My defense, 30+ years late
“Hook” is like the most successful failure ever. It sticks out in my mind as one of the biggest movies of the time and its classic status seems fairly obvious, which is why learning it was a critical and box office failure later on in life was so shocking. The film became Steven Spielberg’s whipping boy. Why? I was curious (read: nervous) to revisit but thankfully I still don’t understand the naysayers- this movie took me back to exactly where I wanted to go.
Spielberg imagines the sequel as Peter Pan now being a middle aged lawyer named Peter Banning (Robin William), an absentee dad who spends so much time with a cell phone in his ear, he’s missing the lives of his two children. Peter takes the whole family on a trip to London for a visit with Granny Wendy (Maggie Smith), for work, only for Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), intent on revenge, to kidnap the children and spirit them away to Neverland where he hopes to provoke another showdown. It’s here Peter, who has forgotten much of his younger life, gets a lesson in Neverland 101 as he too is forced back to the land of lost boys and man-eating crocs.
Dads with poor work-homelife balance were a major plot point in the 90’s and maybe after “Regarding Henry” and “The Doctor” in 91 particularly, critics had had their fill of yuppies having epiphanies. Who knows? What I do know is that Spielberg really seems committed to a story of rediscovery- a bloated, boring man with a fear of heights who finds his soul again- while never shying away from some hauntingly beautiful things about adulthood (love, fatherhood). There’s also a psychological component to this that I think fascinates him- a combination of fathers and sons that Hook tries mightily to steal away from Peter, having failed at everything else.
Spielberg’s love of the old material is seen in the sequel’s most exciting bits- from Peter’s walking into Wendy’s old bedroom as if it’s a museum to the past, to all the significant symbolism of marbles, thimbles, and teddy bears. He also brings great ominousness to Hook’s introduction to the film, as the kidnapping still has great suspense. And sprinkle a bit of fairy dust, and a big helping of John Williams’ whimsical musical score, and there is magic to be had here.
Ditto for Neverland, which feels like a densely populated stage production but i’m trying to think of a Peter Pan movie i’ve seen, other than the Disney cartoon, where it has not been. The huge shipping dock where Hook spends much of his time wows in terms of set building but the Lost Boys multi-colored tree house fort is still a huge kick- part delinquent sanctuary of skateboarding and basketball, part whimsical fantasy, and training ground for Peter. Here Spielberg also never forgets his love of the original story or his audience- dirty jokes and food fights are one thing but he also leans into the power of imagination and the past for some beautiful scenes.
The film did get guff for a more reserved Robin Williams’ performance, but is it though? Yeah, he does seem visibly uncomfortable in the early going and I think Spielberg actually did have to shove the stick up his ass to keep him from even making fun of himself, but it’s not long before he goes into his usual shtick, his jokes mired in cynicism before he goes into a sincere and heartfelt journey of discovery that I think no one would have accepted if it didn’t come from him. This is one of his best. Maggie Smith is also given great power in her entrance, and a touching humanity to a woman who still believes in wonder and is disappointed Peter has lost his.
For the villains this is all Hoffman’s show- flamboyantly sneering his way through all this in garish wigs, facial hair, and pirate garb, funny as a man who seems to have gone through an identity crisis with Pan gone. Bob Hoskins is also a lot of fun as his long suffering sidekick Smee, getting some of the film’s better lines.
Julia Roberts is also here as Tinker Bell, but i’m not sure if Spielberg really knows what to do with her. Then there’s Dante Bosco’s Rufio, a punk-rock leader of the Lost Boys who I idealized as a kid who now seems fairly tame. What does not is Spielberg’s insistence on highlighting everything- from good parenting to belief- he seems to be putting an overemphasis on everything hoping the themes don’t escape. It can get annoying. But it can also be sweet, and a loving tribute to J.M. Barrie’s work- especially a beautifully ethereal ending.
The film’s excitement and humor are well done and Spielberg puts sentimental touches in all the right places. It’s funny he was criticized for maybe being detached from real world emotions at the time. I still think you can see this, as a kid or parent, and find something to care deeply about from it. It’s not a great film, but it still has a power that shouldn’t be overlooked.