunctious Peter (Levi Miller) is sold to airborne pirates, who evade the German Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force's Spitfires. Under the command of ferocious Captain Blackbeard (hideously costumed/made-up Hugh Jackman), they fly into an alternate universe, known as Neverland, where Peter hopes to find his mother. Landing in a huge, open mining pit, Peter is forced to dig for Pixite—crystallized fairy dust, which Blackbeard uses to fight old age, while his slaves sing Nirvana's “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Befriended by adult miner James Hook (Garrett Hedlund), Peter is forced to walk the plank, but instead of falling, he flies! Peter and Hook are then captured by Princess Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara) and her band of Indians (Mara appears to be the only Caucasian in her brightly bedecked tribe). While Hook flirts with Tiger Lily, Peter searches for his mother, as Tinkerbell leads them into a crystal cave where Blackbeard attacks fluttering fairies with a blowtorch. Amid an armada of flying frigates, there's also a huge crocodile and a mermaid trio. Hampered by a ludicrous script, director Joe Wright relies on swashbuckling sound and campy, chaotic CGI fury, none of which makes much sense beyond the heavy-handed believe-in-yourself lessons. Not recommended. [Note: Blu-ray/DVD extras include “The Boy Who Would Be Pan” behind-the-scenes featurette. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is audio commentary by director Joe Wright, the production featurettes “Never Grow Up: The Legend” (11 min.), “The Scoundrels of Neverland” (6 min.), and “Wondrous Realms” (5 min.), and bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)