Hook, the Superbit Edition, on DVD

Steven Spielberg took a stroll down memory lane with this updating of the Peter Pan tale.

It’s a “state of the art” version of J. M. Barrie’s classic children’s story that begins with the premise “What if Peter Pan grew up?”

And so he has. Peter Banning (Robin Williams, in a fine performance) is a husband and father, but both of those roles take a back seat to his job. A corporate lawyer, he’s too busy for his kids, especially his son it seems, and this causes a rift between them just as they’re heading to England to participate in a charity event honoring the woman who gave him a home so long ago - Grandma Wendy (Maggie Smith).

Wendy, of course, is a darling - the Darling, in fact. She’s now old, but when she was young she took part in the adventures in Neverland that J. M. Barrie supposedly immortalized in his story.

Peter knows nothing of this. He’s driven and busy and has no time for such childish things.

But James Hook, Captain (Dustin Hoffman, in a terrific performance), hasn’t forgotten the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Peter Pan and his band of ragamuffins and he's determined to have revenge.

His plan is to strike at Peter by kidnapping his kids and taking them back to Neverland, which he does. Fortunately, Tinker Bell knows what’s up, and arrives in London to take Peter back with her to fight the evil Capt. Hook.

But Peter needs to be Peter Pan, not paunchy middle-aged Peter Banning, to fight Hook. Alas, he has no memories of his previous life, so Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys’ work is cut out for them.

Meanwhile, Hook, aided by person of hench Smee (Bob Hoskins), is trying to destroy Peter by making Peter’s son Jack love him instead of Peter.

What’s a self respecting wonder boy to do?

Hook is engaging, and is a movie that appears aimed chiefly at fathers - kind of a cautionary tale about not spending enough time with the family. And despite some heavy handedness in this area, the movie works for the most part. Spielberg can play his audience like a violin, and he does so with great virtuosity in Hook.

Spielberg, Hollywood uber liberal, changes the Lost Boys from their Barrie origins to a politically correct collection full of ethnic diversity. He also gives them skateboards - a contemporary touch you wouldn’t expect to see in an unchanging land. This isn't surprising, but it also isn't necessary.

Then again, the theme of adults regaining their lost innocence through their children is touching.

So while Hook is nothing if not flawed, it’s also very enjoyable and, in Spielberg tradition, it's a visual treat. And we get another terrific John Williams score!

On the downside, we could have done without Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell. Too bad Reese Witherspoon was too young at the time; she would have been much better as the fairy.

Speaking of visual treats, this version has been given the Columbia Tristar Superbit treatment, which enhances the visual quality to an even higher level. The picture, presented in anamorphic widescreen (16x9 TV compatible), is gorgeous, with deep and rich colors and terrific sharpness. This is a Superbit picture that’s truly super.

Audio, offered in both dts and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, is also excellent, though we thought it lacked a bit of “oomph” and would have liked to hear more surround. That disappointed us a bit. Not a Super bit, though; overall the audio quality is very good.

As is usual with Superbit titles (as opposed to “Superbit Deluxe”), there are no extras. We love extras, but the bottom line is the movie and we don’t mind sacrificing the gilding on the lily to get the best audio and video quality possible and, as usual, this Superbit title doesn’t disappoint.

Hook - the Superbit Edition, from Columbia Tristar Home Video
144 min. anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1, 16x9 TV compatible), dts and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround
Starring Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins
Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Gerald. R. Molen
Written by J V. Hart and Malia Scotch Marmo, directed by Steven Spielberg

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