Episode 138: Hook (1991)

Bangarang! We continue our journey through the filmography of The Beard Himself, Steven Spielberg, with a contrasting look at fatherhood in 1991’s grand kids’ fantasy Hook.

A now adult Peter Pan (Robin Williams) has no memories of his time in Neverland, having committed himself to a life of dour responsibility as a successful lawyer under the name Peter Banning. Returning for the first time to the home of Wendy, grandmother to his wife, he receives a sharp reminder of his previous adventures when Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps his two young children – necessitating a crash course in whimsy, imagination, flying, and sword fighting from the Lost Boys, now led by the brooding Rufio.

While Spielberg tackling the story of the boy who never grew up seemed like a slam dunk, the project took almost a decade to make it to the screen, and bloated in running time, shoot days, budget, and tabloid intrigue along the way. A sizeable box office haul couldn’t dispel a reputation as a critical failure and a financial disappointment, relative to expectations. But, did the Rewind Lost Boys dig into a steaming imagination buffet of nostalgic fun, or were we left lamenting our lost marbles.

A Merry Christmas from the gang – if you’d like to help us out this year, we would be thrilled if you would consider donating a few pounds to MediCinema, a wonderful organisation who provide cinema screenings to hospital patients across the country. Those few hours of immersive relief can be so important for people going through such difficult times.