[.ca] Cocoon: The Return

Everything Old Is Not New:
The original Cocoon, directed by Ron Howard, was a charming sci-fi/fantasy that proved age and getting older is just a state of mind. While it was great to see the legendary cast from the first film reunite, director Daniel Petrie's sequel Cocoon: The Ruturn, can't quite recapture the magic of its predesessor. The retirees who chose to leave earth to find eternal life come back to Earth for a short visit with their loved ones while their alien escorts attempt to rescue a cocoon dislodged by Sara (Courteney Cox), an oceanographer. Art Selwyn (Don Ameche), along with his friends Ben Luckett (Wilford Brimley) and Joe Finley (Hume Cronyn) and their wives, Bess (Gwen Verdon), Mary (Maureen Stapleton), and Alma (Jessica Tandy) find little has changed. soon they rediscover the value of human emotion and the fragility of their own lives as they visit with their old friends and remember what it's like to live on earth. As the group of friends reconsider what life would be like if they stayed on earth permanently, they shop, party, and make some miraculous discoveries about the future of their relationships. Meanwhile, their alien escorts, led by Kitty (Tahnee Welch) lead the rescue attempt of the an alien cocoon from the hands of the government, with the help of her old friend Jack Bonner (Steve Guttenberg). The cast proves that they can rise above any of the film's shortcomings. The major problem of the film in general, is that, by its very exsistence, it diminishes the first film. Some of the philisophical issues raised in the first movie are examined again, this time with not as much urgency or surprise as the first go around. Petrie does what he can but can't really escape the "carbon copy" feel of the film. The extras on DVD aren't as exstensive, for the sequel, as they were for the original. All you get are some theatrical trailers and a few TV spots and that's it. I would have liked to see some behind the scenes stuff at least--considering a good portion of the cast has now passed on. Viewers can watch the film in either the full-screen, or, widescreen formats. Not quite the gem that was the original, Cocoon The Return, is a serviceable retread. It's cast of Hollwood veterans are a reason to watch the movie.

Worthy effort.:
The orininal is by far better, and this new one at times allows (dare I say!) mediocrity to set in. But for a sequal, this is pretty good. This time, the familiar alien group returns to earth to save a fellow extraterrestrial , who has been captured by the St. Petersburg Oceanograpic Institute (or somethin' like that). Which also gives time for the good old group of retirees to visit their old friends. The all the elements are back: science fiction, fantasy, drama, and a lot more laughs! It still manages to drag a few tears out of you. Still a good science fiction movie saga.

Never return to old places:
Never, ever, come back to the place where you have aged. For one reason : you will never want to go away again, because you will find all kinds of things you will have missed. For a second reason, because you will discover all those you have loved and you have known either have gone or have changed. For a third reason, because all you have missed, and all you left behind is still so strong that you will never want to go away again. This sequel is good because of that, because it shows that returning is the worst thing you can ever dream of after having left any place you have lived long in enough to love it. Apart from that, one interesting element is in the fact that an Extraterrestrial is nothing, certainly not a « human » being, able to think and feel emotions, but only a guinea pig to be analyzed and autopsied with a scalpel, even if it is a computerized one. The armed forces, the national security of our countries, and pretty soon of our globalised planet will look after that. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.

Growing Old Is Not For Sissies:
In this sequel most of the main members of the cast from COCOON return on a visit to their old retirement community in St. Petersburg, Florida after an absence of five years. Their extraterrestrial hosts provide the transportation as they have to return to earth to rescue another one of their comrades left behind on an earlier trip. This means that not only are Don Ameche, Wilfred Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Maureen Stapleton, Jessica Tandy and Gwen Verdon back but also Brian Dennehy , Tawnee Welch and Tyrone Power, Jr. from the original spaceship crew as well as the skipper of the glass bottom boat (Steve Guttenberg) and crusty old Jack Gifford. The big question on this trip is mostly about who will elect to stay on earth and who will decide to go back to eternal bliss. That is not an easy decision to make and we all probably have some experience wrestling with the same question. For those who are curious about whatever happened to the initial voyagers this movie will be satisfying even though it gets a little heavy at times. There are some memorable scenes especially a few involving Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Jack Guttenberg and Tawnee Welch. Daniel Petrie is the new director in place of Ron Howard.

As good as the original and that's high praise:
See my review of the original "Cocoon." Much the same can be said for this sequel. As another reviewer commented, the hospital scene between Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy is very touching. There is good belly laugh material too, for example when the oldsters take on some arrogant young basketball hotshots. I want to say a word for the soundtrack, too, the music. Lovely themes, well done and well integrated. This film and the original are good jobs all around and leave one (at least me) with a warm glow.