Subtitles:

English (SDH), French, Spanish, none  

Extras:

• Audio Commentary with Director Ron Howard

• Behind the Scenes – in SD (6:55)

• Ron Howard Profile – in SD (2:30)

• Underwater Training – in SD (3:30)

• Actors – in SD (2:50)

• Creating Antareans – in SD (3:55)

• TV Spots

• Trailers  

• Feature-length audio commentary with Director Ron Howard
• Five featurettes: Behind the scenes (6:56), Ron Howard profile (2:34), Underwater training (3:35), Actors (2:52), Creating Antareans (3:56)
• Three TV spots (0:30 X 3)
• Original theatrical trailer (1:28)
• Teaser trailer (0:55)
• Cocoon: The Return theatrical trailer (1:28)
• Collectors booklet featuring a new article on the film by critic James Oliver, and archival imagery

The Film: 7
I have never been able to forgive Henry Koster for substituting an ice skating ringer for Cary Grant in The Bishop's Wife. In another warmhearted, but less wonderful movie, I feel the same about Ron Howard's use of a 19-year old break dancer to pinch hit for Don Ameche in Cocoon. But whereas The Bishop's Wife is consistently charming and whimsical throughout except for the moment Koster carelessly snatched me out of his fable, no such consistency is at play in Cocoon, which alternates scenes of intense, sometimes exquisite emotional complexity with juvenile silliness. In its final moments, there is some rare out-and-out directorial clumsiness and a screenplay that defies common sense, not least: the inexplicable decision Guttenberg makes at the end.

The story follows two groups of characters: four couples at a Florida Retirement Community and a quartet of aliens dressed in human skins who have returned to Earth to resuscitate friends left here in cocoons 10,000 years ago. The common point between the two groups is the indoor swimming pool at a house a short walk away from the retirement home where three of their residents (Wilfred Brimley, Hume Cronyn and Don Ameche) sneak in for a swim every now and then. The aliens (among them: Brian Dennehy and two adult children of more famous actors: Tahnee Welch and Tyrone Power Jr.) rent the house for a month to make use of the pool that Dennehy infuses with life energy so as to be able to wake up his friends. One day Brimley and cohorts come to the pool and find the cocoons resting on the bottom, but decide to enjoy the pool anyway. They find themselves rejuvenated and return for more of the same. Once they see the aliens for who they are, there is some brief panic but eventually they come to terms as long as the humans agree not to disturb the cocoons. One thing we can agree that the aliens have in common with humans: naiveté leavened with good intentions.

At the time of its release some 25 years ago, there was a public hue and cry about “cheating nature” – that it was against the rules for humans to “live forever”. I always thought the movie was about something else: the willingness to consider opportunities no matter how alien to one’s understanding of the order of the universe. If all you do is shuffleboard through life, you will miss some exciting adventures. Some of the film’s best and most intense dramatic moments come when Jack Gilford argues for the status quo against those that argue for a revival of health and longevity. These discussions, whose ripples play out amongst most of the important characters all the way down to Brimley's tweenaged grandson, sincerely felt and compellingly argued on both sides, are balanced if not extensive.

Image: 7/8
The first number indicates a relative level of excellence compared to other Blu-ray video discs on a ten-point scale. The second number places this image along the full range of DVD and Blu-ray discs.

Fox’s transfer looks pretty good. Its modest bit rate might play a role in the overall lack of punch, but the result is not inconsistent with the fantasy. Blacks are usually solid but some scenes are a little crushed, especially toward the end when a lunar eclipse threatens a darker night than usual. Edge enhancement can be observed if you look hard, but it is of no particular concern. Sharpness and resolution are only fair, but we don't feel their lack. Colors are good, if not a little thin. Contrast is all over the map, but that seems to be mostly a product of the original shoot.

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Audio & Music: 6/7
I always say: a little James Horner goes a long way. His score for Cocoon seems to confirm that belief. His music is so portentous it often feels like a promotional for the movie. That said, it is the music that receives most of the benefit of the upgrade to an uncompressed audio mix. It is robust, with plenty of deep bass. There are also moments where the effects bring the surrounds into play, though at times they strike me as somewhat artificial in context (the various warnings shouted from boats and copters in the finale). But the most frustrating thing about the audio is unlikely to have anything to do with the transfer: It is called "wow" – the subtle changes in speed as the audio passes over the tape heads. The better your playback system the more acute the problem.