Steven Spielberg Hates His Own 29%-Rated Fantasy Flick (It's a Cult Classic Now)

Steven Spielberg is unique and universal at the same time: he confidently delivers patriotic speeches about freedom on screen and brings the most secret childhood dreams of magical worlds to life.

His cinema is built on the unbridled fantasy he has had since childhood, which he shares with anyone who watches his films.

Steven Spielberg Is Still Disappointed With 'Hook'

However, it turns out that the director himself can't stand one of the most important fairy takes in his career – Hook. In more than one interview, Spielberg has admitted that he was dissatisfied with the result. In a conversation with Empire (via Den of Geek), he said:

“I felt like a fish out of water making Hook. [...] I didn't quite know what I was doing, and I tried to paint over my insecurity with production value. The more insecure I felt about it, the bigger and more colorful the sets became.”

Viewers Loved 'Hook', But Critics Hated It

Hook grossed over $300 million at the box office, despite having a budget of only $70 million. However, the studio was unhappy with its financial performance.

While viewers loved the movie, critics did not. Despite receiving several Oscar nominations, Hook received some of the lowest scores of the director's career. Julia Roberts, who played Tinker Bell, even received a Golden Raspberry nomination.

Nevertheless, over time, Hook has acquired cult status as a warm and optimistic fairy tale about childhood.

Michael Jackson Was Initially Supposed to Play Peter Pan

The movie, initially titled Pan, was intended to be a remake of Disney's 1953 animated classic, Peter Pan.

Over time, however, the concept changed to a musical. The change in genre was largely due to Michael Jackson's interest in playing Peter Pan.

However, Spielberg left the project – at that time, the director just had a child and didn't want to relocate to England.

Disney froze production but did not cancel the movie entirely. Peter Pan then wandered around the studios and, eventually, TriStar Pictures acquired the rights, and Nick Castle took over as director.

It was Castle who suggested making a movie about an adult Peter Pan. However, production of the film began to stall – Nick Castle's vision did not align with that of Dustin Hoffman, who played Hook. The director then gave up his position to Steven Spielberg.

Michael Jackson had maintained interest in playing Peter Pan, but after a telephone conversation with Spielberg, he dropped out of the project, as he was disappointed with the script about an adult Peter Pan.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Hook'?

• Hook has 29% from critics and 76% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.8/10.

Where to Watch 'Hook'?

Hook is available to stream on Prime Video.