Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Before Neverland

Pan: Peter’s prequel

What's up, Tiger Lily?
What's up, Tiger Lily?

If the names Mary Martin and Walt Disney top the Peter Pan pantheon, and if Hook — Spielberg’s nadir — remains forever anchored at the bottom of Mermaid Lagoon, then Joe Wright’s Pan ranks somewhere between P.J. Hogan’s passable 2003 telling and NBC’s laughable Peter Pan Live!

Sponsored
Sponsored
Movie

Pan **

thumbnail

You know there’s trouble ahead when the pixels begin outnumbering the pixies. For the first 30 minutes of <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/archives/?q=joe+wright">Joe Wright</a>'s (<em><a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/anna-karenina-2/">Anna Karenina</a></em>) prequel to the J. M. Barrie classic, we follow Peter (Levi Miller) as he progresses from orphanage doorstep to flying pirate ship. Peter’s inevitable arrival at Neverland is greeted by a society of orphans singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit." It's a testament to song and dance man <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/archives/?q=hugh+jackman">Hugh Jackman</a>, whose mere presence in the role of Blackbeard calls for a musical number, no matter how ridiculously out of context the placement. Not without its spectacular moments — a pirate ship mixed up in a WWII air raid was sublime — but Wright’s third acts continue to go wrong, most notably in the case of <em><a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/hanna/">Hanna</a></em>. True to form, Pan’s densely pixielated final battle is busy to the point of indecipherability. With <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/archives/?q=rooney+mara">Rooney Mara</a>, transforming every one of Tiger Lily’s moves into an exercise in exotica, and a paltry 60 seconds of <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/archives/?q=cara+delevingne">Cara Delevingne</a> in mermaid attire.

Find showtimes

For the first 30 minutes of this prequel to the J.M. Barrie classic, we follow Peter (Levi Miller) through war-torn London as he progresses from orphanage doorstep to Blackbeard’s (Hugh Jackman, pouring on the camp) flying pirate ship. Breaking into the office of Mother Barnabas (played with gruesomely fearful gusto by Kathy Burke), Peter finds not only a food hoarder, but a profiteer selling children into a life of piratical servitude. This nun’s got nothing on Planned Parenthood.

Before making it to Neverland, Peter and Blackbeard’s assembly of fresh recruits — plucked from their sleep by bungeed buccaneers — must first pass through a excitingly staged WWII bombing raid. Their arrival is greeted by a society of orphans singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and later “Blitzkreig Bop.” Song-and-dance man Jackman apparently had a clause in his contract that calls for musical numbers, no matter how ridiculously out of context the placement is.

Kids die — a sure indication this is not a product of the Disney factory. (A plank-walking plummet, spurred by Blackbeard’s boot, may be too intense for toddlers.) Killing pixies doesn’t present as much of a challenge, particularly when their demise results in various shades of Technicolor dust the second the bullet hits.

Miller does more than just look the part of a young DiCaprio, bringing to the character the right combination of pluck and leadership to make it fly. Garrett Hedlund’s Hook — he gets to keep his hand for the inevitable sequel — owes much to Indy, while Rooney Mara transforms every one of Tiger Lily’s moves into an exercise in exotica.

Wright refuses to follow one dominant color scheme, which helps stimulate the visuals, but you know there’s trouble ahead when the pixels begin to outnumber the pixies. If Atonement, Wright’s neatest work to date, is a master class on CGI restraint, Pan’s densely pixielated final battle is busy to the point of indecipherability.

Wright’s third acts continue to go wrong, most notably in the case of Hanna. Unable to pan Pan, my sincerest wish is still that the director put aside the fairy tales and return his attention to romantic melodrama.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader 1st place writing contest winner gets kudos

2nd place winner not so much
Next Article

Angry Pete’s goes from pop-up to drive-thru

Detroit Pizza sidles into the husk of a shuttered Taco Bell
What's up, Tiger Lily?
What's up, Tiger Lily?

If the names Mary Martin and Walt Disney top the Peter Pan pantheon, and if Hook — Spielberg’s nadir — remains forever anchored at the bottom of Mermaid Lagoon, then Joe Wright’s Pan ranks somewhere between P.J. Hogan’s passable 2003 telling and NBC’s laughable Peter Pan Live!

Sponsored
Sponsored
Movie

Pan **

thumbnail

You know there’s trouble ahead when the pixels begin outnumbering the pixies. For the first 30 minutes of <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/archives/?q=joe+wright">Joe Wright</a>'s (<em><a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/anna-karenina-2/">Anna Karenina</a></em>) prequel to the J. M. Barrie classic, we follow Peter (Levi Miller) as he progresses from orphanage doorstep to flying pirate ship. Peter’s inevitable arrival at Neverland is greeted by a society of orphans singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit." It's a testament to song and dance man <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/archives/?q=hugh+jackman">Hugh Jackman</a>, whose mere presence in the role of Blackbeard calls for a musical number, no matter how ridiculously out of context the placement. Not without its spectacular moments — a pirate ship mixed up in a WWII air raid was sublime — but Wright’s third acts continue to go wrong, most notably in the case of <em><a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/hanna/">Hanna</a></em>. True to form, Pan’s densely pixielated final battle is busy to the point of indecipherability. With <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/archives/?q=rooney+mara">Rooney Mara</a>, transforming every one of Tiger Lily’s moves into an exercise in exotica, and a paltry 60 seconds of <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/archives/?q=cara+delevingne">Cara Delevingne</a> in mermaid attire.

Find showtimes

For the first 30 minutes of this prequel to the J.M. Barrie classic, we follow Peter (Levi Miller) through war-torn London as he progresses from orphanage doorstep to Blackbeard’s (Hugh Jackman, pouring on the camp) flying pirate ship. Breaking into the office of Mother Barnabas (played with gruesomely fearful gusto by Kathy Burke), Peter finds not only a food hoarder, but a profiteer selling children into a life of piratical servitude. This nun’s got nothing on Planned Parenthood.

Before making it to Neverland, Peter and Blackbeard’s assembly of fresh recruits — plucked from their sleep by bungeed buccaneers — must first pass through a excitingly staged WWII bombing raid. Their arrival is greeted by a society of orphans singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and later “Blitzkreig Bop.” Song-and-dance man Jackman apparently had a clause in his contract that calls for musical numbers, no matter how ridiculously out of context the placement is.

Kids die — a sure indication this is not a product of the Disney factory. (A plank-walking plummet, spurred by Blackbeard’s boot, may be too intense for toddlers.) Killing pixies doesn’t present as much of a challenge, particularly when their demise results in various shades of Technicolor dust the second the bullet hits.

Miller does more than just look the part of a young DiCaprio, bringing to the character the right combination of pluck and leadership to make it fly. Garrett Hedlund’s Hook — he gets to keep his hand for the inevitable sequel — owes much to Indy, while Rooney Mara transforms every one of Tiger Lily’s moves into an exercise in exotica.

Wright refuses to follow one dominant color scheme, which helps stimulate the visuals, but you know there’s trouble ahead when the pixels begin to outnumber the pixies. If Atonement, Wright’s neatest work to date, is a master class on CGI restraint, Pan’s densely pixielated final battle is busy to the point of indecipherability.

Wright’s third acts continue to go wrong, most notably in the case of Hanna. Unable to pan Pan, my sincerest wish is still that the director put aside the fairy tales and return his attention to romantic melodrama.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?
Next Article

Best Kratom Capsules: Top Brands, Benefits & Where To Buy

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.