Hook Review

You're listening to the decaf radio network of

podcast He's come back to seek his revenge. Only

you can save your children. You must make yourself

remember. Remember what? Peter, don't you know

who you are? You have to fly. You have to fight.

You have to crow. You have to save Maggie. You

have to save Jack. To never, never let me. And

welcome to the 74th episode of MWIRE brought

to you by the GeekCast Radio Network. I am your

host Deidre Unmigen. Joining me is Steve Megatron.

Hello. Hello. Yes. How is getting run over by

the bus in episode 73? I don't know. I haven't

listened yet. Well, yeah, I pretty much told

everybody the goof up for 72 and T -SOP 18. Oh,

God. So funny so funny. So what are you been

up to? I'm currently trying to revamp my old

site. Yes and Hopefully I accomplished what I'm

doing and Simplify it. Yes deal Yes, it's getting

some transformation animation It's beast machines.

Oh wait wrong show No, it's It's not transforming,

transcending. It's getting some transformation

animation. Yes, it's going to be getting a revamp

based on the fact a new show is coming out. And

it has to do with transformers, obviously. So,

yes, I will be revamping that and getting that

pretty much up concurrently with the release

of the new show. Yeah. I've been just doing the

usual stuff, recording and all that happy stuff,

watching movies, watching cartoons, stuff like

that there. So, yeah, today we're gonna be talking

about Hook, which is surprisingly, I think, the

last Steven Spielberg film I've seen in, well,

since Hook, since 1991. She got me hooked. She

got me hooked on phonics. This is not pirate

day. Eh, you could have fooled me. Oh, and so

to set the stage a bit, Hook is a 1991 American

fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. The

film stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia

Roberts, Bob Hoskins, and featuring Maggie Smith.

Carolyn Goodall, Charlie Cosmo, and Amber Scott.

Hook acts as a sequel to Peter Pan's original

adventures, focusing on a grown -up Peter who

has forgotten his childhood. Now known as Peter

Banning, he is a successful corporate lawyer

with a wife, two children. Captain Hook kidnaps

his children, and he must return to Neverland

to reclaim his youthful spirit as Peter Pan in

order to challenge his old enemy. When did you

first see Hook? Quite a few years ago, actually.

I'm not quite sure when I saw it, but I just

remember it being a really good film. Basically,

I flock towards pretty much like any old Robin

Williams, Tom Hanks movies, just because they're

so well done. I would have to say that's one

of the main reasons that I do. Yeah For me, I

think I saw it after it was in obviously I didn't

see it in theaters, but it was I might have seen

it in theaters I don't remember though. I don't

think so. I think I saw it afterwards I probably

saw it on VHS at the time because obviously DVD

wasn't ready yet in 1991 but Yeah, just overall

really really great film apparently Spielberg

began developing the the film in the early eighties

with Walt Disney Productions and Paramount Pictures,

which would have followed the storyline seen

in the 1953 animated film. and the 1924 silent

film. Peter Pan entered pre -production in 1985,

but Spielberg abandoned the project. James V.

Hart developed the script with director Nick

Castle and TriStar Pictures before Spielberg

decided to direct in 1989. Hook was shot entirely

on sound stages at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver

City, California. The film received mixed reviews

but was a financial success. and nominated for

multiple categories at the 64th Academy Awards.

Basically, like I said, it's pretty much a sequel

to the original storytelling of Peter Pan, where

he did grow up. He does have kids. I really don't

like parents like this, but, you know, Banning

is this successful corporate lawyer whose relationship

to his family, especially his two young children,

Jack and Maggie, is strained by continuous absences

and broken promises. I mean, I know that they

had to make him that way as far as the character,

but I normally don't like characters like this.

I mean yes, I know they get their comeuppance

at the end and and you know they you know whatever

you know turn around that they have but I don't

know I just Kind of rubbed me the wrong way at

first I Could kind of see that Let's see here

the family flies to London to visit Moira's grandmother

Wendy darling played by Maggie Smith, who helped

Peter find a family when he was a young orphan.

Upon arrival, they meet an old man who has lost

his marbles. Toodles. Wendy's first orphan, Peter

Moira and Wendy attend a ceremony for the expansion

of Wendy's orphanage. While they are out, Hook

kidnaps his children, leaving the sign note.

Wendy tells Peter that he is in fact Peter Pan.

and then his old enemy has returned and taken

his children for revenge, but he fails to remember

anything. Tinkerbell, played by Julia Roberts,

is probably the tiniest role she's ever had as

far as actual size. Appears before Peter that

night and knocks him unconscious and flies him

to a pirate port in Neverland. There he awakens

in disbelief and is discovered by Captain Hook,

played by Dustin Hoffman. I gotta say, I know

we're not talking about the cast yet, but just

the two of them. Williams and Hoffman, oh my

god. Oh yeah, two powerhouse actors. Yeah, yeah.

And his second in command, Mario. Oh, no, sorry,

wrong movie. It's me, played by Bob Hoskins.

It's me, Mario! Who threaten the children unless

he accepts Hook's challenge to duel. Tinkerbell

intervenes and is granted three days in which

to prepare him for it. The Lost Boy is now led

by Peter's replacement, Rufio. Oh god, I hate

that name. At first, dismiss him as an old man

who has no hope of regaining his former glory,

but he begins to learn the magic of Neverland.

Meanwhile, Hook uses Jack's frustration over

his father's continuous broken promises to steal

his affection. Peter is heartbroken when he sees

Hook treating Jack like a son. and becomes determined

to win his family back. He finally remembers

his past and learns how to fly by recalling his

happy thought, being a father. Peter regains

the leadership of the Lost Boys, and they challenge

Hook and the pirates in an all -out battle. Peter

regains Jack's love and saves Maggie, but during

the fight Ruffio is killed by Hook. Peter and

Hook engage in a climatic sword fight. Hook is

apparently killed when the crocodile, now a massive

clock tower, falls on him. Peter returns home

with Jack and Maggie and designates the largest

member of the Lost Boys, Thudbutt. Oh god. Thudbutt?

Yeah. His name's called Thudbutt. God. It's,

uh, uh... The largest member of the Lost Boys,

Thudbutt, the only other Lost Boy besides Rufio

whom Peter grew a connection to as leader of

the Lost Boys in his absence and tells the Lost

Boys to take care of everybody smaller than them.

Returning home, Peter finally realizes the love

he has for his family and the importance of having

youthful heart. Tootles' former Lost Boy is dismayed

at missing the adventure. but discovers pixie

dust in his bag of lost marbles and uses it to

go flying around London and back to Neverland.

Wendy remarks to Peter that his adventures are

now over, but Peter says to live would be a great

adventure as well. I love this movie, this movie

is so awesome. Oh yeah, it's one of those movies

that even today still pretty much stands out.

Oh yeah, it does. It so does. i mean there's

something in this movie for everybody you know

whether you want to be a swashbuckling pirate

whether you want to be you know flying on it

is just so much in this movie and you know spielberg

does i mean you know it's kind of an understatement

for me to say this but he does awesome work he

just does And it's, I don't know, every time

I watch this movie, I really enjoy it. It's just,

it's a great, great film. So what do you, what

else do you want to say about the actual plot

here? I think it's kind of cool how they jump

time to show Peter Pan after he's left for a

long time and then have him come back. Right.

Which is, you know, something kind of strange

anyway. You don't normally see something. Usually

it's a retelling of the same thing that everybody's

already heard, whereas this is something completely

different. Yeah, yeah. I like how they used the,

um... I thought it was kind of funny that the

latch on the window on the balcony door was an

actual hook. Yeah. That was a nice little touch.

uh... actually it's funny uh... you know a year

before this film came out uh... charlie course

will play jack was uh... telling dick tracy to

go suck an egg because course mall was uh...

the kid in dick tracy in nineteen ninety and

i didn't even realize that it was charlie course

moore is the only other thing that i've seen

him in was can hardly wait and I just, for some

strange reason, every time I've seen this movie

up until the time I just watched it now for this

episode, I never realized it was the same kid.

It is kind of crazy. Yup. Yup. I guess we can

get into the cast. Just amazing. Anyone that

says a bad thing about Robin Williams, as Peter

Pan, can quite literally... Yeah, go, stop stealing

my thunder, you asshat. Yeah, go suck an egg.

Maybe even two. Because he just, he brings the

role to life. And he brings the Peter Banning

side to life as far as he's this anal uptight

lawyer. And then once he remembers, he's... You

know, he's still serious, but he's really all

fun and games now, and it's still... It was just

a great, great portrayal, and Hoffman is Hook.

Oh, God. Uh, best villain of the 90s, I would

say. Oh, yeah. If not best villain of the 90s,

one of the best villains of the 90s in live -action

film, because holy crap. Hoffman just put in

everything into that role. Yeah, he did portray

the character pretty well. I didn't even know

it was him, actually, until... I knew it was

him as soon as he opened his mouth. Yeah. Until

recent years. That's when I pretty much figured

it out. Yeah, I knew it was him... And of course,

I don't know. Well, I mean, you're slightly younger

than I am. But, you know, 91, I was 11. So I

was, you know, my mom pretty much gave me free

reign as far as like movies that are questionable

for children. And obviously this isn't this one

is PG. But I mean, like I had seen Rain Man and

I had seen all this other stuff. So I had seen

a number of radar movies when I was a kid. So

I knew this was Hoffman and it was just amazing.

The pun we made earlier about Julia Roberts,

I did not expect her to play Tinkerbell and that

was just amazing what they did with her. Yeah,

you wouldn't think she'd play that kind of a

role. I mean, it was more of a supporting character,

but it was just kind of funny to see her tiny.

Yeah, yeah. Just overall a really, really great

cast. Oh, Kelly Rowland makes a cameo appearance

as Peter Pan's mother and Genesis vocalist Phil

Collins appears briefly as an English police

inspector. That's awesome. What the hell? Holy

crap. Filmmaker George Lucas and actress Carrie

Fisher appear as a couple accidentally sprinkled

with fairy dust as Tinkerbell brings Peter to

Neverland. Wow. I completely missed that. I didn't

know that either. How? Why? How did we know?

Not how and why are they in there, but how the

hell did we miss it? Let's see, more cameos include

singers David Crosby and Jimmy Buffett as members

of Hook's pirate crew. And Glenn Close similarly

appears as a male pirate who is punished by Hook.

Oh Christ, that was Glenn Close? Wow. Oh my god.

That's hilarious. That is fucking hilarious.

Oh god. Wow. Oh my god. Getting into the good,

the bad, and the ugly here. Let's see. As far

as the theme, Spielberg founded a close personal

connection to the film. The troubled relationship

between Peter and his son echoed Spielberg's

relationship with his father. Previous films

of Spielberg that explored a diminishing father

-son relationship included ET and Indiana Jones

in The Last Crusade Peter Banning's quest for

success paralleled Spielberg starting out as

a film director and transforming into a Hollywood

business magnet This led to Spielberg's divorce

from Amy Irving which would possibly lead to

Banning's relationship with his family Let's

see here Before I saw Superman, before I saw

Batman, and of course before I saw my superheroes,

my first memory of anybody flying isn't Peter

Pan. Well, yeah. I mean... Who's wouldn't? Yeah,

really. The film score was composed by John Williams.

The lyrics for the tracks, We Don't Wanna Grow

Up, and When You're Alone, were written by Leslie

Brickhouse. Wow. We talk about John Williams

before we really talk about John Williams. Holy

crap And you know this you know, I I've said

this about a lot of the stuff I mean we've done

74 episodes of memoir so far and you know, I've

said a lot of stuff about a lot of different

Movies and stuff, but most of the stuff is for

me if the music brings me in I'll be hooked on

the film. No pun intended. The music of this

is just amazing and of course it's amazing because

it's fucking John Williams for Christ's sake.

This guy just can't do anything wrong with music.

He just can't. Yeah, I don't really pay that

much attention to the music. I just kind of gloss

over it when I'm watching. Just because I get

so intertwined into the stories that I just don't

tend to pay attention. Well, I mean, you have

to, and that's fine, that's your style, but I'm

sorry, you have to pay attention to the music

when Peter finally remembers and the next scene

you see is him soaring over Neverland and that

music is just swelling up. and it's him and he

goes to the lost boys and they're all playing

around and everything else but just that one

clip of music that's there as he's like flying

through the air that's like the you know the

you know pretty much the triumphant music of

the hero realizing who the hell he is here i

come to save the day go to hell mighty mouse

Let's see, as far as some reception here, Spielberg,

Williams, and Hoffman did not take salaries for

the film. Their deal called for the trio to split

40 % of TriStar Pictures gross revenues. They

were to receive 20 million from the first 50

million in gross theatrical film rentals. With

TriStar keeping the next 70 million in rentals,

before the three resumed receiving their percentage.

Hook was released in North America on December

11th, 1991, earning $13 .52 million. In its opening

weekend, the film went on to gross $119 .65 million

in North America and $181 .2 million in foreign

countries, accumulating a worldwide total of

$300 .85 million. or $300 .85 million, there

we go. Hook was declared a financial success

and is the fourth highest grossing pirate -themed

film. Oh god, no. No, damn it. The reason why

it's the fourth pirate -themed film is because

it's behind all three of the goddamn Pirates

of the Caribbean movies. I hate those fucking

movies. I like them. I hate those fucking movies.

Fuck you. Mainly why I hate those fucking movies

is because of fucking Johnny Depp. I think he's

good at them, but that's just me. Apparently.

Jackass. Despite some negative reviews, Hook

was nominated for five categories. At the 64th

Academy Awards included art direction, lost to

Bugsy, costume design lost to Bugsy, visual effects

lost to Terminator 2, Judgment Day, makeup lost

to Terminator 2, Judgment Day, an original song,

When You're Alone, lost to Beauty and the Beast.

Oh my god. Wow. Hook lost the Saturn Award for

best fantasy film to Aladdin, in which Robin

Williams co -starred. Well, at least... Robert

Williams beat himself. Yeah. Why are you hitting

yourself? Why are you hitting yourself? Why are

you hitting yourself? Never mind. Let's see.

While cinematographer Dean Cundy was nominated

for his work by the American Society of Cinematographers,

Dustin Hoffman was nominated at the Golden Globe

Awards for Best Actor, Musical or Comedy, and

John Williams was given a Grammy Award nomination.

Julia Roberts received a Golden Raspberry Award

nomination for Worst Supporting Actress. Really?

Oh, it's the Golden Raspberries, that's why.

Well, I guess that's an honor. I don't know.

God. Who the hell knows? Yeah, who the hell knows?

As far as the IGN replacement crew, yes, you

should watch this if it's free on TV, and yes,

you should have it on DVD. I agree. I have the

DVD, but it's pretty much just the movie. There's

no special features or anything like that, which

surprises me about a Spielberg DVD, because just

a DVD like this in general, you would think that

there would be some sort of special feature.

I mean, really, the only thing that's on here

is the theatrical trailer. But yeah, at least

it is on DVD. Just overall, I think that, you

know, kind of getting you some final thoughts

here. You know, this is one of those, you know,

feel good, you know, watch any time, you know,

cheer you up when you're down kind of movies.

It just is. I don't know. Yeah, I would agree

with that. I mean, there are some... Hate to

admit this, but there are some parts where it

is kind of sad and people will cry but overall

It's it's it's fairly well done, so I think that's

gonna do it for us So what the hell Crap I'm

losing my mind. That's one of those things that

happens when you podcast too much Well, this

is only like the eighth show that we've done

That I've done this week or whatever. I don't

know We're gonna take a quick break and Come

back with the outro in a world there. I said

it happy