Pan
(2015/Warner Blu-ray 3D w/Blu-ray 2D & DVD)
3D
Picture: A 2D Picture: B+/B- Sound: A-/B- Extras: B
Film: C
Joe
Wright (whose last film was the excellent thriller Hanna)
brings this unique re-imagining of the classic story of Peter Pan to
new life in Pan.
While the film didn't do well in the box office or Rotten Tomatoes,
it stands out from other famous renditions of the classic story in
quite a few ways.
For
one, Captain James Hook (played by Garrett Hedlund) is not the main
villain of this story but is younger and it is Blackbeard (played by
Hugh Jackman) who is the villain and the character of Tiger Lilly
(played by the gorgeous Rooney Mara) is more in line with the
Tinkerbell character, though full in size. The film also stars
newcomer Levi Miller, who isn't too bad in the title role and a cameo
of sorts by Amanda Seyfried as Peter's Mother and Carla Delevingne as
a Mermaid. Good cast notwithstanding, the film is a bit too clogged
with mediocre CGI, a rushed storyline, and worse of all uses some
modern day songs to throw up against its unconventional setting; a
filmmaking trope that was used to death in the mediocre film A
Knight's Tale
(with the late Heath Ledger) during scenes where Jackman oversees his
army of child slaves. Ugh.
Living
a bleak existence at a London orphanage, 12-year-old Peter (Levi
Miller) finds himself whisked away to the fantastical world of
Neverland. Adventure awaits as he meets new friend James Hook
(Garrett Hedlund) and the warrior Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara). They
must band together to save Neverland from
the ruthless pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman). Along the way, the
rebellious and mischievous boy discovers his true destiny, becoming
the hero forever known as Peter Pan.
When
you last at the track record for Peter Pan films over the past twenty
years, not many of them have been hits. My personal favorite
re-imagining of the story is Spielberg's Hook
which not only had a fantastic cast (Robin Williams as Peter and
Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook) and top notch production design but
an incredible score by John Williams that is some of the legendary
composer's best work to date (another aspect of Pan
that failed to hit the mark was the weak score). In Christmas 2003,
we had that crappy traditional take on the story Peter Pan by PJ
Hogan that looks okay visually but a bomb otherwise.
The
High Definition treatment of Pan
has been handled beautifully by Warner Bros., however, with a lush
1080p high definition transfer with a 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio
and a strong, lossless Dolby Atmos (core Dolby TrueHD 5.1) mix on the
disc that doesn't disappoint.
Also
included is the eye-popping MVC-encoded 3-D - Full Resolution digital
High Definition image version of the film that brings the magic to
life with the Blu-ray 3D that is especially highlighted once the
adventure shifts to Neverland. Gorgeous visuals pop out at you and
take the film's viewing please to a whole new level and is the
preferred way to see it.
A
DVD version of the film is also included with doesn't compare to the
high definition transfer with the film in standard definition with an
anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and a lossy Dolby
Digital 5.1 track that is pushes the limits of the format. A UV
Digital Copy is also included.
Special
Features include:
If
you're a fan of the classic tale of Peter
Pan,
then you may want to check this out. It's not as good as Spielberg's
Hook
but is definitely a step above the dreaded PJ Hogan version. The
prequel spin on the story and some interesting visuals make the film
watchable, however it is far from perfect.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
