The Mosquito Coast

With much of Harrison Ford's career during the eighties dominated by his participation in George Lucas and Spielberg blockbusters, it comes as a relief to discover that in between his numerous flights on the Milennium Falcon and slashing his whip he found time to star in many low key movies. Among these hidden treasures is The Mosquito Coast, a character driven story about one mans attempt to recreate an Eden in a faraway land. And his secret to survival? Ice.

This is an interesting movie, not only because it has an all star cast, that includes River Phoenix, but because we see Harrison Ford give his all to creating a character that is multi dimensional. He is an idealist and has the best intentions, yet is doomed to failure as the viewer senses an impeding violent side to his vision which will come to destroy him.

As a movie this is a good study of man's attempt to act upon his dreams, as a lighthearted pop corn flick this will annoy the average mainstream cinema goer. Simply put, many people will find it hard to imagine Harrison Ford as anything else other than the super hero incarnation of Indiana Jones, and multi faceted anti heroes that never see the errors of their ways is a genre of cinema that Hollywood hasn't quite got their head around yet.

For everybody else who would like to see a movie that has depth, great acting and a solid script, this will be excellent viewing.

I have read the book and watched the film, and because of Harrison Ford's uncanny portrayal of the lead character he should have received an Oscar. There is an eerie scariness in the coming to life inventor- father to a mad scientist with humanistic touches. The book gave deep and colorful look at this man, but Ford alone made him transition from words to life. A deep look at someone with high ideals who becomes disillusioned at American way of life.

The Mosquito Coast is a movie that has many things going for it, but fails to combine all its excellent ingredients in a way that makes it feel great. I think there's still a good deal to like, but overall, it feels a bit unsatisfying and disappointing.

You have an interesting premise, with a deranged father leading his family to live in the wilderness. You have Harrison Ford playing one of the most villainous characters he's ever played (maybe the most villainous?) You have a great supporting cast with people like Helen Mirren and River Phoenix. You've got a fantastic composer in Maurice Jarre. And then there's Peter Weird directing, who's made several classics, often involving themes of isolation or "adventures" that go wrong or people getting by in unfamiliar situations.

At the end... it's fine? It never really hits that point where it becomes something else, though. Maybe it's Ford's character- while I found it a breath of fresh air for the protagonist to have few, if any, redeeming qualities, maybe that hurt my engagement with the film in the long run.

Anyway, good premise, good acting, good music, and the the way it's shot is solid, too. Maybe it just needed a tighter script to keep things more interesting, or at least more consistent. It does feel poorly adapted into a movie, screenplay-wise. You can tell these lines are from a novel, with much of the dialogue sounding like they're just reading off a page.

Some of the other reviews summarize this pretty well. The Mosquito Coast details flawlessly the grotesque decomposition of a good and true man. Harrison Ford's Allie is driven insane by his own intelligence and inability to control his ego. Even more remarkable and disquieting is the fact that this is based on a true story. In some ways, Allie reminds me of Dr. Mobius from Forbidden Planet. But the demons Allie conjures up are far more grotesque and deadly than anything from even Mobius' warped imagination. I conclude that this is a true piece of art and science -- magnificently crafted from beginning to end -- and I will NEVER voluntarily watch it again.

Who hasn't wondered, considered, or fantasized about leaving this whole rat race beyond and go off somewhere remote to just do your own thing? I know I have and sometimes still do. Well, the main character here, play by Ford, does just that, and he brings his entire family along with him. Despite his good intentions they are all met with considerable obstacles and challenges throughout. There were times that I felt for his character, but even more so for his wife and kids being reluctantly pulled and pushed along on his obsession. There are definitely some issues with this film, one being a lack of clarity in its message, but I still think it is worth checking out.