HOOK
A film review by Ken Johnson
Copyright 1991 Ken Johnson
140 min., PG, Fantasy, 1991 Director: Steven Spielburg Cast: Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, Charlie Korsmo, Phil Collins, David Crosby, Glenn Close
A retelling of the widely known fantasy Peter Pan. This one, though, has a big twist to it, Peter Pan (going by the name Peter Banning) is now grown up and is a very successful business man. So successful, in fact, that he has no time for his family and has forgotten about his childhood. For Christmas, Peter, his wife, and two children, go to London to visit Wendy. Wendy has to go and give a speech and Peter and his wife go with her. They leave their children alone in Wendy's house. When they get back they find the house in shambles and the children missing. Attached to the bedroom door, with a knife, is a note saying that if Peter ever wants to see his children again he must come to get them, and it is signed Hook. Peter must journey to Never Never Land to try to remember his childhood and save his children.
HOOK is one of the best films I have seen in a long time! The special effects are well done and the story, except in a couple of places, is very well done. Those few spots when the script was lacking didn't hinder my enjoyment of the film though. The soundtrack, done by John Williams, fits the film perfectly. I definitely recommend that you venture out to your local movie theater and see this film, even at full price. On a zero to five scale I give the film a five. HOOK is rated PG for explicit language and violence, but is perfectly acceptable to bring the whole family to.
Robin Williams plays Peter Pan and does a relatively good job. As Peter Banning, Robin Williams did a perfect job. It was like the role was written for him, a serious businessman who takes phone calls during his daughter's play (of "Peter Pan," of course) but yet still finds time to have fun, like dueling with cellular phones. As Peter Pan, though, something was missing. He didn't quite fit the role. Over all he did a very good job, to the best of his abilities, which is the most you can ask of someone. And Robin Williams in green tights is a sight to see.
Dustin Hoffman portrays the ultimate evil, Captain Hook. He makes Hook into an evil person but with some compassion. For instance, instead of just killing Peter Pan in the beginning when Peter can't fight, Hook waits to give Peter a chance to make himself a better fighter so Peter can have a chance. Part of the reason for this, I am sure, was to make Captain Hook seem not so scary to little children (I don't know how well that worked because I went to the 9:30 PM showing and there were no little children in the audience). At times Hook will seem a to do things a little odd, but if you just accept it, it will make the movie run smoothly and thus makes the movie more enjoyable for you. At some spots in the film the script, the lines for Captain Hook could have been written a little better, but Dustin Hoffman covers quite well in the slow spots. Overall Dustin Hoffman puts in a memorable performance.
Julia Roberts plays TinkerBell, Peter Pan's friend fairy. Although Julia Roberts would not have been my first choice for the role, she, like everybody else in the movie, put in a very good performance. In most of her scenes she was edited in, so she was seen with Peter Pan or some of the Lost Boys, very effectively. With the props used I found myself believing that Julia Roberts was really that small in real life which means that the special effects in the film are very good. In my opinion, TinkerBell is one of the most important roles in HOOK (second to Peter Pan and Captain Hook) which means that the performance put out by the actress is very important, and Julia lived up to my expectations.
Maggie Smith plays Wendy, now grown to the age of eighty-something. She remembers the days before Peter Pan grew up and when he decided to grow up she helped him find a home, along with many of the Lost Boys. In fact the speech she is giving is because she is being honored for her work with children, which included finding homes for some of the Lost Boys. I don't have much to say for Maggie Smith's performance for she is not on the screen very much but when she is she does a very good job. Her character provides the sensitivity and compassion that Peter's kids need and she is also the person who tries to explain to Peter who he really is, but to no avail.
Bob Hoskins portrays Smee, Captain Hook's right hand man. He is the brains behind most of Captain Hook's devious schemes to capture the Lost Boys and to kill Peter Pan. He is not given a chance though to really express how he feels because Captain Hook steps in when ever he tries. Bob Hoskins role was not written so the character would be really remembered after the film. He was there mostly, I feel, because he was in the original Peter Pan story, and for occasional comic relief.
Charlie Korsmo (of DICK TRACY fame) plays Peter Pan's male child and I missed who plays Peter's female child. The two combined put in good a performance, always fighting and playing, especially when Daddy is on the phone trying to speak about some important business information. But apart the two don't do nearly as well, as proven towards the end of the film. Korsmo is a child that has a hard time forgiving his dad after he has been let down, and this anger towards his dad becomes very important towards the end of the film. Peter's daughter, on the other hand, is quick to forgive her dad, partially, I feel, because she realizes even though he messes up he still loves her very much.
Pop singer Phil Collins shows up for a brief cameo as a police detective that arrives at Wendy's house to investigate the missing children. David Crosby (of Crosby, Stills, and Nash) is one of Captain Hook's fun loving pirates and, like Phil Collins, doesn't show up very often in the film. Glenn Close also shows up for a brief cameo in the film.
The biggest mistake in the writing of the film, I feel, is how the Lost Boys were handled. Most of Never Never Land has remained the same way it was from when Peter Pan was there, but for some reason some of the Lost Boys have been changed to the current times. The new leader of the Lost Boys has a punk hairdo and rides around on sort of a skate board that runs on tracks. The Lost Boys hide out has been equipped with a basketball court, and a skate board rink even! I feel that the Lost Boys should have been left alone. Some of the Lost Boys, on the other hand, were unchanged in the ways that they act and are dressed.
The sets were really well made, especially the ones for TinkerBell. They also really portrayed the fact that Peter Pan was no longer in the regular world, but in a world that for the most part is behind the "civilized" world. The major set mistake was the Lost Boys hide out. The Lost Boys hideout is a giant tree on a raised island. From the far shots the island looks really small, but when the people are in the hideout, the hideout seems to stretch out for miles. Also, how do the Lost Boys make it onto the island. Never in the film do the Lost Boys fly and I am sure that they don't always go up the way Peter did, by a giant sea shell that was raised from the ocean.
The way the end of the film was handled was predictable and a little disappointing. I think that the most effort in a script should go towards the ending, because for me the ending of a film makes it, or breaks it. Almost at the very end the script picks back up again and just when you think that it has recovered it totally loses it with a scene with.
Other than these few mistakes, which you barely even notice when watching the film, the film is very, very good. Steven Spielberg's directing was also very well done. So run out to the movie theater to see the film, but allow yourself plenty of time for the movie might sell out early, and this is one not to miss.
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