What happens when the good elderly citizens of a retirement community discover the "fountain of youth"? It's movies like this going away from the perilous trap and concentrates deeply on our human characteristics. Highly recommended film :-)ĬOCOON is not at all similar to every other science fiction movie (the ending is a pure exception), but this uses fantasy and magic as a way to express a heartwarmth feeling. There are moments in this film where, if you don't shed a tear, there must be something wrong with you. Cocoon definitely has it, yet without feeling "epic" and overpowering the same plucked melody chimes in quietly at all the right moments in the film, lending a profound and quiet connection with each character (even the extra-terrestrial ones). I have to also say that-in my opinion at least-the characteristic feature of every great movie is a great score/theme melody. I have loved this film since I was a child in the 80s, and it is still one that I watch over and over (and I still cry at the same spots every time). This is one of my all-time favorite movies, for a variety of reasons: A) It treats the theme of aging with such tenderness and doesn't reduce the older characters to props, B) It evokes questions about the supernatural/the possibility of life "out there," and C) The location (Florida) looks so pleasant and inviting. My god, has it been 16 years already? Where can I find some Antarean life force? The whole movie holds up remarkably well in the 16 years since, except for the break dancing. There couldn't have been more than 20 people in the entire theater. I first saw this in a shopping mall four-plex a couple of weeks after its release. It's a shame this movie never found the audience it deserved. Alas, he does fall into old habits and reuse some bars and measures from his "Wolfen" and "Star Trek II" scores. Ron Howard showed good judgement in turning down the chance to direct the sequel.Īs for the musical score, it's one of James Horner's better works, mixing symphonic grandeur with childlike wonderment. Neither had the genuine warmth of this original. Both 1987's "*batteries Not Included," starring Tandy and Cronyn, and the 1988 sequel "Cocoon: The Return" flopped. Two attempts to cash in on this movie failed. Maybe they weren't at the peaks of their careers, but quite possibly the roles they fit most comfortably. At least we'll have this movie to remember them by. First Jack Gilford, then Ameche, then Jessica Tandy and recently Gwen Verdon. But they're slowly slipping away from us, one by one. This was, after all, the role that finally won an Oscar for Don Ameche. Much as already been said about the excellent performances of the older cast members. Also present are the standard Howard family repertory, with brother Clint as the nursing home attendant and father Rance making a brief appearance as a detective. A little Guttenberg goofiness goes a long way. Ron Howard wisely kept Steve Guttenberg's role limited, focusing mainly on the older characters. Whether she was a limited actress or merely underplaying the role is for others to decide. Tahnee Welch, daughter of the seemingly ageless Raquel, was wholesomely fetching here. It looks absolutely real, as if it had sat there among the Florida palms for decades. Even more impressive was the poolhouse, which was hastily constructed purely as a setpiece for the movie. The glowing aliens are quite good except for the all too familiar hand movements by Caprice Rothe, who first did the job for "E.T." Still, by and large the effects are impressive and convincing even when compared against the latest films of the 21st century. There are quite a few effects shots, although the variety of effects is rather limited. But it's up to us whether we want to BE old or merely mature.įor a science fiction movie, it would appear to have few special effects. In that, it's a good lesson for people heading into their golden years or even those of us just having midlife crises. When that changes through the magic of alien technology, they become, if not the picture of reckless youth, at least a semblance of the people they were once upon a time, proving the old cliché: you ARE only as old as you feel. Kept in a nursing home, days filled with vapid activities like shuffleboard or mah-jongg, whiling away hours floating in a deserted swimming pool, watching people your own age drop like flies. When we first meet the motley group, they are as many of us dread one day becoming. The senior characters of this modern day fable took this poem to heart. "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day Rage, rage against the dying of the light." - Dylan Thomas
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