Hook Reviews

Back in 1994 when I was 10 this was a favourite of mine, I even had all the action figures. As I got older I never really thought much of it until the other day when I decided to watch it just for the hell of it. Now as an older person with more understanding all I can say is that this is one of the most amazing films ever. There were points in the film where I even started weeping and getting emotional.

Hook tells a great story about A grumpy lawyer named Peter Banning who takes life too serious who has forgotten about his childhood as Peter Pan. Captain Hook kidnaps his children and takes them to Neverland to lure him in for one last battle, the only chance he has of saving them is to remember his forgotten past as Peter Pan and do battle with Captain Hook. The film is a huge reminder that I should always keep in touch with my inner child and never let go.

Acting wise Robin Williams brings his A game as does Dustin Hoffman, Bob Hoskins and the rest, Julia Roberts is in it too but she's nothing to write home about.

If you've never seen it then you should watch it, whether your a child or adult it doesn't matter, the film is one of the best adventure tales ever. If you've not seen it for a long time then re-watch it because like me it is a great reminder of how I was back when I was 10 and even helped me find my less cynical side.

10/10

No soy alguien que disfrute mucho las películas clásicas de Disney. La mayoría son adaptaciones de cuentos clásicos con moralejas duras y tajantes las cuales se ven reducidas a producciones infantiles para que sean consideradas como actas para toda la familia. Y eso también con las posteriores re-imaginaciones y que bebieron mucho del legado de Disney. Tampoco diré que sean malas, solo algo contradictorias o desaprovechadas en lo que respecta a historia y personajes. Pero oh señoras y señores, esta película es una de las pocas excepciones, por no decir la mejor de ellas. Hook es un re-imaginario de peter pan poco ortodoxo. No está protagonizado por seres mágicos y coloridos, no se centra tanto en el despliegue visual, hay poca acción en su conjunto y con lo expresado, sigue siendo una película acta para toda la familia con elementos fantásticos.

Pese a su presentación estrambótica y schlocky, es realmente seria y se centra mas en la exploración temática y el desarrollo de sus personajes. Y en contra de lo anticlimatico que pueda sonar realmente no lo es. Es como ver una obra de Terry Gilliam o Tim Burton en sus años de gloria, en el sentido de que te logras creer lo absurdo sin que desentone con lo serio del asunto establecidos. Por lo que es mas reminiscente a las obras literarias clásicas.

La trama transcurre cuando Peter se hace adulto y se convierte en padre de familia con problemas típicos de estas, hasta que de repente el capitán garfio secuestra a sus hijos y ahora deberá retornar al país del nunca jamás para recuperarlos. Esta versión nueva de Peter en especial es a mi parecer la mejor interpretación del personaje original, superándolo con creces. Que se le retrate como un aburguesado y aburrido hombre de negocios es una movida que no solo es maravillosa, reflejando y recalcando que el mensaje del personaje original ha sido violado, cosa poco usual. Sino que también es utilizado para mostrar como el exceso de trabajo y la monotonía pueden hacer hasta al mas colorido ser se vuelva un trabajador mas y como esto afecta su entorno familiar, descuidándola y distanciándose de ella. Y todo gira entorno a su desarrollo para que recupere todo aquello que lo caracterizaba como Peter. O sea, todo lo contrario de la descripción inicial, jovial, infantil y juguetón.

Se le podría criticar, ya que sería como celebrar que ahora el personaje se ha vuelto un manchild, para mi alegría no. No es tanto acerca de dejar de crecer y quedarse estático como un niño, algo que me desagradaba de las otras versiones de Peter. En su lugar es sobre no perder la imaginación, disfrutar de la vida aún siendo un adulto y aprender a interactuar con los mas jóvenes. Por lo que peter no pierde su madurez de un inicio.

El resto del reparto me gusta mucho. El hijo de peter representa muy bien lo que pasa cuando descuidas a tus seres queridos. Es un joven al que su padre lo ha desatendido, y que intenta remplazar dicha figura paterna en el capitán garfio, convirtiéndose en pirata y queriendo vivir ahí para siempre. Al capitán garfio se le da un acercamiento mas peculiar, ya que no se siente como el mal nacido de siempre. Ahora se le da mas énfasis a su paranoia con los relojes, siendo un simbolismo con el tiempo que le queda de vida, ya que el cocodrilo lo va a devorar, y también a desarrollar una relación con el hijo de peter que te la llegas a creer hasta cierto punto como si fuesen de verdad padre e hijo. Wendy ahora siendo una vieja que se ve atónita por como el Peter original ha cambiado y como se va volviendo mas vieja. O que ahora Tinker Bell se enamore de Peter, cosa que no puede ya que no pertenece a ese mundo.

Y al igual que el arco de Peter, no es usado como método de escapismo como si fuese un isekai cualquiera. Al contrario da un mensaje muy contundente de anti escapismo. Todos los arcos de desarrollo giran entorno a como la magia de la juventud se va perdiendo conforme uno se va volviendo mas viejo, pero los personajes lo aceptan en lugar de ir contra la corriente y de paso te dice que crezcas sin perder parte de dicha magia. Al final Peter se vuelva mas cercano con su familia, Wendy acepta su vejez y Tinker Bell que ahora Peter no puede quedarse ahí, Jack que no debe vivir en puras fantasias y en recuerdos del pasado, y Garfio, el único que no aprendió nada, refleja bien el miedo de los adultos sobre la muerte, siendo devorado por el cocodrilo (o mejor dicho aplastado, ya que el cocodrilo estaba disecado).

El manejo de simbolismos en el film no son una mierda para variar. No son solo para dárselas de inteligentes y sí para reflejar parte del mensaje y la mentalidad de los personajes. Como los mencionados relojes que representarían el paso del tiempo, cosa a la que Garfio le tiene pavor. Los niños perdidos que serían la inocencia e imaginación, y los piratas, que serían la representación de las vidas monótonas y aburridas de los adultos. De hecho, la historia podría considerarse una especie de alegoría sobre un hombre aburrido que decide acercarse a sus hijos.

Lo que respecta al apartado artístico y actoral, es muy bueno. Los efectos y ambientación son muy rudimentarios, a algunos les disgustará por lo anticuado y de vieja escuela que es esto, en especial cuando vivimos en la era del CGI ultra realista. A mi parecer eso es lo que lo hace muy bueno, ya que como con Mad Max Fury Road, los efectos no pueden envejecer, a diferencia del CGI cuyas reenderizaciones envejecen cada cinco años. La banda sonora es excelente, es música orquestal muy alegre compuesta por John Williams, que mas puedes pedir. Ah sí, que las actuaciones sean excelente y con un reparto memorable, Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hopskin, todos dando una gran performance a sus personajes. Lo único malo sería como el CGI, ha envejecido demasiado mal. Es Spielberg en su época de oro.

Sería mejor si la trama hubiese sido mas complicada mas allá de hacer a Peter como era en apenas tres días, que el tono fuese mas serio o que hubiesen expuesto mas sobre la historia original, como los indios y demás. Otra cosa criticable sería el manejo de amnesia en la historia, pero incluso ahí se le puede defender argumentando que Peter pierde la memoria como un reflejo de que ha perdido su juventud al adulto. Por lo que es relevante al desarrollo del personaje.

En fin, es una gran película. Sé que fue mal recibida por críticos y hoy está algo olvidada, pero hay que verla. Es como el equivalente occidental de Princess Tutu o Akage no Anne. Ya que la puedes disfrutar tanto de niño como adulto, los primeros por su carácter infantil, y los segundos por la madurez de sus temas y personajes. Altamente recomendada.

I just didn’t enjoy ‘Hook’. Why? I thought the plot was really silly; Peter Pan – the hero who never grows old – has grown up! He’s become Peter Banning (Robin Williams) and he has two children and a wife

I thought Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) had been eaten by a crocodile while Peter was still a boy, well now he’s returned along with Smee (Bob Hoskins) and all the other pirates, he’s even killed the goddam crocodile that ate him!

‘Hook’ had some pretty good costume designing, and art direction too, Never Land looked good and the effects weren’t bad, I even found some jokes funny

But I thought there was some pretty pathetic slapstick and jokes, there was even this one scene where Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts) went from being the size of an ant to becoming human sized, most of the performances in this movie are terrible, Dustin Hoffman tries hard but Robin Williams is actually pretty obnoxious, Bob Hoskins gives a rather bland performance, but at least they’re not as annoying as Julia Roberts! She definitely gave one of the most annoying performances of all time!

We do see Peter realise he is Peter Pan when he sees Wendy, John, Michael and his names carved on a tree, we then realise that Wendy (Maggie Smith) became older and soon forgot how to fly, she had a granddaughter who Peter fell in love with, this is presumably how he became old, but didn’t Peter love Wendy? In case you knew nothing about ‘Peter Pan’, Peter falls in love with Wendy! And they changed it! Why did they do it?

Seeing *Julia Roberts* as Tinker Bell is itself worth the price of admission.

(9/10)

If there's one classic that I think has the most potential to be a masterpiece, Peter Pan is it. Disney did an admirable job with their animated adaption, and Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson have written a marvelous book series about Peter Pan. Hook, unfortunately, isn't nearly as good as it should be. It's silly premise, lack of comedy, and long length this a considerably lesser Pan-tale.

Peter Banning has long since forgotten his childhood as Peter Pan, and is now a middle-aged lawyer who puts work before family (and is severely afraid of heights to boot). But when his kids, Jack and Maggie, are kidnapped by Captain James Hook, Peter is forced to remember his life at Neverland, and learn to best Hook and save his children.

One of Hook's many problems is that it's a children's movie. Much of Hook will only appeal to the younger crowd, and the extensive running time (nearly two and a half hours) and it's slow, crawling pace will leave most children bored out of their minds.

The action is extremely minimal until the end, in which a battle against the pirates and the Lost Boys ensues, which mostly consists of dull slapstick. The humor is also extremely childish. It seems most everything in Hook is geared toward the youngest of children. Yet, as I just mentioned, it has an ominously long run time, which diminishes the film's audience to, well, no one.

It's such a shame too, because Hook might've been a decent film. There was a lot in Hook that I loved, and had Hook played it's cards right, this could've been the Peter Pan film I've been waiting for. Alas, the few elements of Hook that I enjoyed are vastly overshadowed by it's many flaws.

The premise is awkward, and even a bit confusing. The awkwardness is mostly due to the fact that Peter Pan is a middle-aged lawyer. Talk about shattering your childhood dreams. No one wants to see Peter Pan as an adult. His naive perspective of life and staying young is part of what made Pan so appealing in the first place. With Pan being all grown up, much of what made him such a loveable character is gone.

One rather tasteless scene that's worth pointing out occurs during Pan's dinner with the Lost Boys in which a rather grotesque and childish series of name calling occurs. In addition to names like "Mucus Muncher" and "Zit Popper," there are many others not worth repeating. As sorry as I feel for those who watched this scene (including myself), I am much more sorry for the actors that had to memorize these obscene names, as well as the writers who had to come up with them.

The score by the consistently incredible John Williams is perhaps a bit under-par. It's not bad, but it's not quite as good as William's other scores. The score isn't playful enough, nor is it grand enough. Compared to William's other film scores, it's a bit of a disappointment, but it's still mostly solid.

The acting is something of a mixed bag. No one does a poor job at acting, but there are problems, regardless. Robin Williams plays Peter Pan. This is a problem as Peter Pan is no longer a boy, he is now a man. This is a completely different version of Pan, so the actor needs to leave a completely new imprint. Unfortunately, Robin Williams is too big a star for this part, so instead of remembering Peter Pan as a confused and loving father, we remember him as Robin Williams.

Dustin Hoffman, on the other hand, blends excellently as Hook. When we see Hook, we don't see Hoffman. I'm sure the wig and makeup helped, but Hoffman is considerably less recognizable then Robin Williams, which makes his role much better. Hook, as a character, is already one of the better parts of the film, with his subtle elements of satire and humor, and this is aided even further by Hoffman's performance.

Julia Roberts, on the other hand is severely miscast as Tinker Bell. Most other actors do decent, yet not outstanding jobs, though Bob Hoskins performs amusingly as Hook's assistant, Smee.

This different take on Peter Pan fails to find an audience. It's too long for kids, too slow and devoid of action for teens, and too childish for adults. I wanted to like Hook, but it misses the mark as an action film, a comedy, and a family film. It tries to be too much, and it ends up being nothing at all.

I really like 'Hook'. It's really long at like 140 minutes but it's never boring. Spielberg always does amazing things when it comes to making movies.

The film is about Peter Pan, played really well by Robin Williams. He's now an adult and returns to Netherland to reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old nemesis - Hook!!!

I think this movie was really well done. Well produced, very exciting, and very funny. There isn't much more I can say about it except...watch it soon!!!