So, Is ‘Hook’ Still Any Good?

In 1991, cinematic master Steven Spielberg attempted to re-imagine the classic J.M Barrie tale Peter Pan with an all-star cast and a comedic star at the centre. The reaction at the time was decidedly mixed, and Spielberg himself has said that he doesn’t like it, but the 8-year old me loved every second of it. So today I’m thinking happy thoughts and pulling Hook off the shelf to ask the question… is it still any good?noAnd it kills me to say it. Like a small part of my childhood just died. It’s a sobering experience to realize that one of the things you loved as a kid hasn’t stood the test of time.

I will start with what still resonates, which is pretty much anything involving the Lost Boys and Ru-fi-oooooooo. Seriously, give me the movie that’s just 2 hours of those adorable little guys and I’d be a happy man. From the first moment they appear on-screen, the movie comes alive. From the insults/food fight to the battle with the pirates, it’s all Bangarang. Unfortunately, the movie that they’re sandwiched into has little of that same spark, and they don’t even show up until 45 minutes in! The movie is also put together brilliantly, you can see the $70 million dollar budget right there on the screen in the costuming and epic sets (I still want to live in that treehouse), and the score is one of John Williams‘ lesser known treasures. It gives you the feels, even when what’s on screen doesn’t reach the same heights. HOOK, Robin Williams (center), 1991Now onto what doesn’t work, which begins with the decision to spend the first 45 minutes of screen time in the Real World, showing and telling us (endlessly) just what a jerk our main character Peter Banning (Robin Williams) is. It makes it hard for us to root for him, that is until the magical transformation that happens two-thirds of the way in where suddenly he’s a good guy again. All it took was a knock to the head! Robin Williams is so buttoned up for most the runtime too, that you start to wonder why they even cast him.

“I get that his Dad isn’t the greatest, but would it kill the kid to smile occasionally?”

Continuing the unlikable character stream, if the Lost Boys make this worth watching, the Banning children fight against that impulse at every turn. Maggie (Amber Scott) is annoyingly cute and while she shows some feistiness early on, she’s promptly sidelined for the majority of the movie, popping up again only to sing a treacly ballad and tell Hook that he “needs a Mommy”. She’s an angel compared to her brother Jack (Charlie Korsmo) though, who is one helluva a whingey bitch to be honest. I get that his Dad isn’t the greatest, but would it kill the kid to smile occasionally?

There’s a lot of daddy issues running around in this movie, from the strained Peter-Jack relationship, to the weird quasi-father role that Peter takes on with the Lost Boys, and the slightly predatory relationship that Hook has with Jack. You’d be mistaken for thinking Spielberg had a bit of a Dad complex.HOOK, Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, 1991There’s a host of other strange occurrences in the almost 2 and a half hour runtime; Hook’s out of the blue attempted suicide scene, the Tinkerbell loves Peter plot strand, the fact that none of the Lost Boys seem to care that Rufio dies. I could go on, but it just makes me sad at this point. It all adds up to a super disappointing viewing experience, where the bright spots just don’t make up for the movie’s shortcomings.

I’m starting to see why Spielberg’s not a fan.

Agree/disagree with my verdict? Leave a comment and let me know why I’m spot on/should see the errors of my ways in the comments below!

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