This latest re-invention of the Peter Pan story - a prequel - finally staggers into cinemas and is a severe test of patience. After a reasonably engaging Oliver-style opening, the trip to Neverland shows a clear resort to visual conceits and on arrival it loses its audience - to the sound of Kurt Cobain spinning - and never really gets it back. Joe Wright's transparent theatrical stylings almost suit the material this time, but as ever he struggles to create any kind of emotional engagement for the audience. A re-positioning of the story to World War II is under-explored, there are (un)conscious nods to other Summer juggernauts in familiar visuals and set-ups, and the film is oddly reminiscent of Disney's recent under-performer The Lone Ranger, from blockbuster bloat that swamps the thin material to a runaway pair of (here) ships that lifts the unexpectedly lively finale. Levi Miller is strong as the boy Peter, Rooney Mara makes a spirited Tiger Lily, Garrett Hedlund appears to be auditioning (reasonably well) for Indiana Jones, and Hugh Jackman's post-Wolverine career in seasonal pantomime is assured. The 3D conversion is also very variable but does at times enable some beautiful creation of a sense of scale. Taken as a whole, Pan is wild mix of inconsistent and unfulfilled ideas that does not come off too successfully.
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