Hook

It's a lot of fun to watch - over two hours of thrills, spills, elaborate sets and special effects, all tied together by a pleasingly varied (and lighter than usual) musical score by John Williams.

Spielberg hooks us again with state-of-the-art craft, the director taps into powerful myths, both primal and pop, and makes them seem new. He allows grownups to return to childhood, but manages to catch fish in all generational waters.

For very much like Peter, it has clearly gotten harder for this director to break free of the lure of material things and believe in simple magic. And whatever problems his Hook has, there are none that making the film on half of its budget wouldn't have cured.

Peter Pan is the boy who wouldn't grow up, and Hook is the movie that grows unbearable once a grown-up Peter arrives in Neverland with a merciless 90 minutes to go. [11 Dec. 1991, p.1D]

Hook feels as much like a massive amusement park ride as it does a film. Spirited, rambunctious, often messy and undisciplined.

Hook is overwhelmed by a screenplay heavy with complicated exposition, by what are, in effect, big busy nonsinging, nondancing production numbers and some contemporary cant about rearing children and the high price paid for success.

Hook touches neither fantasy nor soulfulness nor yearning. Mostly, it's benign spectacle in which the actors keep yielding the camera to some expensive playground or other. Hook is neither wistful nor primal. It's film's most expensive wind-up toy. [11 Dec. 1991. p.53]

There will never be a better Peter Pan movie ever. This movie is so old but every time I watch it, I love it.

I am divided. Part of me sees this as 10/10 and another part says it is not that good and I have been tricked into believing this. Strangely both parts seem to be accurate. The strengths are of cause the great cast with an amazing Robin Williams and great Dustin Hoffman atop on a general good performance, the creativity, sets and costumes. On the negative side the story is a bit cliche and foreseeable but it is well hidden behind the surface. Even legendary director Steven Spielberg said in an interview he had not that much confidence in the script and tried to hide his doubt and insecurities. If you look carefully you can see this a bit. I don't think with a title “Hook” you need to avoid spoilers as nearly anyone will know this can only be about Peter Pan. This movie however takes some risks. It is not retelling the story but continues the story with a Peter Pan that became an adult and even forgot he was Peter Pan. He is surprised when his two children were kidnapped by an unfamiliar man named captain Hook who challenges him. This is the start of the adventure. While it is a great popcorn movie and works fine for me I have problems with a Peter Pan that became an adult. However the actors deliver such an interesting and good performance that I forget this for the most part. Also the ending is as bittersweet as heartwarming. Because of all of this I am still unsure how to rate this movie. Sometimes as underappreciated masterpiece and at other times as average. The actors do a great job. Robin Williams is amazing as Peter Pan aka Peter Banning. He fully convinces me and is so fun to watch. Then there is the equal good Dustin Hoffman as captain Hook. Those two are so good that their performance alone is worth to watch the movie. The rest of the cast is also good. I truly enjoyed Bob Hoskins as Smee, Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell, Dante Basco as Rufio and all the other lost boys. In this regard I consider this a great movie with an awesome cast / performance. The visuals and effects are another strength of the movie. The world building is always immersive and never feels out of place. If I remember correctly there was even a toy line for this. Overall it is like I said at the beginning. I can justify a 5-10/10 to myself. In my youth I would have given an easy 10/10 but now I go with a 6/10 but say it is a truly good movie with some flaws that can be minor or mayor depending on preferences. Hope this makes sense for you.

The movie has some strong and beautiful scenes, but also there are some simple and stupid scenes. The story is also interesting, but nothing exceptional. Dustin Hoffman as Hook shows a very good performance.

it had so much potential but then simply **** story , the forced sentiment, the ridiculous effects, **** julia roberts was hot.....

Disappointment Flying Across The Screen. Hook Spielberg's eye on the Disney's beloved character fails to live up to the hype on any whatsoever level. Personally, this magical aviated world has always been physically distant with me, due to its various stages it leaps on. From one tone to another, the tale never seem to have a balance or command over its own language, no matter how much synced the theme may be, there is too little to work on such big hokum. Overstuffed from stereotypical characters to cliched subplots, Spielberg's marathon euphoria wears off too quick to reach the first rest station. And it is not that Spielberg is not in his A game, in fact if anything that convinces you to stay tuned to this blunder other than Williams, is his tactics to glorify tiny aspects of the film. Like, making the production easier, by projecting Roberts's character to be in a doll house in order to make things easier and process faster. Such efficient and impressive tactics are what the entire musical acts are brimmed with, if not contains that anticipated masterful choreography. Aforementioned, Williams's hopeful eyes behind the glasses, pursues you to watch his non-animated Peter Pan take, that is adorable as far as he is playing it. On the opposite side, Hoffman as the antagonist, is on mark but there is very little to offer on terms of originality, fixated on cheesy humor and lazy sidekicks, it is a big chunk of disappointment. Roberts, Smith and Goodall in their supporting role are too unfortunately a plastered face written for a distraction and manipulating emotions out from the audience. Williams feels vulnerable and hand tied since he is not given any usual gags of his to charm his way out of the dull plot. Hook is the only thing that is to be hooked in this questionable project of Spielberg.