Hook is a Peter Pan story like no other. Rather than retell the story of the boy from Neverland, the film stars Williams as an older version of the character named Peter Banning, who's forgotten his past and lives a successful yet mundane life as a lawyer. Married to Wendy Darling's (Maggie Smith/Gwyneth Paltrow) granddaughter Moira (Caroline Goodall), he's hardly a family man given how hard he works. But when the family goes to London to visit Wendy, Peter's children are kidnapped, and the only thing that's left behind is a note from Captain James Hook (Dustin Hoffman). As any father would, Peter wants to call the police, but Wendy has other ideas, reminding him of his true identity as Peter Pan.
Peter doesn't believe Wendy, of course (who would?), but Tinkerbell's (Julia Roberts) pixie dust lands him in Neverland proper before long. Now, Peter has the opportunity to save his children, but there are two glaring issues. First, his time on Earth sapped away the power of flight he once had and all but erased his proficiency as a swordsman. Second, though his daughter Maggie (Amber Scott) still loves him, his son Jack (Charlie Korsmo) is content to stay with Hook, a father figure with none of Peter's workaholic tendencies. His only hope in saving them — and being reminded of the power of familial love — is the help of Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys.
It's a really brilliant premise, but as Spielberg admitted, the execution bothers him. With the movie now streaming on Netflix, you can decide how you feel about Hook for yourself — and, like Peter, relive memories of your own childhood in the process.
