Netflix Fantasy Epic Adventure Gives Marvel Icon A Classic Villain
The Disney classic Peter Pan gets a retelling in this 2015 release entitled Pan, starring Marvel icon Hugh Jackman as the infamous pirate Blackbeard, Garrett Hedlund as a young James Hook, and Levi Miller as 12-year-old Peter Pan. Director Joe Wright and a filming budget of $150 million ensure excellent production value and cinematography with a healthy dose of CGI mixed in for special effects.
The film is a great opportunity for Wolverine fans to see Jackman in another role befitting his status as one of cinema’s bonafide tough guys while playing Blackbeard.
Saving Neverland
In this retelling, Pan and Hook are close friends whose eventual falling out hasn’t occurred. Hook has both hands, and they are fast friends trying to stop Blackbeard from devastating Neverland.
The Pan movie starts with Peter being left on a London orphanage’s steps during the 1930s while wearing a pan flute pendant from his mother, Mary. As Peter grows older and World War II rages, Peter learns the orphanage’s headmistress is stealing food and money intended to support the children. The headmistress then enlists the help of pirates to kidnap Peter and whisk him away to Neverland aboard a flying pirate ship.
Explaining The Magic
The Pan movie picks up upon their arrival in Neverland, Blackbeard forces Peter and other children to mine the Pixum fairy dust, which stops Blackbeard from aging. James Hook is among those forced to work in Blackbeard’s mine, and they form a friendship and strong bond.
After Peter insults some of Blackbeard’s men, he survives the punishment of walking the plank over the mine entrance by flying for the first time. Blackbeard takes note and says a prophecy foretells his death at the hands of a flying boy.
The Origin Of Peter Pan Is Just The Start
Peter, Hook, and Hook’s friend Smee steal one of the pirates’ flying ships to escape into Neverland’s forests. Peter intends to use the flying ship to search for his mother in Neverland, where he thinks she awaits him. While in the forests, Peter and his friends encounter the local fairies, one of whom says Peter’s mother, Mary, was the love of Blackbeard’s life, but she fell in love with a fairy prince and gave birth to a son she named Peter and hid in the “other” world.
The Pan film then leads viewers on the search for Mary, the development of Peter’s abilities as a half-fairy, and the protection of Neverland from Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard.
Not A Hit, Not A Flop
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes cited chaotic action scenes and rapid plot development as taking away from the Pan movie’s more magical moments. Many critics, though, lauded Levi Miller’s performance as Pan. The film earned favorable audience scores on CinemaScore and PostTrak with approval ratings of B+ and 78 percent, respectively.
Catch Evil Pirate Hugh Jackman On Netflix
The Pan movie debuted on September 25, 2015, in Australia and on October 9 in the United States. The film generated domestic ticket sales totaling $35.09 million and $93.9 million internationally for a total haul of $128.99 million. The global box office take wasn’t enough to cover its $150 million production cost, plus marketing and distribution costs.
Audiences can stream the Pan movie on Netflix.
