Reviews
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
a fizzle of a film
Mosquito Coast is a bit of an odd piece. It's the story of the Fox family lead by Allie, an inventor. He becomes disgusted with all the materialism in the United States and decides to make a fresh start in South America with the idea of staying close to nature and avoiding industrialization.
On one hand, as viewer you can feel the film pushing you to relate with the film's narrator -- Allie's son, Charlie Fox (River Phoenix) who truly adores his father and slowly watches him go mad. Although Phoenix is convincing in the role of the young teenage boy, there is always a distance that exists between him and the audience. Harrison Ford is incredibly impressive as Allie Fox. I had only seen Ford play Indiana Jones before I saw this film in 1988. At the age of 13, I was in awe of Ford. Although, having rewatched the film at an older age and with an expanded knowledge of acting, it is still an impressive performace. Helen Mirren appears as Allie's wife. She basically stands aside as her husband leads the Foxes to a foreign country, as they build up a small village. Constantly, she reassures the village's natives, "Don't worry. Allie knows what he's doing." Also, several of the actors who portray the Geronimo villagers are sweetly endearing.
There is also quite a feud between Allie Fox and a religious missionary. Watching Allie's disgust with religion's manipulation of humans, especially in third world countries, brought up some very intense emotions in me.
The film has several interesting points when it comes to industrialization, materialism, religion and their effects on the world. Unfortunately, when those are not neatly meshed with sympathetic or interesting characters, the film loses it's appeal. At times, the storyline makes you feel as though emotionally you are running in very slow circles. Overall, this is one of Peter Weir's lesser films. However, it always maintains a somewhat eerie, otherworldly feel that kept me watching.
Explorers (1985)
A sweet imaginative treat
Explorers is the story of three young misfits who come together and share a trip to outer space. The film starts out sweet and energetic, watching the three outsiders come together and the process of building their unique space-travel machine is exciting, funny and imaginative. Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix make their film debuts in this one. Hawke is wide-eyed and full of hope. Phoenix, however, plays the highly intelligent and somewhat sardonic young scientist, Wolfgang. Both are impressive performances from preteens. Once the boys finally do enter space and encounter aliens, the film's energy takes a dip. However, the ending involves a slight, ironic twist. Overall, this film is worth watching if you catch it on TV.