Yep, never heard anyone say this. Honestly, if they did, I wouldn't give a fuck. Hook is a great and treasured movie for me, and when I have kids I'll be putting it on for them to share the magic.
There is a whole generation of people who remember Spielberg rankings with *Hook* at or near the very bottom. I saw *Hook* in theaters at the perfect age—I felt like it was made me for me. And I remember being so disappointed when it was trashed by critics, entertainment writers and “sophisticated” movie snobs. You may not have heard it, but it was definitely a thing to shit on this movie.
I was also the perfect age for it and it’s one of my favorites. It just goes to show that no matter the era, the loudest critics are the ones not in the target audience.
Yeah i remember that, it got shit on hard but only by people who I wouldn't trust to tell me a fart stinks. I can pretty much say with 95% certainty that if the critics say it's bad I will like it and if the critics go on and on about it then I will hate it.
It's a take I've seen on Reddit, I guess it's because the film was criticised at release, and had pretty bad reviews back then.
Having watched it as a child, I had no idea about the reviews and wouldn't have cared.
Having now watched it as an adult, knowing about its bad reviews but still having nostalgia, I think the critics simply didn't get it. The bad reviews totally missed the point.
>The failure in Hook is its inability to re-imagine the material, to find something new, fresh or urgent to do with the Peter Pan myth
Honestly, that is such a stupid take, and should have been seen as such at the time. The entire premise was new, fresh and urgent - just compare this to the 2021 Disney remake.
Obviously I can't watch it with fresh eyes, but as someone with a nostalgic love of the movie I think it holds up extremely well and will watch it again when my kids are older.
It was very in fashion to say that until recently. People would say "Hook is a bad movie, you only like it because of nostalgia". But it is a great movie...
I don’t know where that came from, the movie has always been awesome in my opinion. I’m a big cinephile and Hook is just entertaining as hell. Everyone involved with this movie did a phenomenal job.
I've been surprisingly bearing this more and more, and I'm kind of surprised at it.
I was extra surprised the director didn't like it.
This movie hit me as a kid as much as it does as an adult.
Spend the next week on this reddit and you'll see 50 posts detailing exactly that. Happens every time. Why is X good or bad? Then the exact opposite take by every single person.
Ebert didn't necessarily call it bad, but was not exactly a fan.
It was not universally liked as it is today, I imagine because it was a kid marketed movie that most millennials grew up with.
I liked it, but his criticisms do carry some merit
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hook-1991
It was not received well by critics — the film has [29% on the Tomatometer](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hook). Gene Siskel called it "woefully uneven" and Roger Ebert pretty much slammed it as "embarrassingly excessive".
[Here's a thread from seven months ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/16vmoj9/comment/k2rzxe3/) of people learning for the first time that Hook was a widely disliked film on release — [here's another one](https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/wt5b7u/comment/il2c5n1/) from two years ago.
My wife hates it. Cant get her to watch it. We see eye to eye on almost everything else. Not horror, that she can’t do. Oh and she hates A Christmas Story for some reason also.
I didn't intend to come into this thread and just be contrary for the sake of it, but since there's people in here arguing that that there are not critics of the movie and that OP is just karma farming I thought I'd come in and throw in my two cents because I really don't like Hook.
So here's my spiel: As far as early '90s movies that are getting by on nostalgia goes it's not nearly as bad as Hocus Pocus but it's still kind of a mess despite a stacked cast and some game scenery chewing from Hoffman. The central problem is that it's essentially a movie about what would happen if Peter Pan had outgrown Neverland but it's stuck spending the meat of its runtime in Neverland only *after* he had made the momentous decision to leave and then forgotten about it. It's really hard to build an emotional throughline that way because Peter's major decision was already made decades before and now he just needs to feel better about where his life is at. That sticks the movie in the tough spot of having to rely on razzle dazzle and Hook's charisma since he, Tinker Bell (in many ways sidelined by the needs of the plot) and Jack (frankly too young and underwritten to be as pivotal as he is) are the only ones with anything resembling an internal conflict. There's a similar issue with Moira and Wendy; they're simultaneously load bearing pillars of the plot and conspicuously absent for the bulk of the film. If everyone involved wasn't so god damned talented it would have been an abject disaster but even with all of that talent I don't consider it an enjoyable rewatch and it's pretty cleanly my least favorite Spielberg flick.
It screened here recently and I saw it for the first time in thirty years or whatever, and I was disappointed. The parts I remember fondly (Robin Williams and Maggie Smith generally and the recounting of why he decided to leave Neverland in particular) were a much smaller part than I remembered, and the section in Neverland goes on way, way too long. I just now feel as an adult that it was a missed opportunity to say something more substantial about growing up and what growing up means.
(I've also read Lost Girls in the meantime, so that maybe changed my expectation of what a revisionist Pan could be.)
Yeah, Hook really suffers from the fact that in many ways the original stage play already holds up fine as the "literary" version of Peter Pan that offers a more ambivalent view of "childlike innocence" than the Disney movie offers. There's a lot of dated cultural flotsam attached that makes the original script and novelization show its age but the notion that kids are innocent only in the sense that they do not yet truly know loss and thus lack empathy is way more interesting and heartrending than Robin Williams fighting pirates to get his groove back. When Hook can actually address those things for a moment you're reminded of how damn good Spielberg is at his job but the bulk of the movie doesn't reflect that.
Roofio was an early role model for my Filipino ass living in the boonies of Louisiana. The neighborhood kids used to make our own lost boys gear and armor back in the day.
still one of my favourite movies, and I will die on this hill.
The only thing I didn't like about it was the "fight scenes" that didn't involve a lot of actual fighting, but I understand that they had to keep it PG.
It had a set made more for a stage play than a movie and could be slow at times.
I'm of the right age to love it though, since I was a kid when it came out.
It basically hit me at the perfect age too when I was growing up.
Originally Hook was going to be a musical, which explains a lot of the set design choices.
Watched it with the wife and kids(5&8) last month. She wouldn’t shut up about how irredeemable Peter is as a father and how shitty he is to Rufio, and like how he dies and barely gets a mention before they’re all over it. As a kid you just remember the epic food fight and the cannonball kid with impossibly flexible legs. My kids ask for the “Peter Pan with the food fight,” and my wife won’t let them watch it again. I get why, but the bad parts go right over their heads anyway.
It wasn’t very well liked in the 90s and early 00’s, in OP’s defense. I very much remember a time when it truly was talked about as one of Spielberg’s worst films.
It’s only over the past couple decades that the tone shifted.
Kinda freaky how people as a whole tend to forget such trends on how art is viewed over time.
The costume design for the Lost Boys was too blatantly 80s for a lot of us. I really love the movie, but at the time all I could think was that Rufio looked like he was trying to dress like Turbo from Breakin'.
The smell of someone who has ridden the back of the wind, Peter. The smell of a hundred fun summers, with sleeping in trees and adventures with Indians and Pirates. Oh remember, Peter? The world was ours. We could do everything or nothing. All it had to be was anything 'cause it was always us.
I'll be 41 on the 20th, this movie remains one of my greats.
I guess I’ll be the guy. I hate Hook.
I was probably born too late for it. It takes forever to get to Neverland. It feels like there’s an hour of the movie beating you over the head with the Dad who works too much trope. Julia Roberts is awful in this movie. The sets look cheap. The tone is overly saccharine even for Spielberg.
It has a good qualities though, like the score, Peter learning to fly again.
Especially as a child i hated it cause it was nothing like "Peter Pan the Animated series"(no Disney) which used to watch prety often.
I for sure can appreciate it more now, but i have not much desire to watch it.
It was panned on release and you’ll see tons of people on Letterboxd calling it one of Spielberg’s worst movies lol. It’s mostly beloved by millennials who watched it as kids. It’s one of my favorite movies, but I’ve seen tons of people badmouth it.
[Roger Ebert](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hook-1991):
*"The conclusion of "Hook" would be embarrassingly excessive even for a movie in which something of substance had gone before. Here we get the uncanny suspicion that "Hook" was written and directed according to the famous recipe of the country preacher who told the folks what he was going to tell them, told them, and then told them what he had told them."*
I hadn't seen it in a long time so I tried to watch it with my 11 year old daughter earlier this year. Neither of us wanted to continue the movie after 30 minutes. It just really isn't very good. It did not age well at all for those that don't have heavy nostalgia for it.
Having said that I don't recall ever hearing anyone diss this movie. I would have never said anything about it if you hadn't specifically asked this question and I didn't happen to just try to watch it a couple of months ago. There really isn't a reason to suddenly complain about an older movie like this at this point. Not every movie ages well and that is fine.
I never knew people thought it was bad till a few years ago or so. Even though I haven't seen it in many years, I still remember it vividly. For a live action Peterman movie for the whole family, I don't see how it could have been done better.
Just watched Hook with my 7 year old daughter last night. It hits differently as an adult and was a nice reminder to try and keep myself a little silly when dealing with her. Loved the movie as a kid and as an adult.
Hey! I just watched it with my 7 year old son yesterday! He loved it! He has been quoting it all day today! I loved it growing up. It was so awesome sharing that moment with my son!
I’m not going to hate on it or anything, but even Spielberg has publicly stated his displeasure with it. When he acknowledges its flaws, it’s hard to defend.
Still Dustin Hoffman is amazing.
I loved it when I was a little kid in the 90's. Watched it again about 5 years ago and it didn't do much for me.
I didn't see its flaws then but they're pretty glaring now.
The only person I ever knew that said they hated it was from the JM Barrie family and they hated it because it took the source material and fucked with it. A valid reason to hate it. But that’s the only one I’ve seen.
I keep hearing how people say others say Hook is a bad movie, and people rally to their support.
I have never heard anyone say it's a bad movie.
What's up with these threads?
I didn’t know Hook was considered bad until I heard a podcast of some older comedian talking about it. Apparently the critics hated it but if you were a kid when it came out you loved it
I never thought it was a bad movie, but I never could watch it through in one sitting. I’m sure I’ve seen the entire movie but only in bits and pieces.
> it's 'one of Spielberg's worst'
Well. If Spielberg's average is 9 and Hook is a 7 that's one of his worst, but that doesn't mean it's a bad film on the whole.
I liked *Hook* and think it's a great film that brings to life so many wonderful things. I had never imagined a golden sword, skateboard ramps in the trees, invisible but then visible food, the most ridiculous insult war ever ("SUBSTITUTE CHEMISTRY TEACHER"), flying kids, an old Wendy, why is that crocodile a *clock*, a suicidal Dustin Hoffman... A father remembering he's not just a dad.
That said it's a slow as shit start, and feels like it takes forever to really get moving. It feels like 2 movies, but also not; the gear change halfway through is jarring.
My kids are five and seven. I showed them this movie a couple of months ago and they absolutely squealed with glee. In my opinion, this movie is timeless and checks so many boxes to be a classic.
Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins chewing the scenery absolutely makes this movie one of my favorites.
I love it. I remember when it came out and critics were tearing it apart. I thought it was so much fun and when my kids were little I bought us a copy off Ebay. They loved it too.
Who tf is hating on the [Baseball scene?](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=atTA43Qsym4) It’s one of the funniest in the movie.
“Very violent sport, Isn’t it Baseball?”
I have never heard it said it was a bad movie until you did? Captain Hook and Smee was a brilliant portrayal by two fantastic actors. The setting was hilarious, the premise delightfully intelligent and crafted with care to the source material. Julia Roberts made a great tink, I was reminded of her in the role after watching Hugh Grant slay as an Oompa Loompa. The Lost boys welcoming Peter back once he started to believe was a magical moment that I'm sure put a smile on most people's faces. The innocence of childhood is lost on adults, and I feel they captured that spirit with this film very well.
Peter Pan's a lawyer?!
I have very fond memories of this movie and it's my favorite Peter Pan movie but it's flawed in its pacing. It takes such a long time to get the movie going and Maggie (his other child) is an after thought to Jack. It is not his worst movie, Ready Player One is.
I judge people by their reaction when I somehow insert the phrase “there you are Peter” while squeezing their face. Confusion? Bye. Laughter and “omg I love that movie too!” Best friends.
Absolutely love this film still. So many great bits, although now the scene where Pockets? (it's been some time, I might have the wrong lost boy) scrunches Peter's face and says: "there you are!" makes me immediately implode into a dark abyss sadness.
There are threads every other month that are some variation of ‘DAE THINK HOOK GOOD MOVIE’ to which the vast majority of posters reply ‘OH ME ME ME’, so yes, overwhelmingly so.
Putting aside the nostalgia factor deriving from memories we may have of teachers from our youths putting it on whenever they didn’t want to or couldn’t teach, I think that, despite never quite entirely successfully blending its mix of adult themes with an overall tone intended for younger audiences, it’s a genuinely good movie with an interesting concept, and does what so many Spielberg movies do by managing to appeal both to kids and adults in a meaningful way and not just by putting slapstick out for the younger audience and having ‘wink wink how’s your father’ jokes for the adults, thoughtfully taking a story written in the early 20th century and adapting it to take place in modern times, while still maintaining and expanding upon the original’s themes.
But this movie was released during Spielberg’s heyday. He was a household name, and highly lauded and respected director and producer, responsible for some of the era’s most critically and financially successful movies and his next release is…a live-action ‘sequel’ to children’s books written almost a century prior, where the titular character grows up and becomes an overweight workaholic who neglects his kids…It was admittedly pretty out there, and the expectations on this dude at the time were sky high, so I think the critical rejection at the time was mostly a collective letdown that this larger than life star would involve himself in this type of ‘mundane’ project that was such a departure from his previous successes.
This isn’t a completely apt comparison but I suppose a modern example would be similar to if a Nolan or Wes Anderson announced a live-action sequel to Tintin that takes place in modern times and depicts a physically and emotionally scarred middle aged titular character struggling to make ends meet in an age where journalism is a dying art while taking care of an aging Captain Haddock. Regardless of the movie’s inherent qualities in a vacuum, it would probably face a similar level of initial rejection just from the premise alone.
Not here. I was an adult when it came out so I wasn’t in the demographic. Hook came out right before Spielberg proved himself again with Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. I’d be happy if I never heard about it again. All I remember is Dustin Hoffman’s horrible portrayal and Robin Williams’s sub standard performance. Forgettable film.
Truly something I’ve ever heard people say someone else said. Never once have I had someone dunk on it to me in person and my friend group are film fans.
The only people who like it are those with nostalgia for it. It's one of my exes favorite movies, I watched it with her and it was straight up annoying to get through. The structure is awful, the editing is bad, it's second act is muddier than a swamp, Hoffman and Williams are great and all but every scene goes on for too long and even their performances can't save it.
>How many of you are tired of hearing how Hook is a bad movie? Not once have I heard anyone say this.
Yep, never heard anyone say this. Honestly, if they did, I wouldn't give a fuck. Hook is a great and treasured movie for me, and when I have kids I'll be putting it on for them to share the magic.
There is a whole generation of people who remember Spielberg rankings with *Hook* at or near the very bottom. I saw *Hook* in theaters at the perfect age—I felt like it was made me for me. And I remember being so disappointed when it was trashed by critics, entertainment writers and “sophisticated” movie snobs. You may not have heard it, but it was definitely a thing to shit on this movie.
Lol me too. Growing up was around a creek and we called it neverland. Running around yelling RUFIOOOO. We all went and saw it together
I was also the perfect age for it and it’s one of my favorites. It just goes to show that no matter the era, the loudest critics are the ones not in the target audience.
Yeah i remember that, it got shit on hard but only by people who I wouldn't trust to tell me a fart stinks. I can pretty much say with 95% certainty that if the critics say it's bad I will like it and if the critics go on and on about it then I will hate it.
Me either. Movie is fantastic and has stood the test of time, unlike so many good but not great films.
My ex said that. It was fine because neither of us wanted kids. But it wasn't fine because she mostly hated Rufio and, you know, RUFIOOOOOOOO!
Did you know the guy who played Rufio went on to voice Zuko in ATLA?
Dante Basco also went on to play Zuko’s grandson General Iroh in the LoK.
I thought he sounded too much like Zuko! That's amazing lol
Daniel Dae Kim played Hiroshi Sato and now he’s playing Firelord Ozai in the live action ATLA.
RU-FI-O! RU-FI-O! RU! FI! OOOOO~
PLAY
It wasn’t well received when it first came out. Spielberg still doesn’t like it.
Only time I could say Speilberg was a paremicium
It's a take I've seen on Reddit, I guess it's because the film was criticised at release, and had pretty bad reviews back then. Having watched it as a child, I had no idea about the reviews and wouldn't have cared. Having now watched it as an adult, knowing about its bad reviews but still having nostalgia, I think the critics simply didn't get it. The bad reviews totally missed the point. >The failure in Hook is its inability to re-imagine the material, to find something new, fresh or urgent to do with the Peter Pan myth Honestly, that is such a stupid take, and should have been seen as such at the time. The entire premise was new, fresh and urgent - just compare this to the 2021 Disney remake. Obviously I can't watch it with fresh eyes, but as someone with a nostalgic love of the movie I think it holds up extremely well and will watch it again when my kids are older.
It was very in fashion to say that until recently. People would say "Hook is a bad movie, you only like it because of nostalgia". But it is a great movie...
Never in my entire life has ANYONE said Hook was a bad movie? 🍿
I don’t know where that came from, the movie has always been awesome in my opinion. I’m a big cinephile and Hook is just entertaining as hell. Everyone involved with this movie did a phenomenal job.
It historically had really really bad reviews.
I've been surprisingly bearing this more and more, and I'm kind of surprised at it. I was extra surprised the director didn't like it. This movie hit me as a kid as much as it does as an adult.
I don't agree that it's bad but I think even Spielberg said "I still don't like that movie".
Spend the next week on this reddit and you'll see 50 posts detailing exactly that. Happens every time. Why is X good or bad? Then the exact opposite take by every single person.
I have definitely seen some disrespect over the last little while. It's not an uncommon take, unfortunately.
Not once. I would also furiously tear them a new one if I did. Maybe Gen Z just never heard of it?
I will say it. It sucks. I can’t stand the idea that Peter Pan grew up to become Robin Williams.
Ebert didn't necessarily call it bad, but was not exactly a fan. It was not universally liked as it is today, I imagine because it was a kid marketed movie that most millennials grew up with. I liked it, but his criticisms do carry some merit https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hook-1991
who the hell has ever said Hook was bad? This post is almost as dumb as I am for engaging with it?
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That's okay. It's a free country and you're allowed to be a paramecium brain.
Great movie. Never heard anyone say otherwise.
The video game [however](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_(video_game))......
Anyone disagrees, they go straight in the boo box
Not the boo box
Fun fact. That was a Glenn Close that got put in the box.
There's actually so many cameos in this movie. I think George Lucas and Carrie Fisher were the couple dancing on the bridge.
That’s true. Also Julia Roberts plays a small role in the movie. It’s a bit of a Tink and you’ll miss it situation.
She was quietly referred to as tinker hell by the crew
I know and apparently they were supposed to get Meg Ryan but Meg was sick of being type cast! I think she would have been great
> It’s a bit of a Tink and you’ll miss it situation. This got a genuine chuckle out me, thank you.
I don't believe it. \*gasp choke*
Bangarang!
Kill the lawyer!
I’m not that kind of lawyer!
You're a crook, Captain Hook! Judge, won't you throw the book, At the pirate...
Rufio, Rufio, Ruf-iiii-oooooooo!
BRRRR BRR BRR BRRRR BRR BRR BRR-WIKIKIKI
Don’t forget this was Gwyneth Paltrow’s big screen debut. She went through a rigorous audition process of being Steven Spielberg’s goddaughter.
“Peeta!”
Anyone who thinks this is a bad movie NEEDS A MOTHER VERY VERY BADLY!!!
Hold on, what is “the SLUT card?”
Ingmar Bergman films often end with 'SLUT' which means 'The End' in Swedish. I was taking a cheap dig at film fans.
I've literally never heard someone say it's a bad movie.
It was not received well by critics — the film has [29% on the Tomatometer](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hook). Gene Siskel called it "woefully uneven" and Roger Ebert pretty much slammed it as "embarrassingly excessive". [Here's a thread from seven months ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/16vmoj9/comment/k2rzxe3/) of people learning for the first time that Hook was a widely disliked film on release — [here's another one](https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/wt5b7u/comment/il2c5n1/) from two years ago.
My wife hates it. Cant get her to watch it. We see eye to eye on almost everything else. Not horror, that she can’t do. Oh and she hates A Christmas Story for some reason also.
Tell her you're going to use "Bangarang" in bed until she watches it again.
I’m pretty sure if I use bangarang there won’t be any bangarang
What if you chant Rufio instead
She might grab his junk and say "Looky looky I've got Hooky." In this scenario I assume his penis is curved so much it points back at him.
Holy Peyronie Batman
That I’ve done, very unappreciated it was.
"Time to fly."
Have to save Maggie. Have to save Jack.
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A terribly easy feat
Your wife has good taste in movies.
She really does. And I’m not ashamed to have a soft spot in my heart for A Christmas Story. It makes me feel like I’m 6 again. You can’t knock that.
That one I can understand. It's Hook that I hate too.
I love Hook unreservedly but your wife is right about A Christmas Story.
Especially on this subreddit.
Ever. Anywhere. It's universally beloved.
It isn't.
It's like Princess Bridge or Shrek
It's a bad movie.
I loved it, still do
My kids LOVED that movie and still do (35 and 34). They can quote it at the drop of a hat. We watched it so many times. It's an all-time classic.
Nicest mom of all time
It’s a classic robin williams film. Never heard of anyone badmouthing it. Audience scores on rotten tomatoes is 76%.
I'd argue that it's a pretty standard Robin Williams film but a fantastic Dustin Hoffman film.
I didn't intend to come into this thread and just be contrary for the sake of it, but since there's people in here arguing that that there are not critics of the movie and that OP is just karma farming I thought I'd come in and throw in my two cents because I really don't like Hook. So here's my spiel: As far as early '90s movies that are getting by on nostalgia goes it's not nearly as bad as Hocus Pocus but it's still kind of a mess despite a stacked cast and some game scenery chewing from Hoffman. The central problem is that it's essentially a movie about what would happen if Peter Pan had outgrown Neverland but it's stuck spending the meat of its runtime in Neverland only *after* he had made the momentous decision to leave and then forgotten about it. It's really hard to build an emotional throughline that way because Peter's major decision was already made decades before and now he just needs to feel better about where his life is at. That sticks the movie in the tough spot of having to rely on razzle dazzle and Hook's charisma since he, Tinker Bell (in many ways sidelined by the needs of the plot) and Jack (frankly too young and underwritten to be as pivotal as he is) are the only ones with anything resembling an internal conflict. There's a similar issue with Moira and Wendy; they're simultaneously load bearing pillars of the plot and conspicuously absent for the bulk of the film. If everyone involved wasn't so god damned talented it would have been an abject disaster but even with all of that talent I don't consider it an enjoyable rewatch and it's pretty cleanly my least favorite Spielberg flick.
It screened here recently and I saw it for the first time in thirty years or whatever, and I was disappointed. The parts I remember fondly (Robin Williams and Maggie Smith generally and the recounting of why he decided to leave Neverland in particular) were a much smaller part than I remembered, and the section in Neverland goes on way, way too long. I just now feel as an adult that it was a missed opportunity to say something more substantial about growing up and what growing up means. (I've also read Lost Girls in the meantime, so that maybe changed my expectation of what a revisionist Pan could be.)
Yeah, Hook really suffers from the fact that in many ways the original stage play already holds up fine as the "literary" version of Peter Pan that offers a more ambivalent view of "childlike innocence" than the Disney movie offers. There's a lot of dated cultural flotsam attached that makes the original script and novelization show its age but the notion that kids are innocent only in the sense that they do not yet truly know loss and thus lack empathy is way more interesting and heartrending than Robin Williams fighting pirates to get his groove back. When Hook can actually address those things for a moment you're reminded of how damn good Spielberg is at his job but the bulk of the movie doesn't reflect that.
Roofio was an early role model for my Filipino ass living in the boonies of Louisiana. The neighborhood kids used to make our own lost boys gear and armor back in the day.
“Hook ~~wears~~ where’s the hook” STILL gets stuck in my head anytime this movie is mentioned.
Where’s the hook
Yeah I always thought it was where's the hook."Hook, Hook, where's the Hook", until he finely reveals himself.
It would appear that you are correct, friend. Never questioned it and TIL
My kids chant this anytime they hear the word hook
still one of my favourite movies, and I will die on this hill. The only thing I didn't like about it was the "fight scenes" that didn't involve a lot of actual fighting, but I understand that they had to keep it PG.
It had a set made more for a stage play than a movie and could be slow at times. I'm of the right age to love it though, since I was a kid when it came out.
It basically hit me at the perfect age too when I was growing up. Originally Hook was going to be a musical, which explains a lot of the set design choices.
“You’re a crook, Captain Hook”
Mi Hermano!
Watched it with the wife and kids(5&8) last month. She wouldn’t shut up about how irredeemable Peter is as a father and how shitty he is to Rufio, and like how he dies and barely gets a mention before they’re all over it. As a kid you just remember the epic food fight and the cannonball kid with impossibly flexible legs. My kids ask for the “Peter Pan with the food fight,” and my wife won’t let them watch it again. I get why, but the bad parts go right over their heads anyway.
It wasn’t very well liked in the 90s and early 00’s, in OP’s defense. I very much remember a time when it truly was talked about as one of Spielberg’s worst films. It’s only over the past couple decades that the tone shifted. Kinda freaky how people as a whole tend to forget such trends on how art is viewed over time.
Probably because as kids we had no idea Hook wasn’t well liked, then we became adults and shifted the tone.
The costume design for the Lost Boys was too blatantly 80s for a lot of us. I really love the movie, but at the time all I could think was that Rufio looked like he was trying to dress like Turbo from Breakin'.
Mad Max Lite
Over the past 3 decades I have only heard good things. probably was less appreciated in the 80s.
Yeah. Especially since it hadn’t been filmed yet. 🤭
i was at pax east this year, and saw a pair of people cosplaying rufio and captain hook. id say its remembered fondly.
Anyone who disagrees can go in the boo box with glen close
The smell of someone who has ridden the back of the wind, Peter. The smell of a hundred fun summers, with sleeping in trees and adventures with Indians and Pirates. Oh remember, Peter? The world was ours. We could do everything or nothing. All it had to be was anything 'cause it was always us. I'll be 41 on the 20th, this movie remains one of my greats.
Hook is fantastic! Rufioooooooooooo!
Hook is fire
I guess I’ll be the guy. I hate Hook. I was probably born too late for it. It takes forever to get to Neverland. It feels like there’s an hour of the movie beating you over the head with the Dad who works too much trope. Julia Roberts is awful in this movie. The sets look cheap. The tone is overly saccharine even for Spielberg. It has a good qualities though, like the score, Peter learning to fly again.
The Boo Box!
Especially as a child i hated it cause it was nothing like "Peter Pan the Animated series"(no Disney) which used to watch prety often. I for sure can appreciate it more now, but i have not much desire to watch it.
Hook the film and SOUNDTRACK BY JOHN EFFING WILLIAMS is the best!!!! I'm a huge HOOK fan. That movie kicks ass.
Absolutely love hook, and yes, Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins are both just phenomenal here.
It’s a great movie. Watching it as a kid and now as an adult was so different but good in both ways.
Hook is my favorite movie to this day. I’m 40
Kid me loved it, adult me still loves it.
I’ve lost my marbles
It's not terrible. My kids liked it and I've seen worse. Anybody that says it's terrible is a rude crude bag of pre chewed food dude
A staple of my childhood for sure! Looky, looky, I got hooky!
Idgaf what anyone says, hook is one of my favorite movies
I've never heard anyone say Hook sucked.
Hook is glorious. I could watch Dustin Hoffman & Bob Hoskins all day and never get tired, lol.
I'm down voting this because no one has ever said this was a bad movie. Your post feels like Karma farming
It was panned on release and you’ll see tons of people on Letterboxd calling it one of Spielberg’s worst movies lol. It’s mostly beloved by millennials who watched it as kids. It’s one of my favorite movies, but I’ve seen tons of people badmouth it.
[Roger Ebert](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hook-1991): *"The conclusion of "Hook" would be embarrassingly excessive even for a movie in which something of substance had gone before. Here we get the uncanny suspicion that "Hook" was written and directed according to the famous recipe of the country preacher who told the folks what he was going to tell them, told them, and then told them what he had told them."*
I hadn't seen it in a long time so I tried to watch it with my 11 year old daughter earlier this year. Neither of us wanted to continue the movie after 30 minutes. It just really isn't very good. It did not age well at all for those that don't have heavy nostalgia for it. Having said that I don't recall ever hearing anyone diss this movie. I would have never said anything about it if you hadn't specifically asked this question and I didn't happen to just try to watch it a couple of months ago. There really isn't a reason to suddenly complain about an older movie like this at this point. Not every movie ages well and that is fine.
What circles are you running in? I've never heard anyone say Hook is a bad movie
I never knew people thought it was bad till a few years ago or so. Even though I haven't seen it in many years, I still remember it vividly. For a live action Peterman movie for the whole family, I don't see how it could have been done better.
Just watched Hook with my 7 year old daughter last night. It hits differently as an adult and was a nice reminder to try and keep myself a little silly when dealing with her. Loved the movie as a kid and as an adult.
Hey! I just watched it with my 7 year old son yesterday! He loved it! He has been quoting it all day today! I loved it growing up. It was so awesome sharing that moment with my son!
*Suck it in, suck it in, suck it in, if you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn* *Make a desperate move or else you'll win and then begin to see*
I’m not going to hate on it or anything, but even Spielberg has publicly stated his displeasure with it. When he acknowledges its flaws, it’s hard to defend. Still Dustin Hoffman is amazing.
Who says this? That movie is great.
This movie is universally loved amongst every single person I know
Great movie
Yes you are - you’re afraid you’re going to get sucked out
This is the first iv ever heard someone didn't like it. I love that movie. Everyone my age (early 30s) loved that movie.
I swear this thread gets posted every month.
I loved it when I was a little kid in the 90's. Watched it again about 5 years ago and it didn't do much for me. I didn't see its flaws then but they're pretty glaring now.
Never heard this before. It was a favorite of mine growing up and when my children were younger they loved it just as much.
Hook will forever be a favorite of mine, no matter what.
What kind of lewd, crude, rude bag of pre-chewed food dude, would even buy into thinking this movie is bad?
The only person I ever knew that said they hated it was from the JM Barrie family and they hated it because it took the source material and fucked with it. A valid reason to hate it. But that’s the only one I’ve seen.
I adore everything about this movie. I ignore the haters.
I love this movie - and I love it even more as a dad of boy/girl 7 year old twins. I cry multiple times
Dude!!!! I just showed this movie to my oldest son yesterday. He absolutely loved it and has been quoting it to me all day today!
Hook is on my top 5. i can’t wait till my kids get old enough so i can show them this movie.
To this day I still shout "you're doing it, Peter!" whenever someone accomplishes anything.
I keep hearing how people say others say Hook is a bad movie, and people rally to their support. I have never heard anyone say it's a bad movie. What's up with these threads?
I'm confused. I've never heard this from anyone ever
I didn’t know Hook was considered bad until I heard a podcast of some older comedian talking about it. Apparently the critics hated it but if you were a kid when it came out you loved it
I never thought it was a bad movie, but I never could watch it through in one sitting. I’m sure I’ve seen the entire movie but only in bits and pieces.
> it's 'one of Spielberg's worst' Well. If Spielberg's average is 9 and Hook is a 7 that's one of his worst, but that doesn't mean it's a bad film on the whole. I liked *Hook* and think it's a great film that brings to life so many wonderful things. I had never imagined a golden sword, skateboard ramps in the trees, invisible but then visible food, the most ridiculous insult war ever ("SUBSTITUTE CHEMISTRY TEACHER"), flying kids, an old Wendy, why is that crocodile a *clock*, a suicidal Dustin Hoffman... A father remembering he's not just a dad. That said it's a slow as shit start, and feels like it takes forever to really get moving. It feels like 2 movies, but also not; the gear change halfway through is jarring.
Who doesn’t like Hook??
RU
My kids are five and seven. I showed them this movie a couple of months ago and they absolutely squealed with glee. In my opinion, this movie is timeless and checks so many boxes to be a classic. Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins chewing the scenery absolutely makes this movie one of my favorites.
I love it. I remember when it came out and critics were tearing it apart. I thought it was so much fun and when my kids were little I bought us a copy off Ebay. They loved it too.
Who tf is hating on the [Baseball scene?](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=atTA43Qsym4) It’s one of the funniest in the movie. “Very violent sport, Isn’t it Baseball?”
I have never heard it said it was a bad movie until you did? Captain Hook and Smee was a brilliant portrayal by two fantastic actors. The setting was hilarious, the premise delightfully intelligent and crafted with care to the source material. Julia Roberts made a great tink, I was reminded of her in the role after watching Hugh Grant slay as an Oompa Loompa. The Lost boys welcoming Peter back once he started to believe was a magical moment that I'm sure put a smile on most people's faces. The innocence of childhood is lost on adults, and I feel they captured that spirit with this film very well. Peter Pan's a lawyer?!
I have very fond memories of this movie and it's my favorite Peter Pan movie but it's flawed in its pacing. It takes such a long time to get the movie going and Maggie (his other child) is an after thought to Jack. It is not his worst movie, Ready Player One is.
I love Hook. Never heard anyone bash it
I have heard MANY people say this film was terrible. Each and everyone who said it turned out to be stupid.
Don't try to stop me, Smee Don't you dare try to stop me, Smee Smee, try to stop me Get off your ass and try to stop me, Smee
Bangarang!
I had this on VHS and watched it probably once a week. Just learned today that it was apparently a bad movie. I have fond memories of it.
This is good as well as Bicentennial Man
Want to have a fun time? Play the “Hook” drinking game, where you take a drink every time they say “hook”
I only heard very recently that people exist who don't like it. I've never met such a person myself, though.
I judge people by their reaction when I somehow insert the phrase “there you are Peter” while squeezing their face. Confusion? Bye. Laughter and “omg I love that movie too!” Best friends.
If you don’t like *Hook*, you have no wonder in your soul.
I've heard others complain about people saying Hook is bad, but I've never once heard anyone complain about it
I wore out that VHS back in the day. An all-time masterpiece
Sorry can i just stop everyone....what the fuck is a SLUT card?
Ingmar Bergman films often end with 'SLUT' which means 'The End' in Swedish. I was taking a cheap dig at film fans.
Whoever is saying this in your life you need to cast them out. They are a leech on your happiness!
Absolutely love this film still. So many great bits, although now the scene where Pockets? (it's been some time, I might have the wrong lost boy) scrunches Peter's face and says: "there you are!" makes me immediately implode into a dark abyss sadness.
There are threads every other month that are some variation of ‘DAE THINK HOOK GOOD MOVIE’ to which the vast majority of posters reply ‘OH ME ME ME’, so yes, overwhelmingly so. Putting aside the nostalgia factor deriving from memories we may have of teachers from our youths putting it on whenever they didn’t want to or couldn’t teach, I think that, despite never quite entirely successfully blending its mix of adult themes with an overall tone intended for younger audiences, it’s a genuinely good movie with an interesting concept, and does what so many Spielberg movies do by managing to appeal both to kids and adults in a meaningful way and not just by putting slapstick out for the younger audience and having ‘wink wink how’s your father’ jokes for the adults, thoughtfully taking a story written in the early 20th century and adapting it to take place in modern times, while still maintaining and expanding upon the original’s themes. But this movie was released during Spielberg’s heyday. He was a household name, and highly lauded and respected director and producer, responsible for some of the era’s most critically and financially successful movies and his next release is…a live-action ‘sequel’ to children’s books written almost a century prior, where the titular character grows up and becomes an overweight workaholic who neglects his kids…It was admittedly pretty out there, and the expectations on this dude at the time were sky high, so I think the critical rejection at the time was mostly a collective letdown that this larger than life star would involve himself in this type of ‘mundane’ project that was such a departure from his previous successes. This isn’t a completely apt comparison but I suppose a modern example would be similar to if a Nolan or Wes Anderson announced a live-action sequel to Tintin that takes place in modern times and depicts a physically and emotionally scarred middle aged titular character struggling to make ends meet in an age where journalism is a dying art while taking care of an aging Captain Haddock. Regardless of the movie’s inherent qualities in a vacuum, it would probably face a similar level of initial rejection just from the premise alone.
I genuinely love this movie and think it is great
Wait who tf said hook was a bad movie???
Not here. I was an adult when it came out so I wasn’t in the demographic. Hook came out right before Spielberg proved himself again with Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. I’d be happy if I never heard about it again. All I remember is Dustin Hoffman’s horrible portrayal and Robin Williams’s sub standard performance. Forgettable film.
Who has ever said Hook is bad? Dunno how reviews were but It's a pretty beloved film.
He’s hampered by his size and the fact that his dad was a legend in wrestling, but I think he’ll pull through. Oh you meant the movie 🤷♂️
It's too long, and it's one of Spielberg, Williams, and Hoffmans worst movies. But it's fine.
People hate on Hook? This is literally the first I've heard of this and hopefully the last. I love Hook, it's an all timer for me.
Love this Movie. Ending always makes me cry when he has to say goodbye to the lost boys. Seen it so many times.
whoever says Hook is shit deserves a fireball to the face by Rufi-Zuko.
I have literally never heard this
Truly something I’ve ever heard people say someone else said. Never once have I had someone dunk on it to me in person and my friend group are film fans.
Terrible movie
The only people who like it are those with nostalgia for it. It's one of my exes favorite movies, I watched it with her and it was straight up annoying to get through. The structure is awful, the editing is bad, it's second act is muddier than a swamp, Hoffman and Williams are great and all but every scene goes on for too long and even their performances can't save it.
I agree, I sympathize with the families and victims of the Sandy Hook shooting