I will not deny that Cocoon offers some indelible movie moments and images, but that's part of its problem. Yes, it's memorable, but doesn't offer a whole lot more on subsequent viewings, even when those viewings are decades apart. I suppose my problem with it is that its pacing is made sluggish by the way it divides its attention between the intriguing alien plot and what turns out to be the A-plot, seniors getting surprising rejuvenation from illicit bathing in the aliens' pool. The need to pay off THAT plot means the film turgidly flounders between what feels like the climax, and the E.T.-style ending, AND that the characters who, more than guilty of trespassing but of actually causing the death of two people, are actually rewarded for their actions. These are some really nice aliens, boy. And I get it, the seniors are at the center of the story, all played by veteran actors who do an excellent job, but the new-found youth causes the otherwise good orchestral score to go into terrible 80s synth to cover montages that basically say "haha, it's funny cuz they're old, see?". Either the film is a comedy about the fountain of youth, or a Spielbergian sci-fi story, but the way it juggles the two, more or less putting them at equal footing, doesn't work for me. And despite some good performances from all involved (except Planet of the Apes' Linda Harrison as the kid's mom, who really detracts from my emotional involvement at the end because she's so wooden), I can't help but be disappointed in a way I admittedly wasn't in 1985 when I saw it age 14.
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 6 of 6
sodarngood
So much better than I thought.Siskoid
I will not deny that Cocoon offers some indelible movie moments and images, but that's part of its problem. Yes, it's memorable, but doesn't offer a whole lot more on subsequent viewings, even when those viewings are decades apart. I suppose my problem with it is that its pacing is made sluggish by the way it divides its attention between the intriguing alien plot and what turns out to be the A-plot, seniors getting surprising rejuvenation from illicit bathing in the aliens' pool. The need to pay off THAT plot means the film turgidly flounders between what feels like the climax, and the E.T.-style ending, AND that the characters who, more than guilty of trespassing but of actually causing the death of two people, are actually rewarded for their actions. These are some really nice aliens, boy. And I get it, the seniors are at the center of the story, all played by veteran actors who do an excellent job, but the new-found youth causes the otherwise good orchestral score to go into terrible 80s synth to cover montages that basically say "haha, it's funny cuz they're old, see?". Either the film is a comedy about the fountain of youth, or a Spielbergian sci-fi story, but the way it juggles the two, more or less putting them at equal footing, doesn't work for me. And despite some good performances from all involved (except Planet of the Apes' Linda Harrison as the kid's mom, who really detracts from my emotional involvement at the end because she's so wooden), I can't help but be disappointed in a way I admittedly wasn't in 1985 when I saw it age 14.IreneAdler
Really sweet old movie... enjoyed itOneironaut
Very enjoyable; a kind of movie you could watch every few years.ecnered
Wonderful to the finest extent!george4mon
Underrated