Movie Review: Hook

Movie Review: Hook                                                                                                                   9-6-21

Steven Spielberg’s cult classic Hook answers the question: What would happen if Peter Pan abandoned Neverland and grew up? Well, in this film, Peter (Robin Williams) marries Wendy Darling’s daughter Moira (Caroline Goodall), and they had two children named Maggie (Amber Scott) and Jack (Charlie Korsmo). However, Peter is now focused on work rather than attending his son’s baseball game or his daughter’s play. While visiting Grandma Wendy in London, Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) captures Maggie and Jack! Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts) whisks Peter off to Neverland, which is now overrun with pirates, and the only way to save Maggie and Jack is to sword fight with Hook. However, Peter doesn’t remember being a kid, and it’s up to Tink and the tribe of Lost Boys train him to fly, fight, and crow within three days before Hook kills his children.

Hook is basically what 2018’s Christopher Robin should’ve been with an all-star cast, a story that stays true to its source material, gorgeous backgrounds and sets, a great score from the incomparable John Williams, and impressive pre-CG visual effects that have actually aged quite well.

Peter encountering sneezing flowers in Neverland.

What differentiates Hook from other adaptations of Peter Pan is the fact that Tinkerbell can talk. In stage adaptations of JM Barrie’s classic story, Tink is basically a ball of light who communicates through chiming. The famous pixie was reimagined as a tangible character in Walt Disney’s Peter Pan, but was also a pantomime character who could only communicate through chimes. Not to mention that the Native Americans are absent, perhaps to avoid confusion with the previous year’s Dances With Wolves.

Tink playing dead so she can get Peter to clap.

Captain Hook is also a memorable villain, reminiscent of Disney Villains overseen by Walt, Wolfgang Reitherman, and Roy Disney. At one point, Hook decides to train Jack and Maggie into hating parents so they can like him instead of Peter.

Hook getting Jack to smash clocks to let out his frustration.

In conclusion, while it does have its flaws, Hook is a jewel in Spielberg’s crown that deserves another polish.

Rating: 3.45 stars out of 5