Hook [PG]

It was once said that all children grow up…except one. But the fairytale ended when Peter Pan left Neverland, grew up, got married, and became a lawyer and a father. Now, Peter has lost his way, and what’s worse, he cannot find time to play with his own children. But that changes when Peter and his family visit Grandmother Wendy, and none other than Captain Hook, out for revenge, kidnaps the children, Maggie and Jack. With the help of Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys, Peter makes his way back to Neverland and rises to the challenge of remembering his own story in order to save his children. 

Usually, I’m not one for being entertained by these “return-to” films. To me, that whole revisiting a story and place that harboured so much joy and magic should not be attempted; after all, lightning never strikes in the same place twice. But Tim Burton managed to do it with Alice In Wonderland and before him, Steven Spielberg achieved it with Hook: a fun-filled family adventure that features all our favourite characters as well as loads of new ones. The fractured, modern take on the classic fairytale of the boy who never grew up worked nicely in this movie, bringing a whole new meaning and warmth to the tale that was never there before. 

It was once said that all children grow up… except one. But the fairytale ended when Peter Pan left Neverland, grew up, got married, and became and lawyer and a father. Now, Peter has lost his way and, what’s worse, he cannot find time to play with his own children. But that changes when Peter and his family visit Grandmother Wendy and none other than Captain Hook, out for revenge, kidnaps the children, Jack and Maggie. Now, with the help of Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys, Peter Pan finds his way back to Neverland and rises to the challenge of remembering his own story, learning to fly, fight, and crow in order to save his children. 

I suppose the real appeal in these sorts of “revisiting” movies is the references to the original tale. In Hook, most of these come in the form of the characters, obviously, and the script. The story is very clever how it subtly integrates the fairytale of Peter Pan into the reality part of the movie and I particularly loved the subtle ironies that came into play: my favourite being grown-up Peter Pan’s fear of heights and flying. The film has delightful little treats like that scattered all throughout and it’s those little treats, combined with the memorable action sequences and performances that keep the audience, both junior and senior alike, captivated. 

Admittedly, some of the lines could get a little cheesy and a few of the special effects were a bit haphazard and outdated, but ultimately, I found Hook to be a heart warming and enjoyable film about finding one’s inner child. It really is rather lovely. 

Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo, Amber Scott, Laurel Cronin, Arthur Malet, and Maggie Smith, Hook is a great family film packed with action, adventure, fantasy, kidnapping, pirates, mermaids, fairies, fun, and love. It really is a lovely little film, not one that I could watch over and over, but one that I am happy to come back to once in a while and am proud to have in my collection.