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Hook
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Although many consider "Hook" one of the lesser moments in the career of director Steven Spielberg, it still manages to be a moderately entertaining, if slightly flawed, ride. I never got to see it in theaters, and have caught it since a couple times on television. It may not have been Spielberg's best creatively, but it certainly wasn't a commericial failure, making 300 million worldwide. It was also on the "Hook" set where Spielberg thought to do "Mask Of Zorro", which he produced.
The story stars Robin Williams as Peter Banning, as a grown-up "Peter Pan", who has forgotten his past in the fantasy world of Neverland. He's more concerned with business than with his family, and a few scenes early in the picture are emotionally well-done, with the kids missing him. When the kids go missing, Peter must remember who he once was to travel back to the world in which he once lived for a showdown with Captain Hook(Dustin Hoffman).
Although there's a lot to like, there's a lot of space between those enjoyable moments. Spielberg could easily have done some editing to take this well over 2 hour story down a little bit and get the pace moving, as some scenes drag out rather long. The acting is fine, but Williams is easily the highlight - getting the joy and energy of the role right, while Hoffman seems a little overly cartoonish, and Julia Roberts doesn't bring much to the already thin role of Tinkerbell. Visually though, it's a pleasure. The sets are unbelievable, and the cinematography is fantastic. Without the stunning John Williams score, I'm not sure the movie would succeed as well as it does.
Positive aspects are slightly lost in the film's overly long running time, but overall, it's a great looking film that manages to be basically entertaining.
The DVD
VIDEO: The 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer from Tristar is simply a stunner. Images are razor sharp and display consistently strong detail. The sets of "Hook" are phenomenal, and they look marevelous on this DVD. Colors are breathtaking - beautiful and vibrant, with absolutely no problems whatsoever. Once the film goes to Neverland, the image clarity is amazing, with bright, clear pictures that are almost flawless. Flesh tones are natural and accurate, as well.
One or two tiny marks are all that keeps this image from absolute perfection. There are no instances of aliasing or pixelation. While Tristar has put out some extremely impressive efforts in the past, this is really one of their very best. A great job.
SOUND: The one element of the sound from "Hook" that I enjoy most is the John Williams score, and pleasingly, that's been reproduced very well here, enveloping the viewer with remarkable clarity, and sounding very dynamic. Surrounds are put to good use a few times throughout the movie, but could have been put to more use. Dialogue is fine, and easily understood. Good stuff for sure, but it didn't amaze me as much as the image quality did.
MENUS::If anything, "Hook" should definitely have some sort of animation in the menus, but the main menu is dissapointingly just a basic shot of the cover art.
EXTRAS: A bummer: only the trailers for "Hook" and "Jumanji", along with some talent files.
Although many consider "Hook" one of the lesser moments in the career of director Steven Spielberg, it still manages to be a moderately entertaining, if slightly flawed, ride. I never got to see it in theaters, and have caught it since a couple times on television. It may not have been Spielberg's best creatively, but it certainly wasn't a commericial failure, making 300 million worldwide. It was also on the "Hook" set where Spielberg thought to do "Mask Of Zorro", which he produced.
The story stars Robin Williams as Peter Banning, as a grown-up "Peter Pan", who has forgotten his past in the fantasy world of Neverland. He's more concerned with business than with his family, and a few scenes early in the picture are emotionally well-done, with the kids missing him. When the kids go missing, Peter must remember who he once was to travel back to the world in which he once lived for a showdown with Captain Hook(Dustin Hoffman).
Although there's a lot to like, there's a lot of space between those enjoyable moments. Spielberg could easily have done some editing to take this well over 2 hour story down a little bit and get the pace moving, as some scenes drag out rather long. The acting is fine, but Williams is easily the highlight - getting the joy and energy of the role right, while Hoffman seems a little overly cartoonish, and Julia Roberts doesn't bring much to the already thin role of Tinkerbell. Visually though, it's a pleasure. The sets are unbelievable, and the cinematography is fantastic. Without the stunning John Williams score, I'm not sure the movie would succeed as well as it does.
Positive aspects are slightly lost in the film's overly long running time, but overall, it's a great looking film that manages to be basically entertaining.
The DVD
VIDEO: The 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer from Tristar is simply a stunner. Images are razor sharp and display consistently strong detail. The sets of "Hook" are phenomenal, and they look marevelous on this DVD. Colors are breathtaking - beautiful and vibrant, with absolutely no problems whatsoever. Once the film goes to Neverland, the image clarity is amazing, with bright, clear pictures that are almost flawless. Flesh tones are natural and accurate, as well.
One or two tiny marks are all that keeps this image from absolute perfection. There are no instances of aliasing or pixelation. While Tristar has put out some extremely impressive efforts in the past, this is really one of their very best. A great job.
SOUND: The one element of the sound from "Hook" that I enjoy most is the John Williams score, and pleasingly, that's been reproduced very well here, enveloping the viewer with remarkable clarity, and sounding very dynamic. Surrounds are put to good use a few times throughout the movie, but could have been put to more use. Dialogue is fine, and easily understood. Good stuff for sure, but it didn't amaze me as much as the image quality did.
MENUS::If anything, "Hook" should definitely have some sort of animation in the menus, but the main menu is dissapointingly just a basic shot of the cover art.
EXTRAS: A bummer: only the trailers for "Hook" and "Jumanji", along with some talent files.
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