Monday Movie Review: Hook
Going back to London to visit family, Peter Banning (Robin Williams) a middle-aged lawyer gets an adventure he wasn’t expecting. When his children are abducted by his old nemesis... he must returns to his magical origins…
Peter will have to revisit a foggy past in which he left Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts) and the Lost Boys to fend for themselves. With them hurt and bitter toward Peter for growing up -- and with their new leader, Rufio -- they may not be happy to see him or believe he really IS Peter Pan. He must get them to believe again but first he must believe in himself!
I was 3 when this movie first came out, Do I remember watching it as a youngling? Absolutely not. Could I pin point the very first time I was introduced to Hook? Nope, can’t say I can. What I can say though it was a staple movie of the 90’s for me. It holds so much core memories for me. I remember the feeling I got when I use to watch it and now to this day I still find the joy in rewatching this timeless classic.
Starting from the beginning and seeing a 40 something year old… wait is he even 40? Lol okay I just looked it up and yes it is said that he is a 40-year-old Mergers and acquisitions lawyer. Wow and people today feel they are old in their 20s and 30s… think about this if Maggie and Jack are 8 and 10 that means that Peter waited until he was 30 to even start having kids. From that time line him (being 13 when he met Moria)and Moira had YEARS to be together before they had kids. Which nowadays it seems like some people have the mentality that kids over take our lives with saying phases such as “ if you have more you’ll have to start all over again… another 18 years” It’s almost sounds like a burden. When in reality we can wait to have kids, experience life and then bring them into your life when you feel ready. (To be honest I don’t think anything but becoming a parent can prepare you to truly be a parent) Sometime it doesn’t always happen that way and that’s okay too but I just want people to understand we aren’t “old” in our 20’s and 30’s and there is no need to rush rush rush all the time. Most 90’s movies seem to portray parent’s being more into their 40’s. So that said too we can still have adventures even in our 40’s — Okay back from my side quest there. Peter seems to be like more than a little distracted at work and is completely missing out on his kids lives. It’s not until they are on an air plane (which Peter is afraid of flying) to go visit family in London does he truly start to see some impact it’s having, when Jack makes a drawing of the plane crashing and everyone had parachutes except for Peter… in that moment we see that their relationship isn’t the best.
“Why didn’t I have a parachute Jackie?”
“Take a Wild Guess.”
Once they arrive we find they are going to Moira’s Grandmothers, Wendy.
We also get introduced to a lost boy all grown up still looking for his way back home to Neverland.. Toodles.
“Lost, lost, lost.”
“Lost what?”
“I’ve lost my marbles.”
Putting the children to bed and heading out to celebrate granny Wendy accomplishments. Their nice evening out was cut short when granny Wendy gets a dizzy spell…at the very same moment Peter’s kids are taken from their bed. When they arrive back to the house to see everything in disarray, it’s devastating to see the anguish Peter and Moira go through feeling lost not knowing how to save their kids. That’s when Toodles tells him he needs to go to Neverland…Hook ( Dustin Hoffman) is back. - - -Side Quest here it was funny because when they got home to see Hook had scratched up the door and walls, it's dark and magically Peter (Robin Williams) produces two already lit candles for him and Moira (Caroline Goodall) then going up the stairs to where the kids were at they see a frighten Liza (Laurel Cronin) on the stairs magically the candles they were holding disappear. It’s funny when you watch it so much you start seeing those kind of errors.
Still not fully believing he is Peter Pan in a drunken stupor he stumbles into the kids room and happens to run into a “Firefly from hell”…Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts)! She knocks him out to get him to Neverland to save his children. And let me tell you she is one Mighty Mouse because she carries him right into the air with no struggle at all but I guess that’s the magic of pixie dust? Lol
Now being in Neverland he is setting off to save his kids. With so many believing he isn’t Peter Pan he must gain the trust of his Lost Boys again in order to help him learn who he is in order to rescue his kids. I absolutely love the scene where the smallest Lost Boy goes up to Peter and says…
And after that the other boys start to see him too and decide to try and help him. I always thought the imaginary food fight game was one of the best scenes. I always use to pretend the same food would appear for me too. Although I would like to know what some of these dishes actually tasted like because some of the color schemes for the foods were interesting.. almost like they walked themselves out of a Dr. Suess book.
TINK HAPPY THAWTS
As the story keeps going the most touching part for me, especially now being an actual parent myself is the fact that his HAPPY THAWT was that he became a daddy. The bond and power of owning that and remembering why he wanted to grow up. He wanted to be a dad and give the love he didn’t receive when he was younger to his own kids. BUT is it too late for Jack( Charlie Korsmo) at this point? He was so mad and frustrated with his dad that Hook played that to his advantage. As Maggie (Amber Scott) said “Jack, listen to me! Neverland makes you forget! Never forget…Mommy and Daddy! Think of a way to run home, Jack! Run home” And with that Hook was about to have Jack forget just by showing he “cared” even though it was all to take Peter down. Thankfully, Peter was about to reach Jack's heart and let him know that he is truly loved because he is Peter’s HAPPY THAWT.
I was sad with what happen to Rufio ( Dante Basco) the character development he had through the movie was good so it pulled at the heart strings for sure. I love that in the end they were able to avenge him in a way. With Hook gone the Lost Boys are able to live in peace now and Peter was able to return home with his family and deliver one of my favorite lines in the whole movie.
“So… your adventures are over.”
“Oh, no, To live… to live would be an awfully big adventure.”
Hook will always hold a special place in my heart and I can enjoy this movie over and over again. Please let me know what you think of this 90’s classic family film in the comments. I give it 4 and 1/2 O’s for Oh I love the memories and magic this brings to my life even after all these years!
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