Another movie which everyone trashes . WHY ? WHY ? WHY ? OK it does not have such a great plot (on the action side) but it is one of the most beautiful stories printed in celluloid . The first hour of the movie is probably the best one . Even the fact that 30 minutes pass before the trip to Neverland without any action and you don 't get bored (and I have seen it several times) is a very positive sign . We are introduced<br /><br />to the family of Peter (Robin Williams) a workaholic lawyer who travels to London for Christmas to meet his dear step mother Wendy (Maggie Smith) . One of the most legendary one-liners is said when she hears that he takes advantage of bankrupt ("sinking") companies . " So , Peter you 've become a pirate! " . When his children are mysteriously kidnapped he encounters a fairy (Julia Roberts) who tells him he is the long-lost (and short of memory) adult now Peter Pan . She forcely drags him into Neverland where they meet his old nemesis , the one armed chief pirate Captain James Hook (Dustin Hoffman) who still wants his revenge. The sets and costumes are brilliant . Hook belongs to a kind of movies which prove that cinema CAN MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE . There are classic scenes such as the first scene where Tinkerbell meets Peter or Peter on the pirate ship meeting Hook . Unfortunately the plot utterly falls flat during the second hour but the marvellous finale hopefully restores our interest . Despite the lack of plot the story itslef is<br /><br />very engaging . The kid becomes an adult and must deal an old enemy<br /><br />before leaving this fantasy world forever . Julia Roberts and Dustin Hoffman give good perfomances . The latter , to me , is STILL unrecognisable under the make up , after the 6 or so times I have watched the film . Is it really him ???!!!. Maggie Smith is very good and Bob Hoskins as Smee is enjoyable . One of the reasons I wrote this review is to declare that this IS Robin William 's best dramatic performance to date (forget the Fisher King or Dead Poets Society) . He is purely excellent in both aspects : a typical-mannered, obsessed with career yuppie initially , and at the end he finds his old madness and is a campy and WILD hero which looks like a restless and hypercinetic kid. (I don 't believe there would be another actor capable of playing Peter Pan). In the middle of course he is very confused and sceptical about what is going on . Nevertheless Hook is one of Stephen Spielberg 's better works to date . For you who like fantasy films it is a must see . Forget the bad comments from cynical people . Maybe they lost the kid inside them forever .<br /><br />HOOK 8.5 /10<br /><br /> <br /><br />