The impact thatSteven Spielberghas had on cinema cannot be overstated. He isthe most commercially successful directorof all time and one of film’s most significant pioneers. Spielberg has directed a whopping 34 feature-length films over his 50+-year career. His films are known for their remarkable cinematography, epic scope, sci-fi elements and coming-of-age stories, and memorable John Williams scores.
Spielberg’s filmography credits, both as a director and a producer, include some of the greatest movies ever made, many of which have influenced future filmmakers and changed the landscape of cinema. But even the greatest legends aren’t always happy with their work. There’s one movie in particular that Spielberg isn’t fond of, even though it’s become a beloved cult classic since its release, and that movie is 1991’sHook.
Spielberg Gets Hooked In
Spielberg was already a force in Hollywood by the 1980s. He had just createdthe first blockbuster withJaws,along with other cinematic masterpieces likeClose Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark,andE.T.But there was one story that Spielberg was very interested in telling: Peter Pan. His mother often read himPeter and Wendyby J. M. Barrie as a bedtime story. He even directed a school production of this classic tale when he was 11-years-old. Spielberg formed a close connection with Peter Pan’s story.
He told author Joseph McBride for his biography:
“I have always felt like Peter Pan. I still feel like Peter Pan. It has been very hard for me to grow up, I’m a victim of the Peter Pan syndrome”.
Spielberg began developing a Peter Pan movie with Disney in the early 1980s, which would’ve basically been a live-action adaptation of the studio’s 1953 animated classic. He considered directing the film as a musical and casting pop star Michael Jackson as Peter Pan. The project wound up going to Paramount, where it flew through pre-production. But by 1985, Spielberg had dropped out of the project to spend time with his newborn son, Max.
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Paramount moved forward with the untitled Peter Pan project, tapping Nick Castle as Spielberg’s replacement in the director’s chair. The project’s screenwriter, James V. Hart,wanted to avoid aPeter Panremakeand do something different with the source material. He began working on a new story, which was guided by the ideas of his own son, Jake. Jake’s drawing of Captain Hook escaping from the crocodile at the end ofPeter Pan,as well as his questions about Peter Pan’s future, inspired much of the story that would eventually become known asHook.
Hook Gets Ripped Apart by Critics
Hookjumped studios again, taking flight from Paramount and finally landing with TriStar. There were creative differences, however, with Nick Castle that led to the director’s dismissal. By this point, five years had passed since Spielberg originally dropped out of the project. TriStar asked him to come back and direct their reimagined version ofPeter Pan.And Spielberg agreed, drawn in by the troubled father-son relationship inHook.It’s a plot point that, Spielberg felt, reflected his own dysfunctional relationship with his father, a theme that’s common in many of his films.
InHook,Spielberg directs an all-star cast that includes Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, andthe late, great Maggie Smith. Peter Pan (Williams) has finally grown up, his storied past forgotten, and has become just another dull, boring adult who’s too busy with his career. But things change when Peter is lured back to the magical world of Neverland when his arch-nemesis, Captain Hook (Hoffman), kidnaps his children.
Not even Spielberg’s imaginative vision or this all-star cast could spareHookfrom getting ripped apart by critics. The film holds a lowly 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert, one of Hollywood’s most iconic film critics, wrote, “The failure inHookis its inability to re-imagine the material, to find something new, fresh or urgent to do with the Peter Pan myth.” And many critics echoed this sentiment.
Spielberg’s Thoughts on Hook
Critics weren’t the only ones who were hard onHook.Steven Spielberg himself isn’t a fan of his own movie. He’s admitted in multiple interviews that he isn’t proud of the final result. Some of his disappointment stems from the look and feel of Neverland. “I’m uncomfortable with that highly stylized world that today, of course, I would probably have done with live-action character work inside a completely digital set,” he toldEntertainment Weeklyin 2011. “But we didn’t have the technology to do it then, and my imagination only went as far as building physical sets and trying to paint trees blue and red.”
Spielberg also felt out of his element makingHookand seemed to struggle with putting his vision on film. “I didn’t have confidence in the script.” he toldEmpirein a 2018 interview. “I didn’t quite know what I was doing, and I tried to paint over my insecurity with production value. The more insecure I felt about it, the bigger and more colorful the sets became.”
Hook Is Now a Beloved Cult Classic
The critics hated it.Spielberg hated it.But for many viewers,Hookis a cult classic, a fan-favorite in Spielberg’s catalog. Despite what the critics say, this movieisa clever re-imagining ofthe classic tale of Peter Pan. What happens when the boy who never grows up actually does grow up?
Aided by John Williams' beautiful score,Hooksparkles with fairy dust, immersing you in the wonders of Neverland. And its authentic, early ’90s production – those painted trees and the colorful sets that Spielberg loathed – were apart of that charm. Not to mention, the movie is filled with iconic performances, from Robin Williams' epic Pan ,to Dustin Hoffman’s sinister Hook, to Maggie Smith’s endearing Wendy.
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Audiences, especially the kids, became enchanted by the magic ofHook.It’sa definitive childhood film for the Millennial generation, a movie that they’ll continue to love as adults and will one day share with their own children, creating a fanbase that spans generations. “I wanna seeHookagain because I so don’t like that movie,” Spielberg said in a 2013 interview withKermode & Mayo’s Film Review. “And I’m hoping someday I’ll see it again and perhaps like some of it.” Hopefully one day, Mr. Spielberg, you’ll watchHookand will come to appreciate what you created. And when that day comes, maybe you’ll finally get to see what all the fanssee: a truly beautiful and magical story.
