Cocoon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Cocoon Blu-ray Movie Review

The best movie about old-timers this side of Grumpy Old Men.

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater April 12, 2010

According to legend, Ponce de Leon went looking for the mythical Fountain of Youth in Florida in 1513. Now, nearly 500 years later, the so-called Sunshine State is home to America’s largest assemblage of migratory retirees, a gum-toothed populace that has flocked southerly to live it up— golfing, shuffleboard, socializing—even as they grow old. It’s the perfect setting, then, for director Ron Howard’s Cocoon, a 1985 sci-fi immortality fable that manages to combine aliens, geriatrics, skin suits, Steve Guttenberg, and even a few boner jokes. Erectile humor aside—and really, there are some seriously horny old men in this film—Cocoon is host to several greeting card-worthy messages about love and loss, aging and rejuvenation, family and enduring friendship. Like many films about the elderly, Cocoon veers into some overly sentimental territory—there’s nothing like old people in love to start the waterworks—but in an almost Spielbergian fashion, Ron Howard takes what could’ve been saccharine sap and turns it into something a little more palatable and unusual: the odd sci-fi movie with heart.

Meet the Antareans...

Don Amache, Wilford Brimley, and Hume Cronyn play Art, Ben, and Joe, three retirement home buddies who get their kicks breaking into the somehow perfectly maintained pool at a nearby abandoned resort. These old fogies are a sprightly bunch, but time is clearly taking its toll with cancer, vision problems, and, let’s say, a lessened vigor for what, in polite company, might be called the marital arts. Past their prime, knocking on death’s door, in their autumnal years— whatever you want to call it, the three friends don’t have much time left. But this is all about to change. Boat owner Jack Bonner (Steve Guttenberg) has just been hired to charter his vessel to a strangely taciturn group, led by Walter (Brian Dennehy) and Kitty (Tahnee Welch, Raquel’s daughter), who turn out to be aliens on a mission to rescue several of their comrades, who were preserved in cocoons at the bottom of the ocean when the lost continent of Atlantis sank some 10,000 years ago. When Walter rents the abandoned resort and uses the pool to house the retrieved cocoons, Art, Ben, and Joe get more than just the tingle back in their dingles—the restorative power of the cocoons has them doing flips off of the diving board, breakdancing at a nightclub, and convincing their significant others and rest home hombres to hop in the pool and join in the age-reversal shenanigans.

It’s not all fun and games and restored libido, however, even though the first half of the film is basically the 1980s equivalent of a Viagra commercial, complete with come-hither stares and some hilarious sexuality-skirting dialogue. Amongst the comedy inherent in the elderly acting like hormonal teenagers, the film also explores some weightier themes. The prospect of death looms like a dark Floridian thundercloud over the retirement home, but an offer by the aliens—known as Antareans—leaves the aged and infirmed residents faced with some arthritically stiff choices regarding the possibility of immortality. Could you leave behind a caring daughter and a clingy grandson if it meant you could live forever? After playing the hand that nature dealt you, is it okay, as one reluctant character asks, to reshuffle the deck? (Wilford Brimley’s Ben certainly doesn’t mind, as he replies, “The way nature’s been treating us, I don’t mind cheating her a little.”) Of course, it wouldn’t be a film about the elderly without at least one heartbreaking death, and though these kinds of scenes always feel a little emotionally manipulative—I'm thinking The Notebook—Cocoon’s tragedy and heartbreak is less cloying than most. There’s also some young love thrown in to entice the not-yet-grey members of the audience, via an intergalactic, interspecies relationship between Jack and the alien woman, Kitty, who shows him how Antareans give and receive affection. (“If this is foreplay,” Jack says, “then I’m a dead man.”)

Steve Guttenberg does his whole awkwardly charming, populist Woody Allen routine, and Tahnee Welch seems appropriately alien—I can’t tell if her acting is wooden or if her character is supposed to be stiff—but the film belongs to the geriatric cast of one-time Hollywood stars and starlets, who are impossible not to like. Wilford Brimely has since become associated with Quaker Oats, life insurance, and an uncanny resemblance to the Diabeetus Cat, but he’s a crusty old horn-dog here, the kind of loveable grouch that anyone would want for a grandpa. Don Ameche even won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Art, a crooning lovebird who finally weds his long-time sweetheart, though I think it’s safe to assume the award was more of a lifetime achievement honor. Perhaps the trickiest acting act is by Hume Cronyn, who cheats on his loving wife after getting all hopped up on the pool water—they even joke that there might be cocaine in it—but still manages to be a sympathetic character worthy of redemption and forgiveness. Cronyn acts opposite of his real-life wife, Jessica Tandy, which probably adds to the convincingness of his portrayal. Cocoon is what you might call soft sci-fi. The whole alien element is really just device that allows us to question what it is about life that makes it worth the living, and asks us how far we’d go to avoid the sorrows and indignities of death. It’s also funny and warm, a rare feat in science fiction.

Cocoon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cocoon makes its way to Blu-ray with a solid but never overwhelmingly impressive 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, framed in the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Fox has used a very clean source print for the transfer—no scratches, stains, or hairs, and only a few scattered white specks—and the technical presentation is strong as well, with no distracting compression related issues and only a few instances of what appears to be light edge enhancement. The image as a whole is slightly soft and a little dim, but it certainly has its striking moments, like whenever Jack Bonner's boat takes to the open seas in broad daylight. Clarity fares well in close-ups, defining each wrinkle, mole, and age spot, but the image quality deteriorates somewhat during the dated special effects composite shots—especially of the glowing Antareans—giving rise to some blotchy and overexposed-looking colors. Otherwise, color reproduction is natural and black levels are decent, if lacking contrast and presence. Grain is present, untouched, and unobtrusive. Overall, Cocoon makes a splash in high definition, but it isn't quite a Wilford Brimley-sized cannonball.

Cocoon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The film's original stereo sound elements have been effectively reworked into a more than adequate DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix. This is still a predominately dialogue driven experience, but the rear channels put out some quiet ambience, along with the occasional panning effect, like when Kitty's aura or spirit or whatever zips around the poolroom and into Jack's chest, sending him into comically orgasmic shudders. The sound effects certainly hold up better than the dated visual effects, with little noises—the squeals of dolphins, water lapping and splashing—going a long way to create a modestly convincing audio experience. James Horner's score, heavy on big digital beats and synth lines, is quaintly 1980s, but it sounds impressive here, with a strong dynamic range and plenty of breadth across all speakers. Aside from a few moments when the voices feel a little too low in the mix, dialogue is clean and easily understood.

Cocoon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Commentary by Director Ron Howard
One of the nicest guys in Hollywood gives a candid, friendly, and informative commentary track that spans the usual topics—technical details, on-set stories, and other pertinent reminiscences. Well worth your time if you enjoy the film.

Behind the Scenes Featurette (SD, 6:56)
A vintage EPK promo that gives an overview of the story and includes several brief interviews with director Ron Howard.

Ron Howard Profile (SD, 2:34)
From Opie to Richie to feature film helmer, this vintage profile gives an overview of the then-34 year old director's career.

Underwater Training (SD, 3:35)
Actor and diving instructor Mike Nomad—who trained Ron Howard for the production of Splash—discusses the perils and challenges of shooting underwater.

Actors (SD, 2:52)
An overview of Cocoon's ensemble cast, with snippets of interviews with a few of the actors and footage from the film.

Creating Antareans (SD, 3:56)
The actors who play the film's aliens talk about the process of creating their characters.

Theatrical Teaser (SD, 00:55)

Theatrical Trailer (SD, 1:27)

Three TV Spots (SD, 00:31 each)

Cocoon: The Return Theatrical Teaser (SD, 1:20)

Cocoon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Like E.T. or Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Cocoon is another entry into the 1980s canon of "friendly" alien films, typically heartwarming stories that are less about science fiction and more about the triumph of the human spirit. The movie doesn't hold up quite as well as its Steven Spielberg-created cousins, but it certainly still has its charms. Like its elderly characters, Cocoon itself has gotten some life-extending rejuvenation, thanks to a strong high definition transfer by 20th Century Fox. Casually recommended.