Hook (1991)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers (WGA):

J.M. Barrie (books)
J.M. Barrie (play)

Release Date:

11 December 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

What if Peter Pan grew up?

Plot:

When Capt. Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.

Plot Keywords:

Hook | Peter Pan | Captain | Flying Man | Fantasy World

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Dustin Hoffman	...	Capt. Hook
Robin Williams	...	Peter Banning
Julia Roberts	...	Tinkerbell
Bob Hoskins	...	Smee
Maggie Smith	...	Granny Wendy
Caroline Goodall	...	Moira Banning
Charlie Korsmo	...	Jack 'Jackie' Banning
Amber Scott	...	Maggie Banning
Laurel Cronin	...	Liza, Wendy's Housekeeper
Phil Collins	...	Inspector Good
Arthur Malet	...	Tootles
Isaiah Robinson	...	Pockets
Jasen Fisher	...	Ace
Dante Basco	...	Rufio
Raushan Hammond	...	Thud Butt

Runtime:

144 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Portugal:M/6 | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8/5 | France:U | Germany:6 | Ireland:G | Israel:PG | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:PG | Norway:10

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

The film contains a number of subtle references to the James Barrie play and book. These include: * An elderly Tootles is one of the characters in the film, and is referred to as Wendy's "first orphan". Tootles was one of the original Lost Boys. * In both the book/play and the film, Wendy greets Peter by calling him "Boy". * Granny Wendy recites a prayer-like speech as she leaves Maggie and Jack in the nursery, asking the lights to guard the sleeping babes. This is a direct quotation from the book. In the book Mrs. Darling says, "Night-lights are the eyes a mother leaves behind her to guard her children." (Chapter 2: The Shadow) * When Tinker Bell is first trying to get Peter to remember her, she says, "I drank poison for you!" This is a direct reference to the events in Chapter 13: Do You Believe in Fairies. * The invisible dinner sequence is inspired by the lines in the book: "The difference between (Peter) and the other boys at such a time was that they knew it was make-believe, while to him make-believe and true were exactly the same thing. This sometimes troubled them, as when they had to make-believe that they had had their dinners." from Chapter 6: The Little House * After human-sized Tinkerbell kisses Peter, and he remembers he has to save his children, Tink says to him, "You silly ass, Go!" In the book, Tinkerbell repeatedly calls Peter a "silly ass". * Toward the end of the movie, Tootles says "I've missed the adventure again, haven't I, Peter?" This is in reference to the book, as it is mentioned that the reason Tootles was so humble was because, by some misfortune, he missed most of the adventures the Lost Boys participated in.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Peter is in the playroom at Granny Wendy's house, there is a teddy bear in the room. It's the same teddy bear that is found later by Peter in Neverland inside the tree but no-one brings the teddy back to Neverland when Peter goes there to save his children.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Maggie: [playing Wendy] Boy, why are you crying?
Boy playing Peter Pan: I was crying 'cause I couldn't get my shadow to stick. Besides, I wasn't crying.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Winning London (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

When You're Alone

Hook is back!

Steven Spielberg's "Hook" is one of his far-less loved films, and even Spielberg admitted he was disappointed with the final result. This is quite understandable: "Hook" begins as a great movie, but ends only as a good one. I looked forward to it: Robin Williams, my favourite actor, in a Steven Spielberg (my favourite director) film? Bring it on, said I! Let's throw clichés out the window for once. This is essentially a movie geared towards kids, so clichés are rightfully ignored. The movie asks the question: What if Peter Pan grew up? This has never been done before, and this is why the movie stands out: it isn't afraid to explore the unexplored.

Robin Williams is perfectly cast as "Peter Banning" (who we all know, of course, is the grown-up Peter Pan). Bob Hoskins is positively brilliant as Mr. Smee, Captain Hook's right-hand man. He provides a lot of comic relief, which is fun to watch. Dustin Hoffman himself is a great Captain Hook. Hook is not a purely evil villain in this film, though. He is a comic villain, funny in a goofy kind of way (proof that "Hook" is aimed towards the kiddies more than anything). But Tinker Bell is poorly played by Julia Roberts, who played the character with an attitude, and unenthusiastically, and you can easily tell.

The first, say, 25 minutes of "Hook" are brilliant: Williams is a workaholic who has no time for his kids, when they are kidnapped by the villainous Cap'n Hook. Granny Wendy (Maggie Smith) tries convincing him he is Peter Pan, and later that night, he is visited by Tinker Bell, who takes him to Neverland. This is when the movie stops being amazing, and becomes just "good".

For once, I found a reason to criticize Spielberg's direction. He made a horrible directing choice when showing the first (non-bird's-eye view)shot of Neverland. I was expecting a breathtaking, sweeping, panoramic first view of Neverland (which is lush and green in my imagination). Instead, there was a confused muddle of an establishing shot. People, buildings, and ships are cluttered so close together, Neverland is revealed for what it is: nothing more than a movie set on a sound-stage.

Another criticism I have is about The Lost Boys: none of them are very good actors at all. (This is not to say they're terrible, but they're quite amateurish.) And one of them is alarmingly obese, so much so that later on in the film, his body doubles as a boulder for bowling pirates over.

And finally, the fight sequences are poorly choreographed, and the fencing is dull, nothing more than shuffle-thrust-shuffle-thrust, over and over again. Williams and Hoffman may be smashing actors, but they are probably poor fencers, to have their routines limited to such simple moves.

One more thought: as with nearly every Spielberg movie, John Williams composed the music for "Hook". I'm a big fan of Williams' work, and looking back on the movie, his score was the absolutely brilliant highlight of the film. If you're going to watch Hook for anything, watch it for the music. Williams integrates his music marvellously with what is going on, and the music itself is beautiful: melodic, fun to listen to, and pleasing. His opulent and recurring theme for Captain Hook is one of those tunes that get stuck in your head and refuse to leave—but not in a bad way.

In general, "Hook" is entertaining. However, it is one of Spielberg's more flawed movies. So why the 10/10? Maybe because this is a film that I truly enjoyed, even though its flaws stuck out a mile when I started writing the review. After all, what's wrong with a little dumb fun now and then?