User reviews

I really can't understand why this movie has gotten so much hate throughout the years. I remember it as a hit. When it came out, all my cousins of around my age loved it, my friends loved it, I didn't know any kid that didn't at least like it. As for adults, isn't it a fun concept to see what it would be like if Peter Pan grew up? Who else could play a grown Pan than Robin Williams? Julia Roberts was perfect for Tinker Bell. Though I have heard she was a nightmare to deal with behind the scenes. The lost boys were excellent, a good balance of fun and humor, along with some serious parts in there too. Dustin Hoffman as captain Hook? I don't know if he won any awards, but that man should have. Probably his best performance.

This movie is a classic. F&@# the naysayers.

I'm not one of the people fortunate enough to catch this in the theaters. I am, however, one of the people who loudly objects to the negative critical response to this film.

Peter Pan growing up is a wonderfully refreshing concept and saying "it adds nothing to the Peter Pan mythos" confuses me to no end. The beautiful practical sets would never have come to pass in an age where Spielberg and Lucas have gone crazy with the CGI and accusing them of being cartoony is rather superfluous seeing as Peter Pan's not exactly known for its realism. The actors all turn in decent performances, the best being Robin William's uptight Peter Banning and childlike Peter Pan, Dustin Hoffman's deliciously evil Captain Hook, and Bob Hoskins. Nothing to say about Bob Hoskins; if he's on screen, he's giving it his all.

I deduct points from the film do to the third act with the war, not because the Lost Boys use incredibly implausible weapons to fight the pirates but because Peter stops being savvy about Hook, there's a rather unnecessary dark moment during an otherwise cartoony climax, and about a half dozen inconsistencies appear in the span of five minutes. But, other than that, Hook is a brilliant film and its "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes is simply a travesty, for not only is it a heartfelt Spielberg experience, but when the movie wants to be funny, it's REALLY funny. Listen not to the critics unless they are Jim Sterling or Doug Walker, because this film is one of the best.

This movie is a continuation of the classic tale of the boy who wouldn't grow up, Peter Pan. Here, the infamous Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps the children of Peter Banning (Robin Williams) and takes them to Neverland. Banning must regain his youthful spirit as Peter Pan and return to Neverland to reunite with his old gang, including Tinker Bell (Julia Roberts), and rescue his children.

It's a pretty good story filled with unending adventures and spectacular sceneries of the magical Neverland what is filled with colorful characters, played by a group of fun-loving, bratty but loyal boys. Hoffman played Hook brilliantly, perfect for the part, as did Bob Hoskins in his Mr. Smee role. Comedic and quirky Williams was a good choice to play the grown-up Peter Pan; it was fun seeing his character looking bizarre and confused in Neverland, forgetting his roots and adventures with the Lost Boys in the magical place. And, Julia Roberts played a good Tinkerbell and she had some touching chemistry with Williams' character.

Although it's not Disney, this movie does capture the magic and essence of the original animated classic Peter Pan from Disney. There are plenty of action and adventure to enjoy, but with some filler scenes that dragged the movie somewhat towards the middle. It's a nice one for the entire family, but I think it's better fit for the younger ones due to its juvenile and whimsical nature.

Grade B-

This was a gooood film and Spielberg was a genius. I don't understand why a lot of people hated it. It dealt with the loss of childhood innocence and the dread of adulthood by embodying these themes in the character of an adult Peter Pan.

Hook is a spin off of the classic tale of Peter Pan, you ever wonder what life would have been like for Peter Pan if he had grown up? If he had kids, a wife, and a career as a lawyer? Not very much, but it happens here in Spielberg's tale of the boy who never wanted to grow up. Hook is a pretty good film, it was definitely very imaginative and creative story wise. The sets and actors were absolutely perfect for this film; did you know that Michael Jackson originally wanted to play the role of Peter? Pretty creepy, huh? But Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman were so great together, I really enjoyed their performances. But the only actress I questioned was Julia Roberts as Tink, I'm not so sure if she was the best choice for the role. But that's just me, while the story seemed to drag on a bit, it was actually pretty good.

Peter is a bit of a grown up who just can't seem to have fun in life, he misses his son's baseball games, doesn't spend much time with the family, and is always focused on work. But when he and his wife visit England with their kids to see Wendy, the lady who raised Peter when he was an orphan, his kids are kidnapped by Captain James Hook who wants to challenge Peter, but when Tink takes Peter back to Neverland, he needs major convincing that he is Peter Pan and is given three days to do so to get back his children. The Lost Boys try their best to make Peter bang-or-aign once again with them and that he'll get his kids back while learning the importance of youth.

Hook is over all a good film that I would recommend to people. It's not at all a bad film, it has good drama in it along with great comedy. Most people love the dinner scene between Peter and Rufio, mine is Captain Hook explaining to Peter's kids why parents don't love children. Dustin's delivery of "I want to potty, I want a cookie" was just so perfect and funny. This is a good family film that I think you'll like, it's just an honest film with a fun story.

6/10

Right, I can understand that Spielberg's previous achievements had set the bar really high, but by no means does this make 'Hook' a flop. The story is what is so appealing to a young audience and a mature audience for that matter. The sensitive undertones of such a celebrated story spark much joy and heartfelt moments. The 'what if' factor of the whole story is really adventurous, and the fact that this story stems from the original is brilliant. Its a story of love,family and identity. All three elements resonate with a lot of audiences. From a visual standpoint Spielberg triumphs again! And i don't understand why people beg to differ! For the purpose of entertaining young audiences, it fulfills the intention and more. I must say however, the film owes 50% of its credit to John Williams. His absolutely stunning score supports the story's tenderness. The flying sequence is so thrilling that it literally makes me get up and want to levitate!

The performances are equally stunning and convincing, Robin Williams encompasses both his comedic and dramatic skills towards a full blooded performance. Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins are superb....really really astonishing.

This film has to be one of Spielberg's most overlooked and underrated films of all time. It holds so much promise and warmth that every time I sit back and soak up the high-flying adventure it sends shivers down my spine. I recently watched it after so many years of it lost in my memory that I felt like I had visited a historical landmark..its placed within a treasured set of memories on my part.

I cant express how moving this film is, its just enthralling in every sense of the word..the construction of the story is very clever and realistic - from a child's point of view.

Really guys hold the cynicism and unlock you imaginations and appreciate this work of cinematic art.

I was actually worried when I saw the casting for Hook, but I watched it anyway. It is enjoyable, but I've seen better. Robin Williams is very likable and surprisingly good, but I personally wouldn't have picked him for Peter. Kevin Kline would have been a better choice. Julia Roberts is okay as Tinkerbell, but she has been better. Stealing the show, in a wonderfully pantomime performance as Captain Hook, is an unrecognisable Dustin Hoffmann, believe it or not. His performance was that good, that I was appalled that it wasn't nominated. He's not the first actor to be seriously robbed of an award.Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption? Tim Curry in Legend and It? John Hurt in The Elephant Man? Bob Hoskins was amiable, and the music by John Williams was very good, but not his best score. The plot is simple but well-told, if marred by overlong and unnecessary sequences with the Lost Boys that were sadly poorly handled. The film's main merit, aside from Hoffmann's performance is the art direction, beautiful sets and lovely costumes, particularly the brief underwater scene with the mermaids. The part with Maggie singing on the boat deck was heart-rending, and the scene where Peter suddenly remembers everything was touching. Above all, every scene with Hook and Smee was extremely entertaining. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it very much, but the film lacked magic. All in all, a slightly disappointing but fun and under-appreciated film, that is a 7/10 from me. Bethany Cox

Hook is another childhood favorite that still holds up well today. It runs a little long and there are some missteps (e.g. Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell), but it really does appeal to the child in me. And watching it as an adult has given me a whole new perspective on Peter Banning - including his shortcomings, fears and joys as a father. Plus, who doesn't love the imaginary banquet scene? This is a fun movie.

Wish I'd seen this as a kid! Stellar performances across the board and some great set designs.

I, personally, cannot understand why so many people have left negative comments about this film. When it was released, many of us were young children and we all enjoyed it, but now that we are older, too many people are pointing out the bad jokes and mistakes and clichés that they have found. The point is, this is a children's film, and we didn't see those mistakes when we were children because it's designed that way. Even so, people fail to see deeper into certain aspects of the film. Peter Pan was meant to be 'the boy who never grew up', so to have a tale of his adult life and to show how he forgot Neverland is a special and unique take on the story, one that won't be forgotten.

There have also been many complaints about the scene where Tink becomes human-size and expresses some kind of love for Peter. Although she is not a human per se, she can have human feelings, so why would she not love him? As the original story tells, she is often jealous of other womens' affections towards him, and this film just extrapolates on that theme a little.

There have been comments about the 'father-who-is-so-busy-and-can't-go-to-the-game' cliché. Well, here's news for you. It's cliché because it happens all the time, and it's a truth! Some parents are just too busy to care. Lastly, too many people are moaning that Hook was too comical to be the bad guy. Well, this is a kids film and if he wasn't a little bit cheery-in-a-maniac sort of way, you'd have parents complaining that their kids were scared.

The main thing about this film is that it is really good, but it IS designed for children, and adults who go back and watch it years later, then suddenly spot loads of mistakes are just ruining it for themselves and others.

Not as awful as some would have you believe, but this revisionist updating of the unforgettable Peter Pan tale is a bland misfire from the start. None of the elements gel together into a satisfying viewing experience. There is so little magic or energy on screen that it seems impossible to believe that a director the caliber of Steven Spielberg is responsible for the final result. The story imagines Peter Pan as an adult workaholic husband and father of two children (a boy and a girl). He has no memory of his past in Neverland and makes a habit of neglecting his family. While visiting Granny Wendy in London, his children are kidnapped by nemesis Captain Hook and, with Tinkerbell's aid, Peter returns to Neverland. Unfortunately, he has no clue on how regain his old magic to save his children. One certainly must give credit for a novel and promising concept, but it never takes flight. Robin Williams, certainly one of cinema's most energetic comedic actors, seems constricted as Peter. Dustin Hoffman seems to be having a fine time as Captain Hook, but for a legendary villain he is surprisingly toothless and devoid of menace. The film's worst misstep is in the handling of The Lost Boys. Whereas the characters as related by J. M. Barrie and in other cinematic incarnations seem ones to capture the imagination, Spielberg and his writers have re-imagined them as glorified skateboard hoodlums whose shenanigans inspire more tedium than magic. These boys are dreadfully uninteresting, as is Peter's irritating son, played by the usually reliable Charlie Korsmo. Viewers should be on his side after the neglect suffered by the hands of his dad, but he emerges as vacuous as his adolescent compatriots. Ironically, for a film that features a stellar casting trinity of leads, they are oddly wasted in favor of the tiresome adolescent cast. The women in the film really have it bad. While Peter has two kidnapped children, one could easily forget that his young daughter was held hostage considering that she is all but forgotten in favor of young Korsmo. Similarly, Maggie Smith is wasted in a brief cameo as the aged Wendy and Caroline Goodall is left behind in London to fend for herself. Julia Roberts may have had a fighting chance if anyone had a clear conception on their vision of Tinkerbell. Instead of the mischievous sprite with a huge jealous streak, we get a wishy-washy tomboy who has little to do during the course of the film. The much-celebrated sets are alternately busy and tacky, and the editing is amateurish. Some scenes are cut so clumsily that it is unbelievable that someone with Spielberg's talents failed to notice, or perhaps he simply did not care. For a much better take on the Peter Pan legend, look for P. J. Hogan's Peter Pan.

This is a fantastic classic movie of a classic fairy tale.

The sets are amazing (none of this green screen crap!)

The acting is fantastic. Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Smith, Robin Williams, and Charlie Korsmo do an especially good job.

The adaptation is written very well. Instead of the boy who can't grow up, it's the man who's forgotten how to have fun, and be in the moment, like a child.

The IMDb rating is way off. How the hell does Pitch Perfect, and rubbish like that do better? How? Because either this site is full of morons with no taste, or the world is, or more likely both...

All negativeness aside, this is a great movie, if you haven't scene it, you're missing out.

I enjoyed "Hook" a lot; Dustin Hoffman and Julia Roberts really stood out in this film.

My only complaint is that there was too much silly playing between the lost boys and Peter in the middle of the film, and I feel that this became rather monotonous. I would have liked to see more interaction between Peter Pan and Captain Hook, and also more screen time for the Captain Hook character generally.

Also, Neverland is supposed to have pirates and Indians in it, and there WERE a LOT of pirates. But I never once saw an Indian.

Maggie Smith was a fine actress and it is always great to see her on screen.

I thought that the end of the film, with the old man flying out of the house, was kind of nutty and really unnecessary, a la the all-too literal ending of "Cocoon", in which the senior citizens are shown flying away in an alien spaceship.

My problems with this movie, though, are minor, and I generally consider this a very good fantasy film for kids and adults--at least those of us who never quite grew up--alike.

I try to make it a point to watch this movie at least once a year, or when I feel myself getting too cynical. This is because if you are looking for fun movie that really does pull at the kid inside you, then this is definitely it.

Robin Williams is just the right kind of goofy for my tastes, and makes an excellent Pan. Captain Hook was perfectly fit by Dustin Hoffman. I could have done without Julia Roberts as Tink. Actually, I can do without Julia Roberts all together. But Bob Hoskins made a great Smee. (I like to watch this and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, back-to-back) Anyways, I watch this movie once a year because the message of the movie, and the reason people watch it, warrants that. A movie where the message is to never lose sight of your inner child. Imagination. Belief in magical creatures. Sword fighting with pirates. All of these things that I'm sure you did as a child, as I did.

As far as I'm concerned, all of the people who have written bad reviews for this movie, saying things like "The characters weren't believable", and "Spielberg tried to answer a question that didn't need an answer" have lost sight of the kid in themselves, have become pirates, and should have their hands fed to crocodiles. It's a movie. A family movie. One that needs to appeal to both children and adults, which is a difficult task, to be successful. And I believe that this movie succeeds at that very well.

When Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan (Robin Williams) must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.

This film is a bit divisive, with some loving it and others not being very impressed. Indeed, the makeup, costumes and set design are top-notch. Some of the dialogue is pretty funny, particularly when Pan and Rufio get into a match of insults. And Dustin Hoffman really becomes Hook (Bob Hoskins is even more attached to Smee.) The overall story, although clever, tends to fall flat at times, with an overly predictable arc with more than just a dollop of sentimentality. Maybe one should not be too hard on the picture, but...

Purportedly Steven Spielberg is not happy with the end product of Hook. I'm at a loss to know why because I think it's an absolutely charming fantasy, using his own peculiar take on the Peter Pan story and extending it.

Robin Williams as Peter Banning is a hard driving lawyer with a wife and two children Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo and Amber Scott respectively. He was an orphan kid who married the granddaughter of Wendy Darling who was Sir James M. Barrie's inspiration for the Peter Pan tale.

But it's all real, Robin Williams doesn't know he's Peter Pan who left Never Never Land for reasons you'll discover in the film. But he left one nasty enemy there in Captain Hook and Hook captures his children to lure him back to Never Never Land where Hook can take vengeance upon him.

Spielberg got some great performances out of his cast which also includes Julia Roberts as the elfin Tinkerbell and Maggie Smith as the aged Wendy. But stealing the film completely in one bravura performance is Dustin Hoffman.

Captain Hook is one of those fabulous roles where the actor can just feast on the scenery and can just go to town with it. It's a role that it is impossible to overact in. I doubt if Dustin Hoffman ever enjoyed himself more in making a film.

Hook got five Oscar nominations in the technical categories, but sad to say did not win anything in 1991. I'm surprised that one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator films beat Hook out for Best Visual Effects, this one is clearly superior in that department if anything.

Robin Williams has his innings as well, trying to remember his past as Peter Pan and get back into Pan like behavior to defeat Captain Hook. As to why he left Never Never Land in the first place. Let's just say he took one too many trips outside his domain and something happened to him that happens to all young men at some point.

Hook is a great piece of family entertainment from Steven Spielberg and Dustin Hoffman's fans will really enjoy it.

Not everything works about Hook, the visuals are dated, the scenery looks like paintings, but its very timely too. The adult story of "Peter Pan" gives us the catharsis we deserve as devoted fans, without seeming to preachy, and exuasting. Spielberg is clearly a believer of strong fairytales, it shows with his crafting of the imagination.

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

I liked the costumes and the funny scenes, I will say it dragged on a little longer than necessary, but other than that, like always, Robin Williams does a wonderful job playing an adult with a child soul.

A great concept totally ruined. All the enchantment of a load of cement. Overly long by half, over-produced within an inch of its life, ego top heavy, and all around disappointment from a director and cast who should have known better, done better. Neverland in shades of brown, red and black? Juvenile punk rockers for the Lost Boys? What were they thinking