Pan (2015)
111 min · Fantasy, Adventure, Family
The prequel origin story for Peter Pan was condemned for its baffling decision to have Neverland pirates perform Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' as a chant.
The Bottom Reel's take
Ah, *Pan*. A film that swung for the fences, aiming to give us the definitive, epic origin story for the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. We imagine the pitch meeting: grand adventure, dazzling visuals, a fresh take on beloved characters! What landed, however, was a fantastical romp that, despite its best intentions, stumbled headfirst into the annals of cinematic infamy, proving once again that ambition is often a double-edged sword when paired with a deeply perplexing creative choice.
Clocking in at 111 minutes, this 2015 fantasy adventure certainly takes its sweet time building its world, populating Neverland with vibrant, if somewhat chaotic, characters. It's a film bursting with color and CGI, a visual feast that often feels like it's trying *too* hard to impress, papering over a narrative that struggles to find its footing. But the true star of its badness, the element that cements its place in our hearts as truly *unforgettable*, is the now-legendary sequence where the enslaved Neverland miners, led by Blackbeard, launch into a chant-along of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' It's a moment so profoundly anachronistic, so utterly baffling in a pre-teen fantasy, that it transcends mere poor judgment and becomes a glorious, head-scratching marvel.
And that, dear reader, is precisely why *Pan* isn't just bad, it's *fun*. The 26/100 critic score and 40/100 audience score speak to a film that struggled to connect with many, but for those of us who appreciate cinema that dares to be this bewildering, it's a treasure. This isn't a movie that’s simply incompetent; it’s a movie that makes bold, bewildering choices, particularly that one iconic scene, that demand to be witnessed. It's a testament to the fact that sometimes, trying so hard to be cool and innovative can circle back around to a kind of unintentional genius.
So, if you’re looking for a Friday night adventure that promises more questions than answers, and an unshakeable sense of "what were they thinking?", then *Pan* is your ticket. Gather your most bewildered friends, queue up the popcorn, and prepare for a journey to a Neverland you never knew existed, where pirates sing grunge anthems and logic takes a backseat to spectacle. It’s a wildly original take, even if that originality is its most notorious feature.
Synopsis
A twelve-year-old orphan is whisked away to Neverland by pirates and discovers he is the chosen one prophesied to liberate its enslaved people.