Hook is a movie from 1991 and could also be described as Peter Pan 2 as it follows on from the original Peter Pan story but set some years later. It was from director Steven Spielberg and written by Jimmy Hart & Michael Myers (I will explain that later - Maybe). It cost a hefty (for 1991) $70m to create but then went on to gross a whopping $300.9m which has to be seen as a success in my book. This was a live action movie and stars some big names such as Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith & Charlie Korsmo. Onto the plot huh?
OK the story is about a Corporate Lawyer Peter Bannings living in San Francisco and strained relations with his wife Wendy and their two kids. He moans at his kids as he is so busy providing for them to actually spend time with them. They go to a charity event leaving the kids in the care of a dog and housekeeper. They return to find the house ransacked, their children missing and a ransom note signed by Captain James Hook. They call the police but Wendy explains that they cannot help as the note is real and Peter Bannings is in fact Peter Pan and he has to save his children. He refuses to believe her. He meets Tinker Bell who just like the first story she uses her pixie dust to allow him to travel to Neverland. He is still doesn’t believe he is the real Peter Pan and he has grown up and has forgotten who is really is. Meanwhile Peter’s son is being manipulated by Captain Hook who is trying to convince him that Hook will be more of a parent than Peter has ever been. Maggie his daughter, on the other hand is not for changing and tries to stay loyal. Is it really Peter? Has he really grown up and forgotten the lost boys? Has he really lost his kids or kid to the clutches of Captain Hook? Can he save Neverland again from the evil doing of Hook? The only way to find out is tune back in next week at the same to Pan time on the Pan channel.
OK have I sold you this movie are you champing at the bit to get your hands on a copy well hold them horses. Let me give some other scores from the other critics out there. We will start with the moderate IMDb as it gives Hook a 6.8/10 score IMDb while Rotten Tomatoes, see fits to give a meagre 28%. The question you have is why have I given it the best score of the three of us. Well I believe the criticism relates to this being a children’s movie and a children’s movie that is close to two and a half hours long, that rules out young kids in my book. You could easily end up with some grumpy kids well before the end if they haven’t been gripped by this movie. The other issue here is that you need to have knowledge of the first movie/story to be able to appreciate, so is this not going to work with younger children who haven’t been able to watch the cartoon or don’t understand the story. How can you expect them to appreciate the follow up when they can’t get to grips with the first one? That I cannot answer and then leads onto who was this movie made for? If it is not for younger children and it’s too childish for older child then who is going to watch this. Parents who loved the original story and force it upon their children. What do I actually think of this movie, well I enjoyed it and love many a Robin Williams movie and it also has a great Dustin Hoffman performance of the villainous Captain Hook and Bob Hoskins thrown in as well. The problem for me is the length as I can easily skip the start and join part way through or chip in for 10 minutes here or there but will I sit through the whole thing in one go is debatable.
Oh yes I nearly forgot what I hinted at in the first section and that this was written by Nick Castle and for those that don’t know Nick played ‘the shape’ or Michael Myers in the Halloween movies which is why the writers of this story is incorrect in the first paragraph!
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