Hook
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Movie Reviews of Hook
Movie Review: To Always Be A Little Boy and Have Fun
Summary: 5 Stars
"A children, except for one, grow up." So starts a classic tale that has captured children's imaginations for generations. I have never met anyone who didn't know the story of Peter Pan, nor have I ever known a person who at some point in their childhood didn't vow to never grow up. When I was very young, though, the thought crossed my mind, "What if Peter Pan did grow up?" For those who wonder, we have Hook.Unfortunately, this movie is highly under-rated for petty reasons. Some people claim that the modernizing of the Lost Boys was wrong because there was no basketball or skateboards when the book was written. You can make many excuses as to why Spielberg made that choice, but there is a very practical reason for it - if this movie was released to children in the 1990s then the children would have to be able to idenify with the Lost Boys, recognize that they were living a life of fun and adventure - by modern standards. The other critisicm is usually directed towards Spielberg himself, saying that he needed to stop doing children's movies. That is, of course, ridiculous. Spielberg is the ultimate storyteller, no matter what story he chooses, and no one has the right to tell him what kind of movies he should be doing.
The truth is, the movie is magical. When I first watched it as a little girl in the movie theatre I was blown away. Robin Williams was the perfect Peter Pan, and made a wonderful transition betweeen the cold business man to his old alter ego. Maggie Smith gives a moving performance as Wendy. I remember watching the scene where Peter's son Jack tells Wendy what Peter does for a living and Jack tells Wendy about how his father "sails in, and if there's any resistance he blows them out of the water!" My heart caught in my chest as I saw Wendy, with a mix of amusment and sadness on her face say, "So... Peter you've become a pirate!"
On the other side you have a brilliant portrayal of the terrible Captain Hook by Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman puts his own brilliant twist on the role, but still leaves the quirkyness, humor and tragedy of the Hook we all adore. Bob Hoskins compliments him perfectly with his performance as Smee.
There is a lot of sadness to this movie as the audience sees that the Peter Pan everyone has known has forgotten how to fly, fight and crow. It broke my heart when the Lost Boys finally realize that Williams really is Peter Pan and you hear one of them say, "Peter... you grew up. You promised never to grow up Peter." We get our Peter Pan back, of course, and with the accompniment of another amazing John Williams score we feel the magic of Neverland once more.
Who will like this movie? It depends on what kind of person you are. Some say it's too long, but as a child my eyes never left the screen for a moment. The REAL question is - Do you believe? Yes, that's the question - Do you believe that Neverland is really just a place between sleep and awake... that it's all a dream? Or do you believe it's really there - you've got your happy thought, you believe in fairies and you're ready to fly on the back of the wind?
If you believe the latter, if you are a child at heart, then this movie will touch a special place in your soul - the place that never grew up...
Movie Review: One man and the search for his inner child...a great message
Summary: 5 Stars
For a movie going on lucky 13 years old, it's still as fun to watch as it was the first time I saw it in the theaters. Peter Banning is a well off American lawyer married to the great grandaughter of Wendy Moira Angela Darling...Mora Darling. He also has two kids, Jack and Maggie. However, supporting for his family has become a full time job and as such he's forgotten all about having an imagination, playing with his kids, spending time with his family, and enjoying his life. And in the middle of all of this, there's Capt. James S. Hook, life long enemy of Peter Pan (Banning, though unbeknownst to him). In an act of vengeance, he kidnaps Banning's kids in the night, and tinkerbell comes home to bring Peter back to Never Neverland and make Peter remember the life he left behind and the fight that was never finished.Mr. Spielberg went all out on this movie, and it shows. There's a lot of heart and soul here from the pirate ships to the lost boys hideout to London and back again. At the same time, there's a lot of heart in both the screenplay and the actors embodiment of the characters. I don't think there will ever be a Hook as good as the one that Dustin Hoffman has done in this film, Bob Hoskins is always a pleasure to watch and his comedic timing is near perfect, causing everything from a slight chuckle to uproarious laughter to pass your lips after each scene he's in, and William's Peter Banning/Pan, while extrodinarily silly and misguided at times, comes around brilliantly, and the first time you watch him fly you can't help but grin from ear to ear.
The child talent is always a risky business, but if you accept that the kids are not going to be the best actors in the world, you realize that most of them do the script justice, whether they know they are or not. Charlie Korsmo, along with Dante Basco, are clearly the most talented, carrying their scenes with Williams and Hoffman very well.
John Williams score is as wonderful as it ever was (you can hear some of the framework for the Harry Potter music in this particular score)...
And finally, there's the message..."never grow up". It's the same message from the original movie, but how it gets there is slightly different. As we watch Peter Banning remember and relive the life he left behind, we realize what he realizes; growing old doesn't mean you have to grow up...and you have to live...for that is the "great adventure".
At 2 hours and 20 minutes, the movie drags here and there a bit from time to time. And on no fault of the original production, the special effects of the film have not held up as well as they could have in the last 13 years. The movie is starting to look it's age. But I think no matter how old this movie gets, there will always be people who will be taken back by the simple premise of this movie and embrace it for the wonderful way it's taken the original Peter Pan story to a whole new level...and beyond.
Movie Review: You've lost your marbles if you dislike this film
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm starting to think that all of the people who disliked this movie, calling it one of Spielberg's worst, saying it has none of the magic of his earlier films, that it doesn't capture the spirit of the Peter Pan story, is a little bit deranged. I'm not saying this is Steven Spielberg's best film, but apparently watching a guy fight Nazis and a kid find an alien is more magical and reminds someone more of their childhood than the idea of growing up and having to give up on the fun you had as a child (by the way, I love the INDIANA JONES films and E.T.). I've read a lot of the bad reviews of this film, and all of them are written by people who have grown up and apparently become the workaholic who has no time for fun anymore that Robin Williams plays here. Yet they all seem to enjoy Spielberg's other forays into capturing the fun of childhood. I'm not sure what exactly went wrong for them here. Neverland doesn't look right? I don't know how much money was spent here, but I found Neverland to look pretty amazing. Dustin Hoffman is too over-the-top as Hook? Yeah, you're right, Hook should be a real bore. The list goes on and on.
Anyway, as many probably know, the plot concerns a grown-up Peter Pan, now Peter Banning (Robin Williams, doing a great job), who has left Neverland and become a workaholic with no time for his kids (like a lot of movies, so maybe that's a complaint of the naysayers). Then suddenly, upon a visit to Granny Wendy's (Maggie Smith), Peter's kids are kidnapped by Lord Voldemort... er, Captain Hook (Hoffman), who wants to rid himself of Peter Pan once and for all. However, Peter has no idea who he once was, so it's up to his old friend Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts... good cast, huh?), who snatches him away to Neverland, and the Lost Boys (apparently another complaint of people... anyone that has any energy in this film gets negativity, it would seem), who are still wild and orphaned. Does Peter become the Pan again and save his kids? Who do you think directed this?
I really wish this could be considered one of Spielberg's best, because it's certainly one of my favorites. Spielberg's direction, the acting, John Williams' beautiful score, it all works so well for me. I grew up with this movie, and I also grew up with the Disney cartoon of Peter Pan, the book, and various other film/stage adaptations, and I truly believe that Spielberg has created a magical semi-sequel. I'm uncertain how the people who don't like this movie would have done a 'Peter Pan is grown-up movie'. Would they have not done one at all? It was and still is a great idea, and perhaps it's a movie best enjoyed by people who saw it first when they still had the innocence of childhood that is explored so well here.
Movie Review: Grownup fun with a serious side...
Summary: 5 Stars
I love grownup versions of classic children's stories, such as "Ever After" (a grownup Cinderella) and this movie, "Hook", a very grown-up Peter Pan. "Hook" takes a sobering look at the downside of being "grownup"- our propensity for taking ourselves and our responsibilities far too seriously, forgetting how to have fun along the way, and how it harms our relationships with our families, especially our children. Robin Williams as the grown-up Peter shows what a truly good actor he is in this movie, and that his comic genius is but one of his talents. Dustin Hoffman, always a show-stealer, does not disappoint. His "Hook" is at once funny and a very scary guy, at one point even killing the leader of the Lost Boys - this is definitely not your kids' Peter Pan. The supporting cast do an excellent job as well. The visuals are imaginative and engaging, such as the child-pleasing bright crayon-colored foods at their banquets, and serve to remind us of how life is different through the eyes of a child - Bright green ketchup? Cool! - and what fun it was to "think outside the box" before it was educated and conformed out of us. Hook himself remembers this, and uses this knowledge to steal Peter's disillusioned son away from him, an act of revenge that forces Peter to re-learn the art of having fun in order to rescue him from the despicable Hook. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.
On a more serious note, "Hook" is a cautionary tale to which many of us "grownups" need to pay close attention, living in a society as we do that places (or should I say "misplaces") so much emphysis on providing material goods - the newest, the biggest, the brightest, the best of everything - that we are in real danger of neglecting the one and only thing our kids really need - our time - time for guidance, time for teaching, time for discipline, and time for just plain fun. Hook is very real, and he manifests himself in terrifying ways - drugs, alcohol, sex, and the human predators that offer these to our children on a daily basis. I am very glad I bought this video, because I can take it out and watch it any time life gets too serious and I need a reminder of what is really important.
Movie Review: Peter Banning: The Boy Who Could (And Did) Grow Up
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is a mix of some really awful stuff, some mediocre, and some... just enchanting. My only complaints are the crude humour (which is never good taste), and Julia Roberts, who makes about the worst Tinkerbell I've ever seen. Of course, the "politically correct" Lost Boys were somewhat annoying, but I can overlook that part. The special effects weren't spectacular, but were passable.
What really makes this movie shine is the talents of Robin Williams, Maggie Smith, and Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman is a brilliant (though ridiculous - in a good way) Hook. Maggie Smith IS Wendy - though she's grown up. And Robin Williams? Well... let's just say that if Peter Pan grew up and became a "cold, selfish man who drinks too much, is obsessed with success, and runs and hides from his wife and children", well here he is.
I think the problem with this movie is, as another reviewer said, there simply aren't enough people who know the book/play/etc. I found myself grinning as scene after scene contains reference after reference to the true Peter Pan story; having watched the Disney version simply isn't enough. The second problem is that it seems that many reviewers think this movie's supposed to be Peter Pan. It's not. It is, in fact, merely a supposition: what if Peter Pan DID grow up? What if Hood didn't REALLY die? And what if the adult Peter Pan didn't even know who he was?
This movie is tons of fun. Again stealing from another reviewer, what makes Robin William's acting so wonderful isn't his role as the crabby, workaholic dad, or even his amazing role as a very Peter Pann-ish Peter. It's his believable transformation. There's no hokey moment of, "Hey, I really am Peter Pan! Ok, kids, let's go get Hook!" Instead, he slowly (almost reluctantly) leaves behind Peter Banning and becomes who he once was.
One of my favorite moments of the film was when Banning/Pan remembers how to fly. There was just something wonderful about a man re -discovering a world he had been absent from for 30+ years. Think of that! Remembering how to fly after thirty years. And finding it just as exhilarating as ever...