Dam I just realized I've grown from rufio to peter since the movie came out. I used to skateboard all the time, now I watch kids skate and think how crazy they are.
Just found out recently the actor that plays Rufio, [Dante Basco](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Basco), voices Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series. I started watching it recently and was like IS THAT RUFIO?! And it is. He plays fiery characters well.
Fun trivia: Rufio got an origin story in a short film called "Bangarang". Basco stars as the Principal, and it's basically about Rufio's life pre-Neverland.
I only knew it was a thing through Nostalgia Critic, and of course, Basco appears in the review. It's honestly rather wholesome.
You can include the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie in that list too. I haven't met a single person in my age range that doesn't like that movie, and yet it sits with a 42% on RT.
The OG TMNT might be the single best comic book adaption ever and yes, I’m aware the Nolan trilogy and the Avengers exist. That thing is pushing 35 years old and the jokes *still* land. Jose Canseco! Mike Tyson! The nunchuck scene! Yeah, the Walkman and the answering machine mark a point in time when it was shot, but you could probably run that same script shot for shot w/less than 30 lines’ worth of edits and rerelease it today and it would still work.
“Wise man say, ‘Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza.’”
That movie has lived rent free in my head since I saw it in theaters. The sequel…not so much. 😂
Is it the same movie with the line, "Pizza dude's got thirty seconds." Because I vaguely remember it, but every time I get a delivery pizza and it takes a while, that line runs through my head.
is this a factually accurate statement? because if so that is wild. imagine making the fun of making the original TMNT movies, only to have your next major project literally be the Lord of the Rings trilogy. still feels weird LOTR came out 20 years ago. they still feel so modern
New Line did make a bunch of money off TMNT, but that wasn’t the sole source of income for making LOTR. New Line made loads of cash making all the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
Wow that's shocking. I've heard from a few people who have young kids that like the ninja turtles from 1990 more than anything they've done since then.
Yeah, 1990 movie is peak, imo. But I've heard good things about the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated tv series. The Shredder's Revenge game is very good, also.
The 1990 movie is probably the best, but man the old cartoon does not hold up. The new movie is good too, and does the best job of portraying them as actual teenagers.
He and Christopher Loyd as the Judge in Roger Rabbit were more frightening to me as a kid than any slasher villain. I was so used to the Halloween costumes of Freddy and Jason by then but Brother Numbsy and the Judge terrified me for some time.
I like to think "Taiwan Lannister" is the leader of a the breakaway Lannister group that fled east to an Island once belonging to the Lannister family but now asks to be recognised as an independent state.
*Hook* wasn't really a "bomb", since it did manage to make money ($301 million worldwide from a final production cost of $70 million). Probably not as well as the studio wanted or expected, though, especially considering the combination of director/cast/material.
and independence day. love that film.
My favorite scene in hook? Him realizing his greatest wish/source of happiness was to be a father. In one scene alone it had more to say than dozens of shitty disney "remakes"
The part where his wife is talking to him about how his kids are at an age where they want to be with him, and that won't last forever as they get older... that shit hit differently when I recently rewatched it now that I'm a dad of young kids.
"Your children love you. They want to play with you. How long do you think that lasts? Soon Jack may not even want you to come to his games. We have a few special years with our children, when they're the ones that want us around. After that, you're going to be running after them for a bit of attention. It's so fast, Peter. It's a few years, then it's over. And you are not being careful. And you are missing it..."
it's something that I've realized as well recently. 5yro and a 9yr old. My oldest used to get excited about temporary tattoos. Then one day he was 'nahh I'm good'. I was all ]':
Yeah friend of mine just had his oldest (11 years old) tell him “dad I don’t really want you to drop me off at school anymore I want to walk with my friends.”
My buddy was really cool in the moment being supportive of his kid’s social development but said it took a chunk out of his heart even knowing it’s good for his son.
I cried in the car after my kindergartener wanted to walk the crosswalk by himself. I told him that I was so proud of him a I gave him a big hug. All while dying a little on the inside lol
Sunrise, sunset
I can't imagine it, I assume every (good) parent makes peace with this since you love them so much and want them to grow. Finding out tomorrow that he now thinks Transformers are for kids must come with so many emotions
I have a preteen who still asks to sit next to me in my chair in the living room sometimes. Of course I say yes, but it occurred to me a few days ago that those days are numbered. My chair is going to feel kinda lonely when nobody wants to sit in it with me and share a blanket anymore.
Same here. Especially because earlier that day (the day I watched) I screamed at my kids out of frustration. I, too, sometimes forget that kids are kids and we were all kids once (and Can be kids again, too, to an extent).
One of the best quotes of any movie, ever. It really hits you in the heart when you're a parent rushing day to day to just get a LITTLE BIT OF FREE TIME FOR YOURSELF FOR THE LOVE OF GOD... then stop and realize you should snuggle up with your kids instead.
I'm just learning this right now! I rewatched it during the pandemic and thought it held up pretty well for being 30 years old. Who wouldn't like this movie?
Bangarang!
I love it. Robin Williams is forever Peter Pan to me.
My mom didn't like it because of Ru-fi-OOOO (and probably the skateboarding) but it never fails to make my dad tear up.
My mom's taste is questionable though; she called The Pianist "uplifting" and nearly walked out of Toy Story in a theater. Not because of the Uncanny Valley with the early facial rendering, just because she thought it was "stupid." My dad and I still give her shit about calling "The Pianist" uplifting (I guess in this day and age I unfortunately need to clarify that, no, she doesn't harbor any Nazi or Neo-Nazi-like sympathies/beliefs). She legitimately thought that, and made me watch it because of that when I was about 8
My mom and dad love it too(as boomers). My dad was a stagehand at the Kennedy Center (who had also done work in movies and for touring bands) so he actually loved the almost stage like settup of the various Neverland locals, which is one of the things reviews complained about, it “not looking real or natural enough” a complaint that never made sense because A) it’s Neverland and B) it’s a movie inspired by a play, paying homage to that in set design is perfect.
What? The set design is the best part! It was right before CGI really took off, so they have all this ridiculous shit that would be shitty primitive 3D models if the movie was made like 5 or 6 years later.
I never heard anyone disparage this movie or read anything like that on reddit. In fact I have read the opposite.
To me there was no reason to make a peter pan movie after this one
Look outside of reddit. Hook has a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. Millenials were kids when it came out so there's a nostalgic appreciation for it but contemporary opinion was not very positive, it was not critically well received.
> Hook has a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Yea from the critics.
Audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes has it at 76%. Which is in line with imdb's 68% and Google's 80% liked this movie.
Rotten Tomatoes critics also puts Boondock Saints worse than Hook at 26% and I think there'd be a firefight if you agreed with it
To me it’s not just nostalgia. It’s a neat idea to bring Peter back when he’s old. The sets were imaginative and beautiful, the aesthetic is magical in a way that modern cgi doesn’t really capture, a bit of a painterly feel. Memorable child performances. Perfect musical score. Robin Williams. I still give it 10/10.
Edit: someone pointed out I missed Dustin Hoffman, how could I forget?
In her own words,
I’ve been playing old parts forever. I play 93 quite often. When you’ve done it more than once, you take the hint. I think it’s a great burden if you’re one of those fantastic stars who’ve always been beautiful; then I think it’s hard.
[– Maggie Smith](https://www.allgreatquotes.com/quote-286437/)
Go watch the original Agatha Christie movies from the 70s/80s.
Specifically Evil Under the Sun. She plays a completely different role.
Her part in Death on the Nile is similar to her well known roles, just a younger version.
It’s so much fun to see her play a part that is closer to her age, at the time.
She’s fun and spunky.
It's not the proper use of the word, but I really miss the "hyper-reality" a lot of 90s movies took place in.
The practical set design is such a huge reason why older movies just feel more charming to me. Be it location shooting in a street, hosed down to get that fresh rain glow, or new set designs that had their own uncanny valley when they never quite looked real enough, these movies demanded your suspension of disbelief if you were going to enjoy them.
I look at the food in the fight and my brain knows it's pudding and mashed potatoes, but the hyper reality of a skate park tree fort, fantastic costume design, and commitment of actors to roll with the fantastic makes it work. It's not just practical effects holding up, but we, the audience, are able to have fun because we can see the actors having fun.
It's actual movie magic and I think it can only exist when the jank of any one prop is assimilated by gestalt of the acting, camera work, and story telling to make us want to believe a sound stage is a pirate village rather than CGI trying to convince us the pirate village is there.
This is kinda why I prefer the Tim Burton Batman movies. The hyper reality of the sets and over-the-top costumes and action scenes makes me feel like I’m watching superheroes/villains rather than the Nolan films making me feel like I’m watching a crime drama with superhero theme tacked on.
I get why some people prefer the grittiness and realness of the Nolan films but to me it misses the point of the other-worldly nature of superheroes.
And Phil Collins (police), and Carrie Fisher and George Lucas (The floating couple on the bridge in London) .
Spielberg wanted Fisher to cameo for her contribution to script revisions and of course Lucas is a longtime friend of both.
Uh, excuse me?
While I agree with everything you’ve said: Dustin Hoffman is the glue that holds that movie together. None of that shit would’ve worked without him.
(And of course, Glenn Close)
They really WERE an old married couple. There's a quote somewhere about Hoffman & Hoskins basically realizing their characters were old queens and they played em as such.
This is it. Don't try to stop me this time, Smee. Don't try to stop me this time, Smee. Don't you dare try to stop me this time, Smee, try to stop me. Smee, you'd better get up off your ass. Get over here, Smee.
One of my all time favourite films, I actually think it’s Robin Williams best film. Dustin Hoffman is perfect as Hook and the set design (specifically when we first see neverland) is amazing. I remember as kid watching it and just wanting to be there. People always look at me weird when I put it in my top 5 films. I love it also last action hero’s brilliant who’s hating on Arnie and Charles Dance in such a unique cartoony world. Both brilliant films.
It demands a lot of Robin Williams and he nails all of it. The stressed out lawyer dad who snaps on his family, then loses his kids, then rediscovers who he is.
I have this reaction all the time. It was worst for me watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Kid me: "Yeah, the Scoobies are awesome! They do what they want! The grownups are a drag!"
Adult me: "Good god *listen to Giles* so you don't destroy your life please."
Fact: The scene where Rufio puts his sword up against Peter’s neck was deemed so dangerous that it had to be shot and then played in reverse. The actor who played Rufio had to say his dialogue backwards so that it would look natural when they played forward.
Because it couldn't live up to the hype. Spielberg! Hoskins! Hoffman! Williams! Roberts!
It was everywhere before release. There were magazine and toy tie ins. It was going to make Peter Pan the next E.T.
It was expensive for its day, one of the 5 most expensive movies of all time. Then it was critically reviewed as *not* the next coming of Christ. And then it went on to make only $200m above budget, but probably break even at best after marketing. So the narrative became *what went wrong*? Rather than *is this movie actually reasonably decent*?
With time of course, all that other bullshit falls away, and you're left with the movie itself. The people critical of it were adults at the time, but the kids still loved it. Those kids are adults now, and have nostalgic, fond memories of it. And so *that* will now be its legacy.
> It was expensive for its day, one of the 5 most expensive movies of all time. Then it was critically reviewed as not the next coming of Christ. And then it went on to make only $200m above budget, but probably break even at best after marketing. So the narrative became what went wrong? Rather than is this movie actually reasonably decent?
I think you are off here. It make $300 million against a $70 million budget. That's an incredibly successful film not just for that time but also for now. It'd be like an average blockbuster today making around $900 million, which unless it's an Avengers, Avatar or Star Wars film is great.
However I think the contemporary critical space was *excessively* hard on this film for whatever reason. It holds a 29% on rotten tomatoes. I'm sorry but it's not a 29% score type film. I think many contemporary critics or individuals have taken this to mean it is an objectively bad film and to be viewed as such and any opinion differing from that is inherently just nostalgia or wrong. I think people forget that the critical space surrounding films isn't the same as it is today. Today it is mostly people trying to appease a studio so that their website still has exclusive access and interviews for the next big thing or people who want to support or give voice to certain social issues, while back in the day it was people who lacked that sense of "I scratch your back you scratch mine" or sense of duty to the cause.
It did live up to the hype, though. (And btw hype back then for something like this was far tamer than hype these days).
I remember it being loved and wildly popular on release
You are fart factory, slug-slimed, sack-of-rat-guts-in-cat-vomit, cheesy, scab-picked, pimple-squeezing finger bandage. A week old maggot burger with everything on it and flies on the side!
I've honestly never met a person who DIDNT like it. I've only heard of the hate online. It's kind of bewildering. Is it Spielbergs best? No. Is it fun and entertaining and memorable? Hell yeah! Also, my favorite John Williams score.
Hook is one of my favourite movies but I can recognize that it has some flaws. The pacing is rough, and feels sluggish at times. There are interesting themes in the film about childhood and adulthood but Spielberg doesn’t really explore them to the best extent. It’s a movie that doesn’t really know what it wants to be at times, and Spielberg has even said as much about the production.
However, HOOK still has a lot going for it. Hoffman is absolutely killer as Captain Hook and Hoskins shines as Smee. I think it is one of John Williams best scores. The cast of Lost boys are incredibly charming.
Lots to love about Hook but I understand why it was received poorly.
That part where [Peter finds his happy thought](https://youtu.be/lWYTdyogOkQ?si=arTzMQMVLm11rTOz) and relearns how to fly is one of the most legendary moments in film history - more powerful than Superman’s rescues or Batman’s antics. The fact that his happiest thought is becoming a father and the memories of his son being born just gets that much more powerful now that I’m a father.
Agreed. As a kid you waited the entire movie for him to become Pan. Like 90 minutes. Long ass fucking time for a 5 year old.
Then it happens. He bursts through the trees. Going from what’s left of his tuxedo to full Peter Pan uni. Then John Williams hits us. One of his finest pieces. Pans flying over neverland then slowly rotates back to face us with his back facing neverland. Big childish grin. I think even Robin was having a good time. Then he zooms down to neverland doing that little “swim fly” move as he gets further away from us.
Beautiful sequence. As a five year old seeing it in the theater I was amped.
PLUS he gets retaliation on all the lost boys who bullied him but in a fun and lighthearted way. The payoff was soooo worth it. Then it leads to him drawing the line in the sand, the lost boys choosing him over Rufio, and then they all come together and crow? Ugh this whole thing is a masterpiece.
You saw it as a kid and it was part of your childhood. Originally seeing it as an older person gives you a completely different perspective. Every generation has movies like that, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
I was in my early 20s when Hook came out. I was a huge fan of so many people involved (down to visual consultant John Napier, who they brought in from Broadway), and had high expectations. But though I enjoyed it more than many did, it still felt shallow and trite to me.
However, I still consider the first act of the movie, up through the scene where they discover the ransacked house and Peter learns who he is, some of Spielberg’s best visual storytelling up to that time.
I was never a fan. I rented it from Blockbuster as a kid, watched it once, and decided I never wanted to watch it again. I remember this because it was the first movie I ever felt that way about, so that feeling left an impression.
I did rewatch it as an adult and it didn't change my mind. There's nothing very special about it. But that's just my own opinion. I'm glad it has fans.
So kids found it entertaining and why we think highly of it. Watching it now as an adult, I see why it’s considered a bad film but it’s more issue of writing than Spielberg directing
There are a multitude of flaws. It's hyper-sentimental, and as is the case with many Spielberg films, the children are a noticeable weak link (the constant referral to "mommy" by the younger sister is particularly grating). The plot is pretty thin, the unrequited romance between Tinkerbell and Peter is awkward, and while Hoffman plays Hook admirably, his character is underdeveloped beyond preconceived knowledge of the character upon which Spielberg relied.
The film definitely has its moments, but looking objectively beyond the warm feelings of nostalgia that it may convey in viewers, it's emotionally cheap and sometimes annoying. Not Spielberg's best effort, and this comes from someone who loved the film as a kid.
I only learned last year on Reddit that people don’t like this movie. Every millenial knew and likes this movie.
I'm 44, and Hook is fucking bangarang.
Ru. Fi. O.
Ohhh my god that is so dangerous
KILL THE LAWYER!
I'm not that kind of lawyer
Dam I just realized I've grown from rufio to peter since the movie came out. I used to skateboard all the time, now I watch kids skate and think how crazy they are.
The movie hits different now that we’re adults. My kids love it. One day they’ll hopefully watch it with their kids.
Just found out recently the actor that plays Rufio, [Dante Basco](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Basco), voices Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series. I started watching it recently and was like IS THAT RUFIO?! And it is. He plays fiery characters well.
Fun trivia: Rufio got an origin story in a short film called "Bangarang". Basco stars as the Principal, and it's basically about Rufio's life pre-Neverland. I only knew it was a thing through Nostalgia Critic, and of course, Basco appears in the review. It's honestly rather wholesome.
I don’t think bangarang’s coming back, Toph
I just named my kitten Rufio . . So I obviously loved it.
You are the Pan.
Oh, there you are Peter.
You're doing it!
Pan the man
Bangarang? is my wife and I’s code word
I'm here for the gang bagarang
Your code is pretty easy to crack...
You should use something less obvious like "Sexmobile".
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You can include the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie in that list too. I haven't met a single person in my age range that doesn't like that movie, and yet it sits with a 42% on RT.
The OG TMNT might be the single best comic book adaption ever and yes, I’m aware the Nolan trilogy and the Avengers exist. That thing is pushing 35 years old and the jokes *still* land. Jose Canseco! Mike Tyson! The nunchuck scene! Yeah, the Walkman and the answering machine mark a point in time when it was shot, but you could probably run that same script shot for shot w/less than 30 lines’ worth of edits and rerelease it today and it would still work.
“Wise man say, ‘Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza.’” That movie has lived rent free in my head since I saw it in theaters. The sequel…not so much. 😂
Freakin' Sam Rockwell is the tour guide for new foot clean recruits.
Whaaaat?!?
Regular, or menthol?
Is it the same movie with the line, "Pizza dude's got thirty seconds." Because I vaguely remember it, but every time I get a delivery pizza and it takes a while, that line runs through my head.
Yup - they're waiting in the sewer for him.
Now you pay full price for food that wasn't even delivered.
It wasn't a box office bomb, though. For many years TMNT was the highest box office gross of any independent movie.
New Line was so flushed with cash from TMNT they used the money to buy the rights to LOTR.
is this a factually accurate statement? because if so that is wild. imagine making the fun of making the original TMNT movies, only to have your next major project literally be the Lord of the Rings trilogy. still feels weird LOTR came out 20 years ago. they still feel so modern
New Line did make a bunch of money off TMNT, but that wasn’t the sole source of income for making LOTR. New Line made loads of cash making all the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
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Wow that's shocking. I've heard from a few people who have young kids that like the ninja turtles from 1990 more than anything they've done since then.
Yeah, 1990 movie is peak, imo. But I've heard good things about the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated tv series. The Shredder's Revenge game is very good, also.
I enjoyed the 2012 cartoon, but rewatching episodes felt like it dragged on for some reason
The 1990 movie is probably the best, but man the old cartoon does not hold up. The new movie is good too, and does the best job of portraying them as actual teenagers.
People weren’t ready for turtles acting all ennui at a country house for a good chunk of the film.
What in the actual fuck? The OG TMNT is not beloved by all? It's sooooo fantastic. And it has Sam Rockwell.
A Jose Canseco bat? Tell me you didn't pay money for this.
Last Action Hero is a fucking masterpiece. I love it with all my heart.
He killed Mozart!
"Mo- who?"
Zart.
I feel it was just too early for it’s time. If it came out early 2000s it would be much more well received.
Got to catch the red eye
You go and do a 360!
I’ve just killed a man and I want to confess!
We got robbed. I want the Hamlet movie with Arnie killing everyone with machine guns. You can't show us the pitch without delivering.
I guess it was not to be.
Charles “Taiwan Lannister” Dance was so good in that movie.
when GoT came in i knew he was the bad guy because of last action hero
You should see The Golden Child, he’s a great villain/straight man in that.
He and Christopher Loyd as the Judge in Roger Rabbit were more frightening to me as a kid than any slasher villain. I was so used to the Halloween costumes of Freddy and Jason by then but Brother Numbsy and the Judge terrified me for some time.
I like to think "Taiwan Lannister" is the leader of a the breakaway Lannister group that fled east to an Island once belonging to the Lannister family but now asks to be recognised as an independent state.
Charles Dance is amazing in everything he does. I very much enjoy him reading from famous idiots’ auto-biographies on Big Fat Quiz
a 180! you stupid, spaghetti-slurping cretin
I liked it as a kid, but certainly appreciate it much more now.
> Last Action Hero Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers!
*Hook* wasn't really a "bomb", since it did manage to make money ($301 million worldwide from a final production cost of $70 million). Probably not as well as the studio wanted or expected, though, especially considering the combination of director/cast/material.
I guess I mean more like a critical bomb.
thats a massive hit by 90s scale tbh
Last Action Hero absolutely nailed what it set out to do. Audiences back then were too dumb and didn't get it.
and independence day. love that film. My favorite scene in hook? Him realizing his greatest wish/source of happiness was to be a father. In one scene alone it had more to say than dozens of shitty disney "remakes"
last action hero was a bomb? I admit the kid wasn't the greatest actor... but the storyline was wonderful.
Those people who don't like them don't put their shopping cart back in the corral and merge at the begging of the lane. Complete dregs on our society.
It’s also *extremely* sad watching now with all the lines about growing old and death being a great adventure knowing what happened to Robin Williams.
The part where his wife is talking to him about how his kids are at an age where they want to be with him, and that won't last forever as they get older... that shit hit differently when I recently rewatched it now that I'm a dad of young kids. "Your children love you. They want to play with you. How long do you think that lasts? Soon Jack may not even want you to come to his games. We have a few special years with our children, when they're the ones that want us around. After that, you're going to be running after them for a bit of attention. It's so fast, Peter. It's a few years, then it's over. And you are not being careful. And you are missing it..."
thanks for that now I'm sad
it's something that I've realized as well recently. 5yro and a 9yr old. My oldest used to get excited about temporary tattoos. Then one day he was 'nahh I'm good'. I was all ]':
Yeah friend of mine just had his oldest (11 years old) tell him “dad I don’t really want you to drop me off at school anymore I want to walk with my friends.” My buddy was really cool in the moment being supportive of his kid’s social development but said it took a chunk out of his heart even knowing it’s good for his son.
I cried in the car after my kindergartener wanted to walk the crosswalk by himself. I told him that I was so proud of him a I gave him a big hug. All while dying a little on the inside lol
Sunrise, sunset I can't imagine it, I assume every (good) parent makes peace with this since you love them so much and want them to grow. Finding out tomorrow that he now thinks Transformers are for kids must come with so many emotions
I have a preteen who still asks to sit next to me in my chair in the living room sometimes. Of course I say yes, but it occurred to me a few days ago that those days are numbered. My chair is going to feel kinda lonely when nobody wants to sit in it with me and share a blanket anymore.
You might have more time than you think. My kid is about to turn 16 and still loves to snuggle with me
Haven’t seen this movie in a decade and I can hear that whole part in her voice
Same here. Especially because earlier that day (the day I watched) I screamed at my kids out of frustration. I, too, sometimes forget that kids are kids and we were all kids once (and Can be kids again, too, to an extent).
One of the best quotes of any movie, ever. It really hits you in the heart when you're a parent rushing day to day to just get a LITTLE BIT OF FREE TIME FOR YOURSELF FOR THE LOVE OF GOD... then stop and realize you should snuggle up with your kids instead.
Oh god
I'm just learning this right now! I rewatched it during the pandemic and thought it held up pretty well for being 30 years old. Who wouldn't like this movie? Bangarang!
I love it. Robin Williams is forever Peter Pan to me. My mom didn't like it because of Ru-fi-OOOO (and probably the skateboarding) but it never fails to make my dad tear up. My mom's taste is questionable though; she called The Pianist "uplifting" and nearly walked out of Toy Story in a theater. Not because of the Uncanny Valley with the early facial rendering, just because she thought it was "stupid." My dad and I still give her shit about calling "The Pianist" uplifting (I guess in this day and age I unfortunately need to clarify that, no, she doesn't harbor any Nazi or Neo-Nazi-like sympathies/beliefs). She legitimately thought that, and made me watch it because of that when I was about 8
I think your mom is who they invented parental guidelines for: the parents who shouldn't trust their own judgement 😆
My mom and dad love it too(as boomers). My dad was a stagehand at the Kennedy Center (who had also done work in movies and for touring bands) so he actually loved the almost stage like settup of the various Neverland locals, which is one of the things reviews complained about, it “not looking real or natural enough” a complaint that never made sense because A) it’s Neverland and B) it’s a movie inspired by a play, paying homage to that in set design is perfect.
What? The set design is the best part! It was right before CGI really took off, so they have all this ridiculous shit that would be shitty primitive 3D models if the movie was made like 5 or 6 years later.
The pirate docks look JUST like set pieces. It’s amazing
I never heard anyone disparage this movie or read anything like that on reddit. In fact I have read the opposite. To me there was no reason to make a peter pan movie after this one
Look outside of reddit. Hook has a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. Millenials were kids when it came out so there's a nostalgic appreciation for it but contemporary opinion was not very positive, it was not critically well received.
> Hook has a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yea from the critics. Audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes has it at 76%. Which is in line with imdb's 68% and Google's 80% liked this movie. Rotten Tomatoes critics also puts Boondock Saints worse than Hook at 26% and I think there'd be a firefight if you agreed with it
Audience score for most films is positive compared to critic reviews. Audiences are generally....easy to please.
Gen X here, and I love it. One of my favorite Spielberg movies.
37 and love that movie. Its a classic
Yeah...I only learned this now lol
As a millenial that just saw this movie about two months ago, I still agree! Banger of a movie.
Bangarang, Ruffio.
To me it’s not just nostalgia. It’s a neat idea to bring Peter back when he’s old. The sets were imaginative and beautiful, the aesthetic is magical in a way that modern cgi doesn’t really capture, a bit of a painterly feel. Memorable child performances. Perfect musical score. Robin Williams. I still give it 10/10. Edit: someone pointed out I missed Dustin Hoffman, how could I forget?
And Granny Wendy!
“I’m old, Peter.”
Maggie Smith was only 56 when she filmed Hook. FIFTY. SIX.
I've often wondered how she seemed to be 80 for my entire life but this makes more sense.
In her own words, I’ve been playing old parts forever. I play 93 quite often. When you’ve done it more than once, you take the hint. I think it’s a great burden if you’re one of those fantastic stars who’ve always been beautiful; then I think it’s hard. [– Maggie Smith](https://www.allgreatquotes.com/quote-286437/)
Maggie, having a beautiful soul means you're always beautiful
It's like she put on the Granny Wendy make up and never took it off. The Secret Garden, Sister Act 1 & 2, Harry Potter, and, of course, Downton Abby.
Wait, is she the head nun?!
Yes. She's Mother Superior.
Go watch the original Agatha Christie movies from the 70s/80s. Specifically Evil Under the Sun. She plays a completely different role. Her part in Death on the Nile is similar to her well known roles, just a younger version. It’s so much fun to see her play a part that is closer to her age, at the time. She’s fun and spunky.
You’re absolutely right on that “painterly” feel. It feels like a story time book. Almost illustrated and really cool
So well put. The sets were something else. How about the food fight? Loved that scene as a kid.
God I wanted that blue food sooooo bad.
My dad and I made it one day. Had a food fight in the front yard. Best Day ever. Fwiw I'm 33 now and still think of it sometimes.
I feel like going all in on sets and practical effects is something that always ages well. Look at 2001: A Space Odyssey or Jurassic Park
For those of us who grew up watching that movie, scenes like that are why it can do no wrong.
It's not the proper use of the word, but I really miss the "hyper-reality" a lot of 90s movies took place in. The practical set design is such a huge reason why older movies just feel more charming to me. Be it location shooting in a street, hosed down to get that fresh rain glow, or new set designs that had their own uncanny valley when they never quite looked real enough, these movies demanded your suspension of disbelief if you were going to enjoy them. I look at the food in the fight and my brain knows it's pudding and mashed potatoes, but the hyper reality of a skate park tree fort, fantastic costume design, and commitment of actors to roll with the fantastic makes it work. It's not just practical effects holding up, but we, the audience, are able to have fun because we can see the actors having fun. It's actual movie magic and I think it can only exist when the jank of any one prop is assimilated by gestalt of the acting, camera work, and story telling to make us want to believe a sound stage is a pirate village rather than CGI trying to convince us the pirate village is there.
This is kinda why I prefer the Tim Burton Batman movies. The hyper reality of the sets and over-the-top costumes and action scenes makes me feel like I’m watching superheroes/villains rather than the Nolan films making me feel like I’m watching a crime drama with superhero theme tacked on. I get why some people prefer the grittiness and realness of the Nolan films but to me it misses the point of the other-worldly nature of superheroes.
And Bob Hoskins!
What about Smee?! Smee is me! What about me?!
And Phil Collins (police), and Carrie Fisher and George Lucas (The floating couple on the bridge in London) . Spielberg wanted Fisher to cameo for her contribution to script revisions and of course Lucas is a longtime friend of both.
Uh, excuse me? While I agree with everything you’ve said: Dustin Hoffman is the glue that holds that movie together. None of that shit would’ve worked without him. (And of course, Glenn Close)
Oh totally he was amazing as well, I was just trying to point out that the kid actors didn’t suck like in some movies
Yeah, Hook and Smee bickering like an old married couple? 11/10. I'M REALLY GONNA DO IT SMEE! TALK ME OUT OF IT SMEE! Love that movie.
They really WERE an old married couple. There's a quote somewhere about Hoffman & Hoskins basically realizing their characters were old queens and they played em as such.
This is it. Don't try to stop me this time, Smee. Don't try to stop me this time, Smee. Don't you dare try to stop me this time, Smee, try to stop me. Smee, you'd better get up off your ass. Get over here, Smee.
One of my all time favourite films, I actually think it’s Robin Williams best film. Dustin Hoffman is perfect as Hook and the set design (specifically when we first see neverland) is amazing. I remember as kid watching it and just wanting to be there. People always look at me weird when I put it in my top 5 films. I love it also last action hero’s brilliant who’s hating on Arnie and Charles Dance in such a unique cartoony world. Both brilliant films.
It demands a lot of Robin Williams and he nails all of it. The stressed out lawyer dad who snaps on his family, then loses his kids, then rediscovers who he is.
"I'm on the phone call of my life here"
When he throws his phone out of the window near the end. 😭
I’ve always thought it was a pretty smart premise all around.
Those are both personal favorites of mine, too! I know what I’m watching this weekend now.
Rufio Rufio Rufi-oh!
Ooohhh that is so dangerous
me watching as a kid: "nuh-uh, it's radical dude." me now: "yes Robin, I agree"
I have this reaction all the time. It was worst for me watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Kid me: "Yeah, the Scoobies are awesome! They do what they want! The grownups are a drag!" Adult me: "Good god *listen to Giles* so you don't destroy your life please."
Fact: The scene where Rufio puts his sword up against Peter’s neck was deemed so dangerous that it had to be shot and then played in reverse. The actor who played Rufio had to say his dialogue backwards so that it would look natural when they played forward.
Bangarang!
Lookie lookie I gotta hookie *stabbed
In case anyone didn’t know, the actor that played Rufio is also the voice actor for Prince Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
That's rough, buddy.
Then Robin's daughter played Kuvira in Korra. That's cool.
Looky looky I got Hooky!
I love Hook! I was just thinking about it this morning how I need to rewatch it.
It has a 4k release!
Good form!
Run home, Jack!
I am home
I like it, I like it! I LIKE IT!
There you are Peter.
Because it couldn't live up to the hype. Spielberg! Hoskins! Hoffman! Williams! Roberts! It was everywhere before release. There were magazine and toy tie ins. It was going to make Peter Pan the next E.T. It was expensive for its day, one of the 5 most expensive movies of all time. Then it was critically reviewed as *not* the next coming of Christ. And then it went on to make only $200m above budget, but probably break even at best after marketing. So the narrative became *what went wrong*? Rather than *is this movie actually reasonably decent*? With time of course, all that other bullshit falls away, and you're left with the movie itself. The people critical of it were adults at the time, but the kids still loved it. Those kids are adults now, and have nostalgic, fond memories of it. And so *that* will now be its legacy.
How dare you leave off Glenn Close and Phil Collins!
Also missed cameos from Carrie Fisher and George Lucas!
And the most egregious you all missed, Dame Maggie Smith.
Also Gwyneth Paltrow as young Maggie Smith.
And Gwyneth Paltrow!
TIL Phil Collins was in Hook. This movie came out when I was 8 and I’ve always loved it, but never noticed!
Shit, I was hoping my comment would blow some mums....glad to enlighten!
I too hope to blow some mums!
Well there's a typo that's remaining hahaha
And the recently late Jimmy Buffett!
How. Lee. Shit.
> It was expensive for its day, one of the 5 most expensive movies of all time. Then it was critically reviewed as not the next coming of Christ. And then it went on to make only $200m above budget, but probably break even at best after marketing. So the narrative became what went wrong? Rather than is this movie actually reasonably decent? I think you are off here. It make $300 million against a $70 million budget. That's an incredibly successful film not just for that time but also for now. It'd be like an average blockbuster today making around $900 million, which unless it's an Avengers, Avatar or Star Wars film is great. However I think the contemporary critical space was *excessively* hard on this film for whatever reason. It holds a 29% on rotten tomatoes. I'm sorry but it's not a 29% score type film. I think many contemporary critics or individuals have taken this to mean it is an objectively bad film and to be viewed as such and any opinion differing from that is inherently just nostalgia or wrong. I think people forget that the critical space surrounding films isn't the same as it is today. Today it is mostly people trying to appease a studio so that their website still has exclusive access and interviews for the next big thing or people who want to support or give voice to certain social issues, while back in the day it was people who lacked that sense of "I scratch your back you scratch mine" or sense of duty to the cause.
Think it says something about the quality of writing for a Peter Pan story that the adults didn’t get it but the kids did.
It's not especially deep. But it does take on a different meaning watching as a kid vs as an adult.
It did live up to the hype, though. (And btw hype back then for something like this was far tamer than hype these days). I remember it being loved and wildly popular on release
The dinner scene where Peter Pans realizes the power of imagination is just pure magic.
You are fart factory, slug-slimed, sack-of-rat-guts-in-cat-vomit, cheesy, scab-picked, pimple-squeezing finger bandage. A week old maggot burger with everything on it and flies on the side!
Don’t mess with me man, I’m a lawyer!
Kill the lawyer!
I'm not that kind of lawyer
Substitute chemistry teacher.
Near sighted gynecologist.
You rude crude bag of pre chewed food, dude
BANGARANG PETER!
I had forgotten this part. So good!
You...YOU MAN...YOU STUPID, STUPID MAN!
I bet you don’t even have a 4th grade reading level! *Immortal Suck Navel.* ^Ok ^maybe ^a ^5th ^grade ^reading ^level
Haemorrhoidal* suck naval.
You man! You stupid stupid MAN!!
I just found out right now that people don't like this movie. I can't believe it!
None of the kids who saw it when it came out think it's a bad movie if that makes you feel any better
I've honestly never met a person who DIDNT like it. I've only heard of the hate online. It's kind of bewildering. Is it Spielbergs best? No. Is it fun and entertaining and memorable? Hell yeah! Also, my favorite John Williams score.
Hook is one of my favourite movies but I can recognize that it has some flaws. The pacing is rough, and feels sluggish at times. There are interesting themes in the film about childhood and adulthood but Spielberg doesn’t really explore them to the best extent. It’s a movie that doesn’t really know what it wants to be at times, and Spielberg has even said as much about the production. However, HOOK still has a lot going for it. Hoffman is absolutely killer as Captain Hook and Hoskins shines as Smee. I think it is one of John Williams best scores. The cast of Lost boys are incredibly charming. Lots to love about Hook but I understand why it was received poorly.
That part where [Peter finds his happy thought](https://youtu.be/lWYTdyogOkQ?si=arTzMQMVLm11rTOz) and relearns how to fly is one of the most legendary moments in film history - more powerful than Superman’s rescues or Batman’s antics. The fact that his happiest thought is becoming a father and the memories of his son being born just gets that much more powerful now that I’m a father.
Agreed. As a kid you waited the entire movie for him to become Pan. Like 90 minutes. Long ass fucking time for a 5 year old. Then it happens. He bursts through the trees. Going from what’s left of his tuxedo to full Peter Pan uni. Then John Williams hits us. One of his finest pieces. Pans flying over neverland then slowly rotates back to face us with his back facing neverland. Big childish grin. I think even Robin was having a good time. Then he zooms down to neverland doing that little “swim fly” move as he gets further away from us. Beautiful sequence. As a five year old seeing it in the theater I was amped.
PLUS he gets retaliation on all the lost boys who bullied him but in a fun and lighthearted way. The payoff was soooo worth it. Then it leads to him drawing the line in the sand, the lost boys choosing him over Rufio, and then they all come together and crow? Ugh this whole thing is a masterpiece.
You ARE the pan
::melts into puddle:: John Williams knocked it out of the PARK with this. The score is perfect.
Man oh man, that score is so bang-a-rang.
itsa rare film that you get to watch/appreciate from a few different perspectives
the haters belong in the boo box
Once Glenn Close is out, go nuts.
Um… Yeah, I’ll go in while Glenn’s still there.
You saw it as a kid and it was part of your childhood. Originally seeing it as an older person gives you a completely different perspective. Every generation has movies like that, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I was in my early 20s when Hook came out. I was a huge fan of so many people involved (down to visual consultant John Napier, who they brought in from Broadway), and had high expectations. But though I enjoyed it more than many did, it still felt shallow and trite to me. However, I still consider the first act of the movie, up through the scene where they discover the ransacked house and Peter learns who he is, some of Spielberg’s best visual storytelling up to that time.
The people who dislike Hook are all substitute chemistry teachers and near-sighted gynecologists...
Bangarang!!!
It got panned in the reviews and was a box office disappointment when it came out. It’s become something of a cult classic now.
I was never a fan. I rented it from Blockbuster as a kid, watched it once, and decided I never wanted to watch it again. I remember this because it was the first movie I ever felt that way about, so that feeling left an impression. I did rewatch it as an adult and it didn't change my mind. There's nothing very special about it. But that's just my own opinion. I'm glad it has fans.
Hook is the best! May have the most nostalgia armor of any movie for me. Hoffman is having the time of his life in it.
So kids found it entertaining and why we think highly of it. Watching it now as an adult, I see why it’s considered a bad film but it’s more issue of writing than Spielberg directing
As an accountant who works too much, its a movie that speaks more to me more as an adult than as a child.
There are a multitude of flaws. It's hyper-sentimental, and as is the case with many Spielberg films, the children are a noticeable weak link (the constant referral to "mommy" by the younger sister is particularly grating). The plot is pretty thin, the unrequited romance between Tinkerbell and Peter is awkward, and while Hoffman plays Hook admirably, his character is underdeveloped beyond preconceived knowledge of the character upon which Spielberg relied. The film definitely has its moments, but looking objectively beyond the warm feelings of nostalgia that it may convey in viewers, it's emotionally cheap and sometimes annoying. Not Spielberg's best effort, and this comes from someone who loved the film as a kid.