Chris Luckett

13. HOOK (1991)

Release Date: December 11, 1991

Chronology: Sandwiched between 1989’s Always and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and 1993’s Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List

Box Office: $120 million ($208 million, adjusted for inflation)

Oscars: 5 nominations, 0 wins

Premise: A sequel to Peter Pan, wherein Peter (Robin Williams) has grown up and forgotten about his life in Neverland. When Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) tracks down Peter and kidnaps his children, Peter has to return to Neverland and get back in touch his inner Lost Boy.

Over two hours?: Almost two-and-a-half

John Williams Score?: Yes

Father Issues?: Peter Pan has grown up to be a father who, in Hook’s words, is “a cold, selfish man who drinks too much, is obsessed with success, and runs and hides from his wife and children.”

War?: Smee does describe the battle between Pan and Hook as a war

Aliens?: Just mermaids and fairies

Special Appearances: Julia Roberts, Maggie Smith, Bob Hoskins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Phil Collins, Glenn Close, Carrie Fisher, and George Lucas

Fun Fact: Hoffman also voices the airplane captain heard near the beginning of the movie.

Best Line: “To live… to live would be an awfully big adventure.”

Best Scene: 

Verdict: At times, Hook bites off more than it can narratively chew, but the magic it conjures is very real. The ingenuity of making Hook a sequel instead of simply a live-action adaptation of Peter Pan pays off in spades, with excellent new additions like Rufio (Dante Basco), an enchanting score, and wonderful performances from Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, and Bob Hoskins.

Rating: 4½ stars / 5