– Written by Lauren Yeates
It’s OK To Never Grow Up
I am personally a huge Disney fan, and have really enjoyed the Peter Pan story since I was a little girl. Captain Hook scared me a little bit, but up against fairies and a boy who can fly, I knew nothing could go wrong.
The new movie PAN (featuring Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Cara Delevingne, Amanda Seyfried and introducing Levi Miller as Peter Pan) is a lovely prequel to the original, giving us the backstory and a different aspect of what we all came to know and love.
But nothing beats the original I’m afraid, whether it’s the 1953 cartoon or the 2003 film featuring Jeremy Sumpter.
I personally watched this film with several adults, and I can tell you that I definitely appreciated it more being the youngest, and the biggest Disney fan.
From growing up with Disney, I was always taught to look for the lessons within the stories. The adults were just criticising and judging this movie based on the unrealistic factors, such as fairies and ships that can fly, but I, of course loved it for the lessons and hidden meanings. This movie definitely has a positive message if you look for it….Always believe in yourself, and ALSO never give up on your family.
The two main characters, Hugh Jackman (who played Blackbeard), and Levi Miller (who played Peter Pan) did an exceptional job with their characters, and guess what! They are both Australian. What an amazing achievement. They are definitely making us Aussies proud. I always have real respect for kids who can act really well. Levi could easily cry on queue and be believable throughout the entire film. That’s definitely an asset he will carry through his career.
It was also great to see Peter Pan and Captain Hook as friends in this film. Since we all famously know Peter Pan and Captain Hook as enemies, it was a nice change to the story, and a believable prequel. In real life, friends do sometimes become enemies, and enemies sometimes become friends. There was however, no reason at the end for them to become enemies in the future, so I think there might be a sequel, because part of the story is missing. They really know how to keep us on the edge of our seats, don’t they?
Overall, this was a fun film to watch with the family, but definitely a movie that the kids will love more than the adults. If you are a Disney fan, you will definitely appreciate it more. I think there is something for everyone in this movie…Good looking actors, a love story, comedy and fun.
Positives
- Shares the untold, background story of Peter Pan
- Great to see Captain Hook and Peter Pan as friends
Negatives
- It doesn’t show how Peter Pan and Hook became enemies
- A lot of intense dialogue for a kids movie
Rating: 5/10
PAN will be released in cinemas on September 24.
And click here for Rave It Up’s interview with Hugh Jackman.
