MovieChat Forums > Hook (1991) Discussion > Why didn't this work?

Why didn't this work?

posted 11 years ago by ComicNerd
69 replies | jump to latest

I think one of the frustrating things about Hook is despite all of the talented people involved, there is just something about this movie that doesn't gel together.

John Williams score is good, the acting is not bad, Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins are excellent, yet the movie is a misfire.

For myself, I think the movie looks to stagey. Everything in Neverland is an obvious set, and would be at home on Broadway, but on the big screen it somehow doesn't work for me.

I like Peter's journey to rediscover himself as Pan. There are good scenes in the movie but it just never fits together properly.

[–] LaPfieffer92 11 years ago

what are you talking about? the movie did very well at the box office and is now considered a classic. im pretty sure it was just the critics that bashed it, but the public loved it and still loves it.

Realism, Remakes and Unnecessary Sequels are ruining movies!

[–] hollywoodpsychic 10 years ago

It wasn't just critics:) I disliked it in theaters when I saw it as a kid, and I disliked it this week when I revisited it on Netflix. The child I watched it with didn't care for it either. It's a mess of cliches, bad style and schmaltzy sentiment. It's no secret Spielberg wasn't pleased by the end result, and anyone watching it for what it is can see why. It's the definition of Hollywood misfire, a talented cast and crew trying and failing and decent idea wasted.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, but don't chalk up the negative reactions to a bunch of stuffy critics. And don't assume some success at the box office means people liked it... clearly many didn't and don't, myself firmly included.

A lot of strange things happen in this world. Things you don't know about in Grand Rapids.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] danteism 10 years ago

A 6.6 rating on imdb with 147,000+ votes counted stands in direct contradiction to the overwhelming public love-fest you're ascribing to this film.

I remember greatly enjoying it myself but have no problem accepting that is irrefutably not the experience of the vast majority.

A 6.6 with that many ratings means that most felt it was "decent", "enjoyable", or perhaps "good" at the very best. 6.6 isn't even in the ballpark of widely loved by the majority of the public.

[–] gargantuaboy 8 years ago

Spielberg is obviously one of the greatest directors of all time but this is not one of his best and I really don't think it's considered a CLASSIC. It was all over the place.

[–] edlitz36 8 years ago

the movie did very well at the box office

First off, box office gross is not an indicator of quality. By that logic, the Transformers and Twilight movies will later be considered classics. But they're trash and will always be regarded as such. Second, Hook did not actually do "very well" at the box office. Sure it made over $100 million in the US which would be good for many modest films in the early 90s but Hook wasn't just an ordinary film, given that it cost $70-80 million to produce, not the mention the budget to market the film. And also considering that it was directed by box office king Steven Spielberg and starred 2 major Hollywood players (Williams and Hoffman). It didn't lose money but it underperformed and was considered a disappointment by the studio (same situation with Dick Tracy the year prior).

now considered a classic. im pretty sure it was just the critics that bashed it

If the critics bashed it and still do bash it nearly 25 years later (it sits at 30% on Rotten Tomatoes), then it's no classic. Please name me a bona fide film classic that's hated by the majority of critics today...

Religion should be made fun of. If I believed that stuff, I'd keep it to myself. -Larry David

[–] ConDeuce 11 years ago

"Hook" is a prime example of what happens when talented, smart people get a lot of money and an idea for a movie that seems like a good concept and maybe could have been good but instead sputters and falls apart. I don't care what anyone says about "Hook" supposedly being a "classic" or that the public loves a lot (really?). "Hook" is a dud and is, in my opinion, Speilberg's worst movie.

It's failure is not for lack of trying but there's just too much going on in it. Everyone fro Speilberg to Williams to Hoffman are trying too hard for "magic". The strain shows and the movie becomes tiresome. It reminds me of two bloated studio backed musicals from the late 60s that some people also consider "classics" and "beloved": "Doctor Doolittle" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". Both of those films (as well as "Hook") had lots and lots of money thrown at them and you can see it in the actors they hired and the sets they built and all of it resulted in a kind of vapid nothingness. Nothing in these films registers a genuine because it's all so over produced. This is surprising in the case of "Hook" because of Speilberg's involvement. The man is one of my favorite directors because he has done so many movies that really do hit the emotional mark dead on (and I'm not talking only about "E.T."). With "Hook" we get the Corporate Speilberg. He reared his ugly head with "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park". I can only guess that he felt he had to keep showing he could make money by taking on projects like "Hook" in order to get his better films (like "Munich") made but you'd think he would have done a better job.

"Hook" still bothers me after seeing it over 20 years ago because of how hollow it all was. It didn't/doesn't work because it's all fake.

LaPfieffer92

[–] LaPfieffer92 11 years ago

i didn't even bother reading all that. you sound like one of those tastless movie "critics" that's likes what is popular and hates what is not. this is IMO one of speilbergs best and most magical movies hes ever done. it IS considered a classic fantasy film and almost everyone I know especially my age agrees that this was a fun and magical film of there childhood. anyone who badmouths this movie is just a hipster loser who cant enjoy a great movie for kids. I bet you thought the dark knight was a "masterpiece", L.O.L. don't make me laugh.

Realism, Remakes and Unnecessary Sequels are ruining movies!

[–] helderuto 10 years ago

You're really a a butthurt widow of Tim Burton

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[–] ItsEddieHaskellBeyotch 11 years ago

The John Williams score was great, however there should never be a story concerning Peter Pan where he's an adult. Ever.

'When there's no more room in Hollywood, remakes shall walk the Earth.'

[–] LaPfieffer92 11 years ago

first you should put IMO and secondly too late, already been made and has become a classic. get over it.

Realism, Remakes and Unnecessary Sequels are ruining movies!

[–] ItsEddieHaskellBeyotch 10 years ago

Flash Fact: Its NOT a 'classic'. Its also one of Spielberg's lesser regarded films. Despite decent box office most of the marketing material (toys) languished in bargain bins of toy stores unsold years after the film's release, meaning none of that crap did well either.

Oh yeah, STFU. Your opinion dosent override anyone else's. If you like the film, good for you. Getting all Stan about it just makes you look like an even bigger moron.

'When there's no more room in Hollywood, remakes shall walk the Earth.'

[–] NowhereToHide 10 years ago

You're really getting tiresome with this urge of yours to defend the honor of Hook. It's boring. Deal with it. I mean hell, it's certainly no Legend or Dark Crystal. That's for damn sure!

[–] sugarfreesweetie0367 10 years ago

This is a comment section. Everything is an opinion on here so there is no need to put IMO. You sound so idiotic and confrontational that it is hard to take anything you say seriously. Someone can have a different opinion, you know. And by admitting earlier that someone wrote something so long you didn't read it all...really? Do you still read books with pictures?
You cannot debate if you don't read someone's whole post.

And just so you don't attack, I liked Hook. I would give it a solid B.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] DiamondDonnieAzoff 10 years ago

One of my all time favorite movies but I agree 100% with you about the sets, it looks VERY fake and Broadway-ish. Always bothered me, always will, but I still love the movie regardless. It seemed as if we never got to see how big Neverland was, it looked just like a few blocks of some small village.

"Chick's got an ass like an onion..makes me wanna cry"

[–] bsu_oak530 10 years ago

The sets were amazing. You felt like you were somewhere else. I love how you guys are critiquing the origins of Pan. Oh yeah, like as a kid you're supposed to care? It works, plain and simple.

[–] kwokfan007 10 years ago

The film worked...to a degree. I think what bugged me the most was the bad acting done by the younger actors. Lost Boys anyone? You got excellent, top notch actors(sans Julia Roberts) in a film with the Ginger from Rod Stewart's Forever Young video. I mean Come On! That's bull crap! Chucky was better at playing a little boy than these kids!

Some areas of the film were pretty hokey especially the end when Hook gets eaten by the supposedly dead crocodile. Right there you could tell Spielberg and his writers had no idea how to end the conflict between Pan and Hook. Might as well have a Trex pop into the shot and save the day. Oh wait, they did! That's the problem with most of Spielberg's films. His endings are usually a hit or a miss.

I love Hook for nostalgia purposes, but it's one of those films that could've been a lot better.

[–] metalvain 10 years ago

I think the film was just bogged down by relying too heavily on scenes that just seem to be there to show the art direction and elaborate stages. I feel there is that magic everyone seems to go for and I have a fond memory of the film when I was a kid. In fact, I'm watching it again right now and I think I can actually appreciate how dark in tone it can be even more so. The scene where Peter and Moria come home to find that their kids have been kidnapped is one of my favorite scenes in any movie ever.

I will say that the film is awkward in it's pacing and at some parts it doesn't really seem like the movie knows what it wants to be. Nevertheless I still feel the good moments are good enough to appreciate it even if the movie is overall flawed and isn't exactly a masterpiece.

[–] ComicNerd 10 years ago

The scene where Peter and Moria come home to find that their kids have been kidnapped is one of my favorite scenes in any movie ever.

That is the best part of the movie IMO, if the rest of the movie had been up to that standard it would be have been great.

I do enjoy watching it when it's on TV. I saw it in theater Christmas 91. I remember the poster with just the Hook on it. I actually think the build up to Peter's return to Neverland is the best part of the movie, however it never really settles on a tone. It's not really an adventure film , it's not a comedy. Neverland never really works as a magical place and takes you out of the movie because of it's stageness.

[–] CherryBlossomBoy 10 years ago

Robin Williams was wrong choice for the lead.

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[–] rsb342013 10 years ago

The crap sets.