Hook (1991)

Hook (1991)

6/10

Starring

Dustin Hoffman

Robin Williams

Julia Roberts

Bob Hoskins

Maggie Smith

Directed by Steven Spielberg

One of the most memorable versions of Peter Pan stories I have are the 1953 Disney animated version and this 1991 Steven Spielberg version which stared the late Robin Williams as Peter Pan. This movie Hook, in many ways have crafted the idea of who Peter Pan is for me as a child and for many years as a child 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 I feel should have been cut from the movie to make it shorter and probably more appealing. Regardless, I still welcome the whole idea of seeing it again.

The movie 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 business man, married with two children of his own. He in a way has become the thing he dislike 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 happened, the children were kidnapped and a message was left behind telling him to come rescue them. The message was 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 see how much he loves his children and he was ready to do anything to get them back. It was at this time he got a visit from a fairy Pixie Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts) who tells Peter they have to go and save his children. Peter thinking he was losing his mind stumbles and gets knocked out only to be awaken and find himself face to face with his nemesis, which an older Peter does not remember.

Hook wanting to face the real Peter and not this person who has forgotten all about neverland and cannot fly gives Peter three days to get his act together and comeback and rescue his children.

The movie is about Peter rediscovering his childhood.

Spielberg’s directing of the movie was to mix the comedy with the drama. With the drama taking the forefront of things. The sentimentality is also added, and the needed things to add a child like feel can be seen in the concept for adults to have some nostalgic attachment. One thing you will notice similar to other Spielberg films is the disconnect between parent and child.

The movie has adult themes, which includes death and killing, so have that in mind when you choose to see this with your children.

The movie has developed a strong cult following, and see it now I can see why. The whole concept is beautiful, even though you can see that a lot of work needed to be added to the whole neverland creation, it seemed a little low-mid budget kind of setup. The scenes in neverland to don’t do justice creative wise and graphical effect wise to what you will expect from a Spielberg film.

The effects too are also low-mid budget, regardless the movie was a box office success.