Captain James Hook – the various takes of a nefarious character

Captain James Hook. When you think of “Peter Pan” besides the Lost Boys and Wendy here is the man that is as close as anyone could have been to a villain. We’ve read about him and ever since J.M. Barrie created the tale, the public’s curiosity about this character has been constant.

 You love to hate the dear old Etonian student. He’s dashing, suave, evil, maybe a little mad, he sports an elegant attire and he charms you with his accent – well, that’s when he doesn’t try to use his hook to rip you to pieces. With the new animation “The Pirate Fairy” we’ve seen the early days of the Captain – and having Tom Hiddleston as his voice is a nice perk too – and we’ve decided to take a look on some of our favorite Hook rendition on screen and the future of the character.

Peter Pan (1953)

Captain Hook: Come, Smee, we must leave immediately. We’ll surround Peter’s home… Mr. Smee: But Captain, we don’t know where Peter Pan lives. Captain Hook: Great Scott, you’re right, Smee!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfN_PPftNwo

Voiced by Hans Conried and later on by Corey Burton, the Hook from the Disney cartoons is said to have been inspired in looks by a Spanish King and he remains to this day the epitome of evilness, style, charm and attitude.

Hook (1991)

Captain James Hook: Prepare to die, Peter Pan! Peter Banning: To die would be a grand adventure! Captain James Hook: Death is the only adventure you have left! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdiSr_sn_E0‎

1991 is the year we see Dustin Hoffman put on the wing and tried the hook in Steven Spielberg’s tale of what the future of Peter Pen looked like. The polished, elegant look remained faithful to the Disney style and it remains one of those movies you love to watch over and over again. It’s called guilty pleasure people, it lives to thrill.

Return to Neverland (2002)

Jane: You promised no one would get hurt. You gave your word. Captain Hook: And Captain Hook always keeps his word. I promised I would not harm a hair on Peter Pan’s head.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaSkwJMS3vU

Bank in full swing in the new century, “Return to Neverland” proved there is still room for Hook in Disney animations.

Peter Pan (2003)

Captain Hook: Fly to the rescue, Pan and I’ll shoot you… right through your noble intentions.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRxOw2GysMo

Well darlings, here is a dream come true. You take Jason Isaacs known for his love to hate characters – Colonel Tavington, Lucius Malfoy just to name a few we love around here – and you give him a double role of Mr. Darling and Hook. Isaacs took the part and had fun with it like no other, he charms you, he thrills you, he lies to you and he kills you – on screen. If you could have asked for the perfect casting here it was in 2003.

Shrek 2 (2004)

Hook: I like my town with a little drop of poison

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9TrTq_Ba_w‎

“Shrek” without Hook? We can’t image the land of Far Far Away missing the man who plays piano so good. And a nice bonus it was when in “Shrek 3” we had Ian McShane as his voice.

Once Upon A Time (2011 -)

Captain Hook: Oh, that’s a great use of our time, a wardrobe change!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsn-67ZROiM

Colin O’Donoghue came into Storybrook and by George we don’t want to see him leave the town too soon. Killian Jones – same story different naming, he’s Hook, deal with it – right now is a very serious reason you ship “Captain Swan”. Here is what the good people of Entertainment Weekly had to say about this: “Admit it: You let out a little squeal of glee when that pirate ship came lurching out of the shadows during tonight’s title card. A guyliner-festooned Captain Hook just has that effect on people. What else can explain how the pirate garnered a die-hard fan base of ‘hookers’ weeks before he officially appeared on Once? (Word to the wise: Do not Google ‘once upon a time hookers’ unless you’re prepared to deal with the consequences).”

Neverland (2011)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a-RgGfvZOU‎

Rhys Ifans showed up as a fencing teacher in the mini-series “Neverland” and guess what? The old saying going on around here “take a Brit and put him in the role of a villain” worked again.

The Pirate Fairy (2014)

Oh, how high we will be, (We will be)/’Cause the blue fairy dust surely packs a mighty wallop. (It only takes a dollop)/Soon it will set us free, (we’ll be free)/From the chains of gravity. (Ohh, oh, ohh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)/And we’ll hoist up the sail/And we’ll set course for the sun/’Cause when you’ve got wings/No wicked deed that can’t be done/And we owe it all to our great and glorious captain!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6_-91eGIN0‎

Tom Hiddleston. James Hook. Accent. Looks. And he sings. And a  since touch brought to the world of the fairies. We would love to see a full-fledged movie about the early days of the Captain.

Pan (2015)

Joe Wright will bring to the big-screen a new “Peter Pan” movie called “Pan” with a twist. Garrett Hedlund will play James Hook but it seems his nemesis this time is the no other than Captain Blackbeard. Hugh Jackman in the role of a villain? Yes please!

We hoped you’ve enjoyed our picks and until next time, the crew of Edge and Back invites you pick  your favorite Hook in movies.