Captain Hook is the main antagonist of the 2023 live-action film Peter Pan & Wendy.
He is based on both the character of the same name from the play by J.M. Barrie and Disney's 1953 animated film Peter Pan.
Background[]
Like previous alternative adaptations, Hook's real name is James, but this version is revealed to have been a former friend of Peter Pan's who came to Neverland with him as a child. He soon began to miss his mother, causing Peter to reject and banish him. James found himself lost at sea until he was found by Mr. Smee and raised by the pirates, eventually rising in the ranks to become their captain. He returned to Neverland, now having aged, and vowing revenge on Peter, with one of their alterations ending with James losing his hand and watch to Tick-Tock the Crocodile and becoming his namesake. Like in the original film, he and Peter act as nemesises to one another, but Hook's motivation is more emotional.
Role in the film[]
Hook is first seen when a nearby crewman named Skylight reports to him that he saw Peter arrive at Neverland, which Hook approaches him and tells him to never say his name, followed by Smee following alongside him. Hook then alerts Smee that his cabin needs a new door, which Smee tells him that the door will be the third door this month. Upon exiting the cabin, Hook tells Smee to hand him his telescope so he can seek for Peter which Hook sees Peter and Tinker Bell in the sky reports Smee and his crew to invite him for a spot of tea planning to lure Peter into a trap, resulting in the pirate crew firing cannonballs at Peter, Tink, and the children of the Darling family, leading them to find a way to distract Hook which Hook fires a cannonball at the edge where Peter, Tink, and the Darlings are standing, knocking them off the edge while Hook uses his telescope to find any sign of Peter in his sight.
With John and Michael Darling captured by the pirates, Smee takes the two to Hook's cabin where Hook asks the two of how they arrived at Neverland. As John says that he and Michael arrived at Neverland with Peter, Smee and the other pirates react in shock when they heard John mentioning Peter's name. Hook and the rest of the crew set sail for Skull Rock in a plan for John and Michael to drown them. As Hook and his crew arrive at Skull Rock, the pirates hold John and Michael hostage while Hook enforces a rule of keeping children away from Neverland; Peter, who is in disguise, tricks the pirates which Peter and Tinker Bell fight them off and knock them into the water just as Peter takes on Hook in battle. During the battle, Hook then strikes Peter's shadow with his hook while he is talking with Wendy Darling while Peter was recapping of what he did before she met him at Skull Rock. Hook then approaches Peter who is defenseless, confronting him which Peter tells him that he always calls him a codfish. Hook attempts to kill him, however, Wendy, who was able to rescue John and Michael with Tiger Lily and Tinker Bell's help, halts his attack by calling out to him, leaving Hook confused just as Wendy tells him that she is from London where gentlemen do not harm children. Hook then threatens Wendy to say her goodbyes before he threatens to kill Peter. However, Hook hears a loud rumbling and ticking below him where a massive Crocodile appears and attempts to attack him and eat him alive. As the pirates start to retreat, one of them attacks the Crocodile with his harpoon to save Hook from being eaten as Hook and the pirates, as well as the Darlings, watch in shock and horror. As the Crocodile eats the pirate who struck him, Smee tells Hook and the surviving pirates to retreat from the Crocodile which Hook and his crew were able to escape from the cave and evade the Crocodile.
Later that night, Hook and his crew overhear Wendy singing a lullaby to her brothers and the Lost Children of what her mother sang to her at home just as Hook and his crew are on their way to Peter's Hideout. When they arrive at the Hideout, Hook and his pirates capture the Lost Children, alongside John, Michael, and later Wendy. After arriving at Peter's room, he manages to slash Peter across the chest, making it appear as if he successfully killed him; Peter starts falling down from high below while Tinker Bell attempts to rescue Peter to prevent him from hurting himself only for Tinker Bell to be captured by Smee with his beanie, much to Wendy, John, Michael, and the other Lost Children's worry just as Hook returns to the Jolly Roger alongside the rest of the crew with the children held captive.
With Wendy held captive with Tinker Bell and the other children, she tells Hook, who confronts her about her lullaby that he overheard earlier, about the lullaby her mother sings to her as she tries to convince Hook who he really is before he betrayed Peter. Hook then tells her that Peter banished him because he missed his mother who also sang the song that she sang to him. Hook then continues recapping that he never saw his mother again, fearing that he would have perished after he was lost at sea and Smee and the pirates were able to rescue him and was later raised by pirates throughout his life and became Captain Hook. Wendy tries to convince Hook to be friends with Peter, which Hook refuses, telling her that his time for joy is lost and everything he could have been has been reduced to his state when he grew up, resulting Wendy to realize that Hook grew up wrong because of the pirates. Hook then tells his fellow crew to send Michael, John, and the Lost Children to walk the plank, much to Wendy's worry, resulting her to convince the pirates to spare them and have her walk the plank instead.
The next day, Hook orders his crew to send Wendy walking the plank. However, Tinker Bell escapes from Smee who trapped her in a lantern and then saves Wendy from falling into the ocean thanks to her thinking happy thoughts of what her future will be like when she grows up, much to Hook and the other pirates feeling shocked and surprised that Wendy survived while the children were overjoyed. As Tinker Bell provides the Pixie Dust effect onto Hook's ship, it starts floating out of the water as Hook orders his crew to bring the ship back into the water; however, Peter, who is revived by Tiger Lily, arrives. Hook then asks Peter on how he survived the fall, which he tells him that a little help from his friends helped him survive, to which shows that Peter realized the errors of his ways from that experience. Soon as Peter prepares to attack, Hook then engages in a sword fight with him in battle just as Wendy, Michael, John, the Lost Children, Tinker Bell, and Tiger Lily join the battle and fight off against the pirates.
As John and Michael turn the wheel to prevent the ship from hitting a cliff, Hook continues fighting Peter inside the cabin just as Wendy turns the ship upside-down to drop the pirates out of their ship. As Hook attempts to strike Peter one last time, he leaps into a hatch which he gets stuck and about to fall off his ship only for Hook to land on the mast. During the fight, Peter, after regaining his ability to fly thanks to Wendy saving him from falling, apologizes for how he treated him in the past and admits that he was wrong for turning him away. While Hook is somewhat relieved to hear Peter say this, he refuses to apologize for betraying Peter, for he believes that's not how it works; Wendy then defends Peter from Hook who attempts to attack him while two Lost Boys fire a cannonball at Hook. As Hook is about to fall off his ship, Peter tells him to think of happy thoughts which Hook falls into the ocean while losing his hook.
Hook manages to survive, along with Smee, and they witness Peter returning with his flying pirate ship. As Peter smiles down at them, Hook manages to successfully return a smile, implying that he has forgiven him.
Trivia[]
- Joaquin Phoenix was considered to play Captain Hook in this film before Jude Law was chosen.[1]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "Disney Eyeing Joaquin Phoenix For Hook: EXCLUSIVE". The Illuminerdi (February 4, 2020).
