Pan (2015 film)

Pan is a 2015 American 3D fantasy action-adventure family film directed by Joe Wright and written by Jason Fuchs. The film is a prequel story to Scottish author J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan story, first staged in 1904. It stars Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara and Amanda Seyfried, with Levi Miller as the title character. It serves as an alternative origin story for Peter Pan and Captain Hook.

The film had its world premiere in London, England on September 20, 2015,[5] and was theatrically released in the United States on October 9, 2015, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Pan grossed $128.4 million on a $150 million budget. It received a AACTA Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 22, 2015 by Warner Home Video.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Soundtrack 4.1 Soundtrack list 5 Release 5.1 Home media 6 Reception 6.1 Box office 6.2 Critical reception 6.3 Accolades 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Plot
This section's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (May 2016)

New-born Peter (Levi Miller) is left by his mother Mary (Amanda Seyfried) on the steps of an orphanage in London, an establishment under the care of Mother Barnabas (Kathy Burke). Several years later, during World War II, upon learning that Mother Barnabas is hoarding food for herself, Peter and his best friend Nibs (Lewis MacDougall) try to steal it to distribute amongst themselves and the other orphans but they are caught. In the process, Peter finds a letter written by his mother, declaring her love and assuring Peter they will meet again "in this world or another".

In retaliation for the boys' mischief, Mother Barnabas summons pirates who kidnap Peter, Nibs and several others. Nibs manages to escape but Peter does not. He is captured and taken aboard a flying pirate ship. Following an aerial battle with several Spitfires the ship takes Peter to Neverland, a magical realm beyond space and time, where he is forced to become a slave laborer and mine for Pixum (Fairy Dust} on behalf of the ruthless pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman) who uses it to prevent himself from aging. Peter befriends another miner, James Hook (Garrett Hedlund). After insulting Blackbeard's men, Peter is forced to walk the plank over the deep mine, but survives by flying. Blackbeard then tells Peter about an old prophecy that a boy who could fly would one day kill him, but Peter refuses to believe he is that boy.

Peter joins Hook and his accomplice, Sam "Smee" Smiegel (Adeel Akhtar), stealing one of Blackbeard's flying ships and escaping into the forest. There they are found and nearly executed by the natives led by Chief Great Little Panther (Jack Charles), before his daughter, Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara), notices Peter's pan flute pendant, left to him by Mary, and said to belong to their people's greatest hero, the legendary Pan. With the Memory Tree, Tiger Lily tells Peter that many years ago when the natives and the fairies united to fight together against the pirates, the Fairy Prince and the love of Blackbeard's life, Mary fell in love but when Blackbeard discovered them, the Prince took human form to rescue Mary. But as fairies could only live in the form of a human for one day, the Prince sacrificed his life for Mary. Mary was then forced to hide their new born son Peter in the other world and seek shelter in the Fairy Kingdom when she and the fairies had to retreat. As part of his heritage, Peter has the ability to fly, but is unable to do so because of his lack of faith.

Fearful of Blackbeard's punishment, Smee betrays the natives' location to him, and in the ensuing battle, Chief Great Little Panther is murdered by Blackbeard, who also reveals that he killed Peter's mother. Peter is hurt to learn that Tiger Lily had lied to Peter, telling him his mother is alive but she explains that he would have walked away from his destiny if he knew the truth.

Peter, Hook, and Tiger Lily escape in a raft and head to the Fairy Kingdom to enlist their help in defeating the pirates. Along the way, Peter falls into the river and is nearly eaten by giant crocodiles before being rescued by the mermaids, after which he has a vision of Blackbeard accidentally killing Mary as she defended the Fairy Kingdom from his offensive. Despondent over their chances, Hook leaves while Peter and Tiger Lily arrive at the Fairy Kingdom only to be ambushed by Blackbeard who plans to use the fairies vast amount of Pixum to live forever. Blackbeard takes Peter's pan flute pendant, which is the key to the fairy kingdom, opens their gates and launches an attack.

Peter escapes and befriends one of the fairies, Tinker Bell. Together, they rally the fairies to fight the pirates while Tiger Lily duels Blackbeard. Hook returns on the stolen ship and fights Blackbeard's right-hand man Bishop (Nonso Anozie) until the ship tips over, sending both falling to their deaths. Peter conquers his fears and flies to save Hook, while Blackbeard and his men are overpowered by the fairies. Forced into an abyss, they subsequently fall to their deaths. Smee is the sole survivor having fled during the battle. Peter then sees a vision of Mary, who reaffirms him to be Neverland's savior, Peter Pan. Shortly afterwards, Peter and Hook, now the captain of the Jolly Roger, return to London to rescue Nibs and the other orphans, who become part of Peter's crew, the Lost Boys. Peter and Hook then reaffirm their friendship, certain that nothing will ever go wrong between them.

Cast
Levi Miller as Peter Pan[6] Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard[7] Garrett Hedlund as James Hook[8] Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily Adeel Akhtar as Mr. Smee[8] Nonso Anozie as Bishop Amanda Seyfried as Mary[9] Kathy Burke as Mother Barnabas Lewis MacDougall as Nibs Jack Charles as Chief Great Little Panther[8] Cara Delevingne as the mermaids[10] Na Tae-joo as Kwahu[11] Bronson Webb as Steps[12] Kurt Egyiawan as Murray Paul Kaye as Mutti Voosht Emerald Fennell as Commander

Production
Jason Fuchs at the film's premiere. The script for the film was listed on Hollywood's 2013 Black List.[13] In January 2014, Garrett Hedlund was cast as a younger version of Captain Hook.[14] On January 24, 2014, Jackman was officially cast as the pirate Blackbeard.[7] In February, a casting call was issued for the role of Peter Pan,[15] which went to newcomer Levi Miller in March.[6] In April 2014, Amanda Seyfried was cast.[8] In August 2014, British model Cara Delevingne was chosen to play a mermaid.[16] Rooney Mara was cast as Tiger Lily,[17] causing controversy due to her being of European ancestry, while Tiger Lily is traditionally portrayed as a Native American.[18] Also considered for the role of Tiger Lily were actresses Lupita Nyong'o and Adèle Exarchopoulos.[19]

Many natural scenes in the film were from Son Doong Cave, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park and Ninh Bình Province in Vietnam. The captured scenes were then graphically edited into the film.

According to critics of the casting there are very few main roles for Native American women in Hollywood, and that the choice not only took one away from a Native American actress, but also perpetuated the invisibility of Native Americans in film.[20] According to TheWrap, director Joe Wright was trying to create a "very international and multi-racial" world,[21] although the majority of main characters (including the four lead actors) are Caucasian.[22] A petition was created in response to the casting to urge Warner Bros. studios to stop casting white actors in roles for people of color.[23] On April 28, 2014, the film's principal photography began.[24] Previous portrayals of the Piccaninny tribe in Peter Pan have been criticized as racist.[25]

Critics of the casting in Pan suggested that Warner Bros. may have wanted to avoid repeating the alleged racism of previous Peter Pan stories, by altering the ethnicity of the Piccaninnies, rather than using a stereotypical portrayal of the source material.[25] Many also felt that native actresses and actors were never given an opportunity to make it to mainstream films, with native roles being traditionally given to non-natives.[26]

Soundtrack
Soundtrack list "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Performed by Hugh Jackman and Cast "Blitzkrieg Bop" - Performed by Hugh Jackman and Cast "Short Change Hero" - Performed by Capitol Children's Choir & Metro Voices "Something's Not Right" - Performed by Lily Allen "Little Soldier" - Performed by Lily Allen "Irish Blessing" - Performed and Arranged by The African Children's Choir All Music - Composed and written by John Powell

Release
On December 12, 2013, Warner Bros. set for a June 26, 2015 release date, with Joe Wright as director.[27] However, the release was pushed back several times,[28][29] and the studio eventually decided on October 9, 2015, in part to avoid box office competition from summer blockbusters such as Ant-Man and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.[30]

The new release date also gave the producers more time to work on editing and visual effects during post-production.[31] The film was first released in Australia, on September 25, 2015. It was then released in key markets two weeks later, including Germany, Russia, Korea, and Brazil, on October 8. That was followed by Mexico and Spain the next day.

The film opened in the United Kingdom on October 16 and France on October 21, followed by China on October 22, Japan on October 31 and Italy on November 12.[32]

Pan was originally planned for an IMAX release, as evident in early posters and press[33], but was cancelled and only received non-IMAX presentations.

Home media

Pan was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 22, 2015 by Warner Home Video. Pan was one of the first Ultra HD Blu-ray released on March 1, 2016.

Reception
Box office

Pan was financially unsuccessful.[34] It grossed $35.1 million in North America and $93.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $128.3 million against a production budget of $150 million.[4]

In the United States and Canada, the film grossed $5.2 million on its opening day. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $15.3 million, below the studio's $20 million projection, and finished third at the box office.[35] Several factors have been attributed to the financial failure of Pan. Scott Mendelson of Forbes noted the absence of notable movie stars. Despite the presence of Jackman, "like any number of would-be big stars who are best known for a certain franchise, his opening weekend strength dips when he's not playing his trademark character." Outside of the X-Men franchise, his biggest openings are Van Helsing ($51 million) and the $27 million debuts of Real Steel and Les Misérables.[36] Variety noted the departure of the film in tone and writings that made earlier Peter Pan stories and films a success; from Jackman's role as Blackbeard to the inclusion of contemporary pop songs from Nirvana and the Ramones which is peculiar for a children film adaptation. "Without the Disney seal of approval, audiences are a bit wary of these fairy tale adaptations," said Jeff Bock, a box office analyst with Exhibitor Relations. He added, "It veered off the Peter Pan path quite extensively and it was just too far left of center for a generation that grew up with Hook and sees that as the definitive account."[37] Warner Bros. declined to discuss Pan's box office results.[37][38]

Pan also struggled internationally, grossing $20.4 million on its opening weekend from 54 markets from over 11,000 screens. 3D comprised 85% of the opening gross.[39][40] The film was released in Australia on September 24, 2015 to take advantage of the prime September school holidays, where it grossed $1.5 million in its opening weekend.[32] Elsewhere it opened in the U.K. with $4.1 million and No. 1 in Mexico ($2.9 million), Brazil ($1.8 million), Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand and No. 2 in Russia and the CIS with $2 million (behind The Martian), Spain with $1.7 million (behind Regression), Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines.[40][41]

The Hollywood Reporter estimated that the film cost $275 million to produce and market—while The New York Times reported the film cost at least $250 million to make and market worldwide—and noted that the financial losses by Warner Bros. could finish anywhere between $130 to $150 million.[38][39] However, the site noted that if the film overperforms in China—the world's second largest movie market—which opened on October 22, 2015, the losses could be lower,[39] but when it finally opened there, it underperformed and was considered a failure despite its preceding Hollywood movies being declared a hit.[42] Based on its production cost and factoring in the percentage of ticket sales kept by theater owners, analysts estimate that Pan needs to take in at least $400–500 million worldwide to break even.[38][42] The financial loss incurred by Pan puts it alongside Tomorrowland and Jupiter Ascending as one of the biggest box office losses.[37]

Critical reception

[icon] This section requires expansion. (February 2016)

On the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 26%, based on 168 reviews, with an average rating of 4.6/10. The site's consensus reads, "Pan finds a few bursts of magic in its prequel treatment of classic characters, though not enough to offset the rushed plot and shrill, CGI-fueled action."[43] Metacritic gave the film a score of 36 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[44] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film a grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[35]

Andrew Barker of Variety, while praising the film's technical achievements, said that Pan exchanges "puckish mischief and innocence for doses of steampunk design, anachronistic music, a stock 'chosen one' narrative and themes of child labor, warfare and unsustainable mineral mining."[45]

Accolades Australian Film Institute 2016

Category

Nominee

Result

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects Chas Jarrett Daniel Barrow Mark Holt Marc Varisco Alana Newell Nominated

Camerimage 2015

Category

Nominee

Result

Best 3D Feature Film John Mathieson Seamus McGarvey Nominated

Golden Raspberry Awards 2016

Category

Nominee

Result

Worst Supporting Actress Rooney Mara Nominated Amanda Seyfried Nominated