Once upon a time, Steven Spielberg—one of the most famous directors in the world—made a Peter Pan movie. It was highly anticipated, as Spielberg opted to frame the film as more of a sequel than a remake, and was coming on the heels of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Spielberg’s little-seen drama Always. Thus, in 1991, Hook was born. The response to the large-scale fantasy adventure, however, was quite possibly the harshest in Spielberg’s career, as the pricey blockbuster was absolutely ravaged by critics. Spielberg bounced back and, quite possibly because of the critical shellacking of Hook, made Jurassic Park as his follow-up film. But something funny happened with Hook, and the film took on a new life post-release. It connected with kids on a foundational level, and over the years has become something of a “nostalgic classic” of sorts for folks who were just the right age when Hook hit theaters and subsequently made the move to Blockbuster Video stores around the country.
Hook is still regarded by many critics as one of Spielberg’s absolute worst films (if not the worst), but the love from 90s kids permeates. Which is why a recent reunion of the film’s Lost Boys, 25 years later, is sure to be of considerable interest to a considerable number of readers.
Indeed, the production company 22 Vision managed to not only just reunite the entire Lost Boys ensemble, but also outfit them in incredibly similar costumes to those they wore in the film. Some bear a strikingly close resemblances to their younger selves, while others are unrecognizable—in some cases disturbingly so.
Myself, I have a complicated relationship with Hook. I’ve written previously about how I can objectively understand that it’s not a great movie, but that doesn’t necessarily hinder the fondness I have for the film given that it was a major part of my childhood. I imagine some may feel the same way, and I’d be lying if I said I was wholly uninterested in seeing what the Lost Boys look like now. So take a look below. Bangarang.
