She/they | 26 | ADHD | Bi | Writer | tumblr newbie | Professional simp | #daddyissues | Monster-fucker | This is mostly for thirsting and hyperfixating
馃寖鉀堬笍馃獝
20 years on, I still think Jason Isaacs is the best Captain Hook.
Now, there are other Hooks that have been done after him that I mostly love (*slaps Warner Bros. upside the head* NOT YOURS) but Jason is exactly who I picture when I read about Hook.
He maintained the perfect balance of being funny ("YOU CALL THAT A FAVOUR?!") but also being legitimately intimidating. I like a good funny Hook, but J.M. Barrie's Captain Hook is a scary villain in the book. And that's what we saw with Jason Isaacs' performance. Especially in the scene where he taunt Peter with the reality of Wendy growing up. True, it's not in the book, but it's still very much in-character for Hook to do that.
Also this is the only on-screen Hook that i know of whose eyes glow red, like they did in the book.
He was also sexy. Yep, that's part of Barrie's Hook too. He is an attractive man. Jason describes it quite brilliantly as "seductive yet repulsive at the same time". It presumably goes back to the satire on gender standards Barrie was writing with George Darling, because Hook is a charming, attractive gentleman who carries himself well, but is also a cruel, vile villain. Yet would still be more respected in Edwardian society than George because, you know, Hook went to Eton.
And his attractiveness does tie in to Wendy developing her sexuality in this film. Yes, the uncomfortable sexual tension between Wendy and Hook was 100% intentional. So, there's another layer to his villainy. I've seen that aspect of Hook's character be done in another film (The Lost Girls) and... yeah, it was too much. Too obvious.
Jason Isaacs' Captain Hook is representative of the darker side of growing up. And for a PG family film done in 2003, it's pretty incredibly how much they were able to get away with in just how dark of a villain he was.
I'll finish (for now) with saying that Jason also has an incredible understanding of the appeal of this story, and the appeal of this film in particular. So, I highly recommend looking that up, particularly with this interview
Couldn't have asked for a better Captain Hook. Also congrats, Jason, on cementing Hook as one of the ultimate Daddy Issues villain crushes.