What if Peter Pan had grown up and forgotten his identity? What if he went back to Neverland? Released in 1991 and directed by Steven Spielberg, "Hook" features Robin Williams as a corporate lawyer who must travel to the island of Neverland when his two children are taken in London by Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman). He encounters various problems with Tinkerbell, portrayed by Julia Roberts, pirates, a group of misfit lost boys led by Rufio (Dante Basco), and Hook’s attempts to win over his kids. Maggie Smith and Gwyneth Paltrow appear as older and younger versions of Wendy, respectively. This family-friendly adventure/fantasy/comedy shares similarities with films like "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968), "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971), "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004) and "Into the Woods" (2014); it’s just not a musical, even though there are some songs. Depending on your preferences, “Hook” is neither better nor worse than those films—though "The Wizard of Oz" stands apart. I enjoy serious adventure stories, but I've always found Peter Pan to be too childish and fantasy-based. This is ironic since I experience Peter Pan Syndrome, something Spielberg also acknowledged; my wife has The Wendy Dilemma (you can research these terms). People who are fans of Peter Pan will likely appreciate this film more than I do. Despite being made by a large group of talented individuals, it does have genuinely funny moments—I laughed out loud at least four times. Hoffman’s portrayal of the main character is memorable. And Roberts performs surprisingly well as Tinkerbell, although her appearance could have been enhanced further. In fact, the film needs more appeal to women. Even the creators of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” understood that and included a bit of that. Spielberg and Williams both liked the opening and closing scenes but had concerns about the lengthy Neverland section, which makes up most of the movie. Williams admitted he felt disoriented in Neverland because he was rapidly moved from one situation to another. However, the sets built before computer-generated imagery were vibrant and creative; it’s an entertaining film with a lot of energy. Peter Pan just isn't my kind of story. The movie has a running time of 2 hours and 22 minutes (which feels long). James V. Hart, Nick Castle and Malia Scotch Marmo wrote the script based on ideas from J.M. Barrie’s works, particularly “Peter and Wendy” (1911). The film had a production cost of $70 million (excluding marketing) and grossed $301 million worldwide, with $120 million coming from domestic sales. Although it was the fourth highest-grossing movie globally in 1991, producers considered it a failure—those greedy people. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB