Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35519 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-09-09
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Georgian, Chinese, Thai
• Dubbed in: French
• Running time: 144 minutes

From Amazon.com
Steven Spielberg's deeply flawed but sporadically fun and moving update of the Peter Pan legend stars Robin Williams as the grown-up Pan, a corporate-takeover type who must embrace his old identity in order to save his kids from Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman). The stars put on a good show, including Hoffman's read of Hook's hysterical personality, Julia Roberts mini-turn as a tiny Tinker Bell, and Maggie Smith's touching performance as the aged Wendy. The visual contrast between the adult Pan's bustling outside world and the insulated fantasy of Neverland is striking, but Spielberg's ideas about the Lost Boys--politically correct in their ethnic diversity, energetic on skateboards--are contrived and cheapening. On the plus side, the story's theme about adults finding their innocence again through their children is very touching (though some people have found it cloying). If you can look beyond the glaring problems, there's plenty to like here. --Tom Keogh

Review
Turning Peter Pan into an exploration of yuppie angst and a metaphor for rediscovering one's "inner-child," Hook might very well be the worst film of Steven Spielberg's career. The first of many disappointing fantasy-themed family comedies featuring Robin Williams, Hook dispenses with the charm and terror of the original tale in order to revel in some busy art direction and make parents realize they need to spend more time with their kids. Such moralizing would be fine if the film were at all entertaining, but none of the characters make any sense in their modern incarnations. The only character who works in a new way is Captain Hook, who misses battling with Peter, but Dustin Hoffman spends time chewing the scenery instead of acting. This is an artistic dead-end for everyone involved. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

On the DVD
ccDigitally mastered audio and anamorphic video
Widescreen presentation
Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital), English DTS, French Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai
Scene selections

Customer Reviews

This if a GREAT Family movie. triple A+
This movie is soooo wonderful. It is very Heartwarming, funny, dramatic, and great for families. And fathers and daughters to bond. I say that because when i was younger it was more often to see me on my dads lap watching this movie {or other movies with Robin Williams in them} then with any other member of my family. So if your between the ages of 3 and 8, and you and your dad or your mom are really close, this is one of many Robin William movies that i recommened you watch.

One man and the search for his inner child...a great message
For a movie going on lucky 13 years old, it's still as fun to watch as it was the first time I saw it in the theaters. Peter Banning is a well off American lawyer married to the great grandaughter of Wendy Moira Angela Darling...Mora Darling. He also has two kids, Jack and Maggie. However, supporting for his family has become a full time job and as such he's forgotten all about having an imagination, playing with his kids, spending time with his family, and enjoying his life. And in the middle of all of this, there's Capt. James S. Hook, life long enemy of Peter Pan (Banning, though unbeknownst to him). In an act of vengeance, he kidnaps Banning's kids in the night, and tinkerbell comes home to bring Peter back to Never Neverland and make Peter remember the life he left behind and the fight that was never finished.

Mr. Spielberg went all out on this movie, and it shows. There's a lot of heart and soul here from the pirate ships to the lost boys hideout to London and back again. At the same time, there's a lot of heart in both the screenplay and the actors embodiment of the characters. I don't think there will ever be a Hook as good as the one that Dustin Hoffman has done in this film, Bob Hoskins is always a pleasure to watch and his comedic timing is near perfect, causing everything from a slight chuckle to uproarious laughter to pass your lips after each scene he's in, and William's Peter Banning/Pan, while extrodinarily silly and misguided at times, comes around brilliantly, and the first time you watch him fly you can't help but grin from ear to ear.

The child talent is always a risky business, but if you accept that the kids are not going to be the best actors in the world, you realize that most of them do the script justice, whether they know they are or not. Charlie Korsmo, along with Dante Basco, are clearly the most talented, carrying their scenes with Williams and Hoffman very well.

John Williams score is as wonderful as it ever was (you can hear some of the framework for the Harry Potter music in this particular score)...

And finally, there's the message..."never grow up". It's the same message from the original movie, but how it gets there is slightly different. As we watch Peter Banning remember and relive the life he left behind, we realize what he realizes; growing old doesn't mean you have to grow up...and you have to live...for that is the "great adventure".

At 2 hours and 20 minutes, the movie drags here and there a bit from time to time. And on no fault of the original production, the special effects of the film have not held up as well as they could have in the last 13 years. The movie is starting to look it's age. But I think no matter how old this movie gets, there will always be people who will be taken back by the simple premise of this movie and embrace it for the wonderful way it's taken the original Peter Pan story to a whole new level...and beyond.

"Rufio! Rufio! Rufioooooooooooooo!"
Why has this film been criticized? There's nothing to complain about Steven Spielberg's "Hook." It should be a classic; most people don't remember that it was nominated for a whole slew of Oscars.
First off, I'll cover the visuals. They're wonderful. The depiction of Neverland was incredible to behold. The effects and flying scenes nearly took my breath away, and the score by John Williams is truly magical.
And the performances worked. Robin Williams was a great choice for Peter Pan, and Dustin Hoffman hammed it up to perfection as Captain Hook. The story was pretty interesting, too. Peter Pan has lived his worst nightmare: he grew up, and has become a corporate "pirate." One night, while visiting Wendy (Maggie Smith) in London with his family, Captain Hook infiltrates the real world and kidnaps Peter's children. Even though he can't remember who he once was, Peter is aided by Tinker Bell (Julia Roberts), and journeys to Neverland to rescue his kids. The Lost Boys were hilarious, and Bob Hoskins stole the show as Hook's crooked assistant, Smee.
"Hook" is a film that people of all ages can enjoy. A rare combination of acting, storytelling, and visuals, we should add another movie to Spielberg's list of classics. This is magical, old-school entertainment at its best.