Cocoon II - Die Rückkehr

After I enjoyed the first Cocoon so much I decided that the sequel could not be too bad. For the most part, the Cocoon: The Return remains a generally enjoyable film even if most of the magic remained in the original. In this one, the elderly friends return back to earth to catch up on everything that had missed out on while they were away. The biggest problem when they get back to earth is that all of the special protection from illness and aging that they had with the aliens eventually wears off, and if they don't get back to their planet with the aliens quickly, some of them may die. Overall, an enjoyable and harmless sequel to the original. If you liked the original you will most likely enjoy this sequel. ***1/2 out of *****.

This is a sequel, and it's better than most sequels. However, most sequels don't hold up against the original film and this one's no exception. The same cast is back and the acting is certain up to par in this film, but the impact of the story isn't there. I believe this film would have done fairly well had it not been a sequel, but the magic was gone, sorta like the magic from the pool in the first film. The cast does a good acting job and they try, they really do, but this film just doesn't cut the mustard (from whence came THAT expression?) as compared to the first film. I'm sorry, because I truly liked the first film. This is overall a very good film and nicely acted, written and executed. However, as I said, the magic from the first film is just missing because we knew pretty much what to expect. It's sad that few sequels are as good as the original.

Sequels are usually not as good as the original, unless the sequel happens to be called "Godfather II," so "Cocoon: The Return" is no exception.

On the other hand, I didn't find it ghastly (though a few others on this board did). It has the same terrific cast, which includes Don Ameche, Jack Gilford, Maureen Stapleton, Gwen Verdon, with the addition of Elaine Strich in the old folks' department, and Tawnee Welch, Tyrone Power Jr., and Steve Guttenberg with the addition of a very young Courtney Cox in the young folks' department. Brian Dennehy makes a brief appearance at the end of the film.

The Anterians need to return to pick up some cocoons, so the old folks come back to catch up with friends and family, with some interesting results.

Another plot concerns scientists taking one of the cocoons and studying it, while the Anterians attempt to rescue it before it's too late.

The movie actually has some very sweet moments - it probably would have been lousy without the same cast, but they're all very likable.

Okay, not great, and anyone under 55 probably won't want to be bothered. By the way, I cried during some of it. Guess my age.

Multiple different plots, none of them interesting. They try to cram a bunch of stuff in, but don't focus long on any one thing. There's the kid who can't play baseball real good, bernie and his dead wife, the guy whose cancer comes back, the wife who gets hit by a car, the other two old people who are pregnant, wilford brimley and his wife are having doubts about leaving, gutenberg and welch's relationship, an earthquake releases cocoons, an alien gets captured and they have to rescue it, and more. Why are there so many plots, all of them maudlin?

It is laugh out loud funny when the alien looks at courtney cox. It looks like someone in a lumpy vacuum-sealed garbage bag.

I would recommend this to people who want to see a shirtless steve guttenberg in the best shape of his life and people who really like side plots.

All the major players return for this disappointing sequel, but director Ron Howard's absence sends shockwaves through this unappealing second installment. Those who left Earth at the conclusion of the first (Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley and company) return, but all start to have serious thoughts about their true places in the universe. Once again the comedy and drama seem to get in the way of each other and in the end the film is just really a cheap rip-off of the original. By-the-numbers mess. 2 stars out of 5.