Cocoon (1985)
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A group of elderly people find their lives transformed after coming into contact with the life force of extraterrestrials.
The story
A group of aliens disguised as humans arrive in St. Petersburg, Florida, from their home planet, Antarea. They rent a house and use a local boat to retrieve cocoons from the sea bed, which contain Antareans left behind on their outpost on Atlantis. The cocoons have been charged with 'life force' to provide energy for the journey home. Next door, residents of the Sunny Shores Rest Home begin to feel younger and stronger after accidentally bathing in the pool where the life force is concentrated. When the truth of the cocoons is revealed, the residents must face the consequences of their actions and the reality of the aliens' mission.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Aliens from Antarea disguised as humans arrive in St. Petersburg, Florida, to retrieve cocoons containing their people left on Atlantis. They use a local boat, the Manta III, to gather these cocoons, which are charged with 'life force.' Nearby, three residents of the Sunny Shores Rest Home—Ben, Arthur, and Joe—begin feeling younger after swimming in the pool where the life force is concentrated. When the secret is revealed to the other residents, they rush to the pool, and one cocoon is damaged, causing an Antarean to die. After the cocoons are returned to the sea, the Antareans offer to take the elderly residents to Antarea, where they will never age or die. Most accept, but Bernie Lefkowitz chooses to stay on Earth. The residents depart on the Manta III, and a young man named David manages to join them briefly before they ultimately board an Antarean ship to leave Earth. The film ends with a memorial service for the missing residents while the Antarean ship travels toward their home.
- First release year
- 1985
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ron Howard
- Writers
- Tom Benedek · screenplay; David Saperstein · story
- Cast and characters
- Don Ameche · Art Selwyn; Wilford Brimley · Ben Luckett; Hume Cronyn · Joe Finley; Brian Dennehy · Walter; Jack Gilford · Bernie Lefkowitz; Steve Guttenberg · Jack Bonner; Maureen Stapleton · Mary Luckett; Jessica Tandy · Alma Finley; Gwen Verdon · Bess McCarthy; Herta Ware · Rose Lefkowitz; Tahnee Welch · Kitty; Barret Oliver · David
- Genres
- science fiction; comedy; drama
- Themes
- aging; mortality; extraterrestrial life
- Tone and mood
- heartwarming; sentimental
- Setting
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Premise and plot tags
- sci-fi; fantasy; retirement
- Franchise connections
- Cocoon
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive critical reception and was a box office hit, becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of 1985 in North America.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 82% · scale: Fresh · review count: 49; Metacritic · score: 65 · review count: 18
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · win; Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · win
- Production trivia
- The film's production was preceded by a year of development with Robert Zemeckis as the original director.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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