Every time I see this movie I feel like a kid again, it has this magical sense of wonder about it. It's adventurous, warm, magical and funny. Maybe it's cause I saw it first at a young age, but I have seen many movies at a young age, only a few still hold up like this. A Neverland that is a button press away!

Movie Review: "Hook" (1991)Based on James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937) books, director Steven Spielberg fulfills himself another childhood picture dream by telling the classic story of a sword-fighting 10-year-old boy called "Peter Pan" in the imaginative land of "Neverland", firstly brought to wide U.S. audiences with the animation classic from Walt Disney Pictures, releasing inn February 1953, before presenting abroad to a European Premiere audience at the Cannes Film Festival, out-of-competition, in its 6th edition in May 1953.Director Steven Spielberg must have been that enchanted to risk the highest budget of his career to that date of holiday season 1991/1992 with fellow producers Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall handling 70 Milion U.S. Dollars, when Spielberg's own production company Amblin Entertainment, founded in 1981, teams up for one-time world-wide motion picture presentation with Columbia affiliate TriStar Pictures, bringing in Holywood stars as Dustin Hoffmann in heavy as splendid costume as "Captain Hook" in his 60s, when leading character Peter Banning, growing to be a successful, non-stop broker in London's financial center, given face by star-power as comic-talent indulging Robin Williams (1951-2014), armed with a cellular phone, whose character finds himself back in "Neverland" as a 40-years-old adult going back in dark-green costume to fight nemesis Captain Hook, meeting lovable characters portrayed by professional as moments of magic-sharing Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell and Bob Hoskins (1942-2014) as match-making "Hook" side-kicking first boatsman "Smee", all presented in extraordinary sound-stage construction work and visual effects orchestrated by Academy-Award-nominated supervisor Eric Brevig and associates alongside with first steps into digital image integration at Lucasfilm Ltd. affiliate "Industrial, Light and Magic" (ILM), when John Williams' fantasy-intriguing score compositions seem to rescue the slightly-dust-spreading movie of being an emotional fall-out especially for Internet-spoiled children, who suffer under out-of-balanced sensualities these days.Nevertheless, this enjoyable no-offense nor emotionally-challenging motion picture prevails after an enduring 135-Minute-Final-Cut by thanks to Spielberg's fellow editor Michael Kahn seems the intended target group of 8 to 12 year-old boys-less-girls, who want to come to the movie houses with their parents, in reminiscence of seemingly one in a life-time Spielberg-Movie-Experience with "E.T.-the Extra-Terrestrial" of presumingly 148,000,000 reprising U.S. moviegoers in one of the greatest attendance in motion picture history against 30,000,000 ten years later to modest attendance with ticket prices up to 43 % raised in average worldwide box office reception against season 1981/1982.Copyright 2018 Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC

The take on the Peter Pan story is great. Robin Williams, Julia Roberts and Dustin Hoffman are superb. The writing is wonderful and the scenes are all visually beautiful. There are some truly touching moments. The "boo box" scene could have/should have been eliminated with nothing lost. I never get tired of watching it and it's a WONDERFUL and APPROPRIATE family film.

Over a lifetime of watching movies, one thing I've come to understand is that criticism is just part of the game. One can make the greatest movie imaginable, and their will always be a sect that just doesn't like it. When it comes to "Hook", however, I still can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that it is so lowly-regarded by most critics. Have someone rank Steven Spielberg's films, and this one will likely be on the bottom. For the life of me, I cannot fathom such a statement about a movie where every single scene is either meaningful or poignant.For a basic plot summary, "Hook" tells the story of Peter Banning (Robin Williams), a miserly father and lawyer with little time for the "distractions" of his wife Moira (Caroline Goodall) or children Jack (Charlie Korsmo) and Maggie (Amber Scott). He also just so happens to be the heir of the family that made the Peter Pan stories famous, more specifically family matriarch Wendy (Maggie Smith). One night, a family outing on the town turns tragic when the returning adults are confronted by the empty beds of the children. The only evidence? A dagger and note bearing the mark of one Captain James Hook (Dustin Hoffman). It is then that Wendy reveals the family secret to Mr. Banning...that he is the real Peter Pan, and the only way to get his children back is to return to Neverland--with the help of a familiar little pixie (Julia Roberts)--and confront Hook.There are so many areas in which this movie succeeds admirably...-Every single scene is either pregnant with emotion or hilariously funny. -The soundtrack is one of the best from John Williams (and that is saying something!) -The acting is first-rate. Williams (always a bit under-appreciated in serious roles) shines brightest as the lead, but is closely match by Hoffman's swashbuckling Hook and the child actors. -The cinematography is stunning in how they create the look of the inhabitants of Neverland (Lost Boys, Pirates, etc.).Perhaps the main reason "Hook" is an all-time classic, though, is because of the themes it espouses. I mean, what better of an idea than to examine what a grown-up Pan would look like and how he could potentially re-capture that old magic. Of course, Spielberg being the master film-maker that he is, is able to relate those themes to everyday life. There is a particular plot thread in the movie involving Hook trying to turn Banning's son Jack into a pirate that will particularly hit close to home. Growing old and growing up is something we all can (and have to) relate to, so weaving those real-life themes into the Pan story is a genius move.Finally, "Hook" is a film that can be enjoyed by the entire family equally (and I truly mean equally...young and old). Youngsters will be intrigued and excited by the film's boundless energy (especially the ever-engaging Williams), while seasoned viewers will see the human commentary and be moved by the deep themes of family and staying young at heart.So, like I said in the beginning, I consider this to truly be one of my favorite films of all-time. In the words of Toodles (and blissfully ignoring the aptly-named critics, in this case): "I haven't lost my marbles after all!!". If you haven't enjoyed this movie with your entire family, you are missing a sincere treat.