My Movie Review on Hook (1991) · 4:59pm Dec 4th, 2020
Ahoy, me harteys!
This be your top-of-the-line film, TV show, and episode buccaneer here with another review.
Today, for the 1st installment of me "Christmas Craze", I'm gonna give you guys my take of Steven Spielberg's "Hook".
Here be the rundown of this here adventure *clears throat to stop talking like a pirate*:
Peter Banning is a workaholic corporate lawyer who has hardly been making time for his wife, Moira, and his children, Jack and Maggie.
During a visit to London to see Moira's grandmother, though, Peter's children are kidnapped by Captain James Hook, who challenges Peter to a duel because he's actually the pirate's old nemesis: Peter Pan. The magical boy who never grew up, but had for some reason left Neverland, became an adult, and lost his powers and memories of his childhood.
With the help of Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys, Peter must rediscover who he is in order to defeat Hook once and for all and save his children.
I really can't lie, I've been wanting to make an analysis of this movie since perhaps the very beginning of my days as a reviewer. It's something that I've watched occasionally as a child, and I remember my experiences with it being joyful ones among other things. I ultimately decided to save it for my "Christmas Craze" series since the film takes place in the Christmas season and is one about family.
When I first became aware that Steven Spielberg apparently expressed disappointment over the film, I was quite surprised. Ever since then, that piece of info got lodged in my head and never left.
Coming from a guy who recently saw the movie again after so long, I honestly can't understand why Spielberg was disappointed in the film or why it got such a harsh reception from film critics to begin with. "Hook" is actually what I'd like to call one of the best movies ever!
For instance, the direction by Steven Spielberg, the story by Jim V. Hart and Nick Castle, and the screenplay by Hart, Malia Scotch Mormo, and (uncreditably) Carrie Fisher, were fantastic!
As an original sequel to the actual book by J.M. Barrie, I thought that the concept Hart came up with was a terrific idea. It had a great sense of inspiration and genuine thought, and it expanded on the Peter Pan story in a way that I don't think anyone had ever expected. Plus, the film was perhaps one of the most personal of Spielberg's projects, because its themes and morals about family were astonishingly well-done, and it contained a heart and emotionality that made it all-the-more compelling. The humor and comedic-timings were fun too, and I can't recall a single joke that didn't make me laugh or wasn't well-played.
The production designs for the Neverland sequences were nicely done, if I may add.
I mean, yes, I get that this movie isn't one of Spielberg's most technologically accomplished of works, and I can see why some would classify the sequences and designs to be reminiscent of a "theme park". But, at the same time, I actually enjoyed the designs of Neverland and its sequences. Everything about them gave off a wonderful storybook-feel that's strong enough to pay homage to the Peter Pan book, and it felt like I was actually in Neverland itself. Also, I have no clue how the team made the night sky with two moons or what they did to make it look like Peter, Jack, Maggie, and Toodles were flying, but...each of those elements looked so real!
Likewise, the music by John Williams was magnificent.
If his intentions were to help audiences feel the film's emotionalism and sense of fun through his music alone, then I'm proud to say "Mission Accomplished!". Whenever an emotional or heartwarming moment was played, the melodies Williams made were strong enough to tug at the soul. And whenever there was a moment of action, the melodies gave off a genuine sense of exhilaration. As a plus, the scene where Maggie sings "When You're Alone" is one of the most touching moments of the film.
Finally, the performances of the cast, casting, characters, and character development were incredible.
Robin Williams did a phenomenal job portraying Peter Pan/Banning. He not only gave some marvelously done and clearly ad-libbed comedic-timings here and there, but he imbued a powerful amount of emotion and heart into the character. He was clearly born to play the part of an adult Peter Pan, that's for sure. The amount of growth and development Peter had throughout the film was awesome too, and the backstory that displayed how Peter Pan came to be and what prompted him to become an adult was a soul-tugging and gave the character greater depth.
Likewise, Dustin Hoffman was outstanding in the role of Captain Hook. He gave his character a terrific sense of humor and theatricality, and he portrayed Hook in a way that made him surprisingly human. Plus, Hook himself had dynamic development, and he was quite an intimidating force to be reckoned with.
I would also like to add that Bob Hoskins and Julia Roberts were quite the scene-stealers in their roles of Mr. Smee and Tinker Bell, and all of the children cast members portrayed their characters splendidly. To top it all off, Tinker Bell, Smee, and the children were brilliant to watch.
In conclusion, "Hook" is another film with a reputation I can't understand! It's actually one of the best movies around, and in my opinion...if J.M. Barrie was alive today, he'd be very proud of this motion picture. It's also one of the finest works of Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Steven Spielberg.
So, I rate "Hook" five out of five stars.
I loved the movie
5 out of 5 stars from me on this film as well. I always choke up when watching Robin Williams in this film due to how his death several years ago still shook me to core.
one of my favorite movies so good and it's doesn't help that Zuko's VA is here.
I've never seen Hook, but I heard it's a guilty pleasure.