And you thought he only talked about Diabeetus
A group of elderly folk had been waiting for their next big adventure in their remaining lives. Burden by age and some by sickness, the group tries their best to keep themselves occupied, even by ways of a private swimming pool. When the pool is rented and strange rocks begin to show up, the group suddenly, and mysteriously, regains their youth. Not understand how or why, they continue to expand their newly rejuvenated lives until they find out the ‘how’ and ‘why’ it’s happening. What they find is a group of visitors trying to recover precious items they’ve come a long way to re-obtain.
You won’t believe this, but I watched this movie well over 20 times when I was a kid. Yeah, you can write this up as irresponsible parenting from mom/dad, but Cocoon simply intrigued me as a kid. Strangely enough, it intrigues me just as much as an adult. Somehow Howard and cast put together a courageous performance that tugs at everyone’s heartstrings when it comes to aging and losing someone close to you. These two themes weigh heavy throughout the entire film and help drive it into a magical conclusion that, while very 80s, will make you want to watch the movie again.
The best parts of the film are some of the worst, as you can predict (as I did) that out of the group of elderly someone has to go (die). Don’t get me wrong I don’t want to see anyone die, especially old people, but that’s where Howard gets you. He makes you understand the mortality of these individuals. He makes you instantly care for them and as soon as you fall for that trap (good trap) you’re hooked to the film. You want this group to survive and you want them to live on. You buy into the cost of their life just as much as the actors. It’s pure magic.
Now, that’s the dramatic side of the film. When the science fiction begins you really start to enjoy the film (no, I’m not going to ruin it for you).
Anyway, the film isn’t perfect. Once the group starts to feel young the moment doesn’t last as long as it should before the story hits a conflict. Unlike films from the 80, the movie seems to repeat the roller coaster ride that leads you from tragic group to hope back to tragic. It does this twice before ending on a high note (which can be low for some). This type of imbalance creates too much of an emotional issue for the audience, one that shouldn’t and can’t repeat. Regretfully the moment repeats and what you get is an audience that is too exhausted to keep up with the ultimate climax of the story.
Don’t get too Blu
The Blu-ray version of Cocoon is interesting. For a film that was made in 1985 and for a film that isn’t particular popular with the Blu-ray youth of today it comes out looking remarkably gorgeous. Fit to fill your screen (no black bars) this is a strange Blu-ray as there is little to no graininess in the picture. I’m not sure if it’s the type of film Howard’s crew used or the playful colors that range from autumn to a color scheme from the 50s/60s, regardless everything comes through pretty beautifully. Sure it’s not Avatar, but it’s sill impressive. Now, the real waste of this Blu-ray was the weak soundtrack that James Horner put together. It wasn’t memorable therefore it was an afterthought comin at 5.1 DTS-HD. I love music and I really respect Blu-ray audio doubly, I’m just sad and sorry it didn’t meet the standards of the video.
As for features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– Commentary by Ron Howard
– Five Featurettes
– Trailers
– TV Spots
Not the best, but still quite interesting. I really liked the commentary from Howard, though. You’ll love it too. It’s tough to believe that Opie became a filmmaker, and a good filmmaker at that.