One of the most
memorable versions of the Peter Pan story for me is the 1953 Disney animated
version and this 1991 Steven Spielberg version, which starred the late Robin
Williams as Peter Pan. This movie, Hook, in many ways, shaped my idea of who
Peter Pan is as a child. For many years, I saw this movie as a follow-up to
Disney’s animated version.
I love the whole
concept of the movie. Even though seeing it now, I can pinpoint places where I
feel scenes should have been cut to make it shorter and probably more
appealing, I still appreciate the whole idea of seeing it again.
The plot is
centered around a now adult Peter Pan who has grown to forget his time in
Neverland. He sees Wendy as his adopted grandmother and, for years, has become
a successful businessman, married with two children of his own. In a way, he
has become the thing he disliked most: a self-involved adult who sees his
children as obstacles.
In one of his
visits back to see Wendy with his wife and kids, something bad happens: the
children are kidnapped, and a message is left behind telling him to come rescue
them. The message is from Peter Pan’s arch-nemesis, Captain Hook (Dustin
Hoffman).
He calls the
police, who see the message as a sort of prank. Peter starts to realize how
much he loves his children and is ready to do anything to get them back. It is
at this time he gets a visit from the fairy Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts), who
tells Peter they have to go and save his children. Peter, thinking he’s losing
his mind, stumbles and gets knocked out, only to wake up and find himself
face-to-face with his nemesis—whom an older Peter doesn’t remember.
Hook wants to
face the real Peter, not this person who has forgotten all about Neverland and
can’t fly. He gives Peter three days to get his act together and come back to
rescue his children.
The movie is
about Peter rediscovering his childhood.
Spielberg’s
direction mixes comedy with drama, with drama taking the forefront.
Sentimentality is also added, and the necessary elements to create a childlike
feel are present, designed for adults to have some nostalgic attachment. One
thing you’ll notice, similar to other Spielberg films, is the disconnect
between parent and child.
The movie has
adult themes, including death and killing, so keep that in mind when you choose
to watch it with your children.
The movie has
developed a strong cult following, and now I can see why. The whole concept is
beautiful, even though you can tell that a lot of work needed to be added to
the Neverland creation. It had a bit of a low-mid budget setup. The scenes in
Neverland don’t do justice creatively or graphically to what you’d expect from
a Spielberg film. The effects are also low-mid budget, but regardless, the
movie was a box office success.
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