MovieChat Forums > Cocoon (1985) Discussion > Biggest hole ever!

Biggest hole ever!

posted 18 years ago by messin18
24 replies | jump to latest

I enjoyed this movie but the HUGE hole at the end really pissed me off and hurt the overall movie experience. It makes NO sense that Jack Bonner would take the money and leave. He was the captain of a boat where 20 some old people died at sea with him being the ONLY survivor. He would be in jail for a very long time. The only argument that might make ANY sense is telling the cops he was forced... But then how would he explain his huge bag of cash and explain why he was the only survivor. Pretty lame.

[–] jkms89 17 years ago

Maybe that would have made a more interesting sequel.
How Jack escapes from jail. ;)

[–] Madman-10 17 years ago

well, the thing is, Jack could just say its his money and who could argue with him. There was a boat that was chasing him and saw that there was people on it. There wasn't enough time for Bonner to individually murder all on board and steal their money. There's no evidence Jack did anything.

[–] virlyn2 16 years ago

No evidence? he was last seen on the boat with all the old people...
"who could argue with him"... i don't think the cops would just say "aaah its your money, owkey, we're sorry, fck the old people and the fact that you didn't stop when we ordered you to"

I found jack the captain a bit of an idiot, falling in love with an alien
and jumping in the sea with the money...hmmm

The kid annoyed me too, running to the boat and fcking things up.

but whatever, its a family movie

"I collect blondes and bottles" - The Big Sleep

[–] stevenackerman69 14 years ago

I think they never actually saw him so how could they finger him? It is one thing to call to the Captain through the bullhorn but to see him is another.

[–] Frumious_Bandersnatch_46 11 years ago

There may not be enough evidence to prove it in court.
However, I'm sure law enforcement at all levels from local to federal thought they saw enough to convince themselves of what they thought he'd done. Certainly they saw enough to inspire them to make the rest of his life as miserable as they legally can — and perhaps a bit beyond.

The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.
— Stephen Hawking

[–] EMME30 17 years ago

Quite frankly I thought the biggest hole was that Ben and Marilyn didn't just take their daughter and Grandson with them. They could take anyone they wanted to take. Why not take their family when it was obvious they were all they had left? I guess there wouldn't have been the big chase scene at the end and all, but I would take my family with me. They addressed Jack getting in trouble in the second movie.

"So, am I worthy to serve under Captain Jack Sparrow?"- James Norrington POTC-Dead Man's Chest

[–] Madman-10 17 years ago

Erm, because her daughter would firstly think he was nuts and probably somehow let the secret out of the bag (and we saw her reaction to the whole idea when David told her)

Secondly, Ben probably wanted her daughter and grandson to live their lives on earth, not with a bunch of aliens, they are only going because they don't want to die.

[–] EMME30 17 years ago

Kind of hard to refute if the aliens had shown themselves to her. That would be a way to convince her.

"So, am I worthy to serve under Captain Jack Sparrow?"- James Norrington POTC-Dead Man's Chest

[–] TVholic 16 years ago

The Antareans only had limited capacity. Walter did say they had room for about 50 of them. If he accepted young people, some old people would have had to give up their spots and die. He also wanted teachers. There's not an awful lot someone with David's limited life experience could teach the Antareans, and it wouldn't have been fair to take his grandparents and mother and leave him all alone.

[–] Musashi_MijaBloto 16 years ago

Why did not Jack go with them? Especially as he was in love with one of the aliens.

[–] fiatlux-1 16 years ago

I figured he felt his place was on Earth, it was where he belonged. Even though he cared for Kitty, I think in his heart he wanted to stay here on Earth.

She controlled the animals of the forest even the trees seeming to do her bidding.

[–] rexcass2185 16 years ago

The reason Jack, the kid, and the mother didn't go was simply because it wasn't their time. They were only part way through or just starting their life here on earth. The spaceship was obviously a metaphor for death and crossing over to life eternal in the presence of the perfect beings. This whole movie was about the end of life and what happens once we die. When the aliens originally left earth they left their friends behind, aka they died young. They came back for their friends as "angels" and found that they were already much much older, they had become the damned the unsavable. When Jack and the female "bonded" instead of a physical pleasure it was her giving him a taste of the life eternal after we die. So in an essence to leave earth before their time it would have been an act of suicide.

Evolution is a fact, not a theory. - Carl Sagan

[–] kennywolf 16 years ago

Perhaps since Jack had been 'shared' with Kitty, his life was possibly extended too.

"Eye of the Beholder"

[–] stevenackerman69 14 years ago

Mad Magazine made a reference of that in its satire and the punchline was that the money they gave him could buy him out of trouble. Maybe he actually escaped in the raft before anyone found him?

[–] falcon2484 13 years ago

The funny thing is, "the usual gang of idiots" at Mad magazine addressed this issue in their parody of this movie waaaay back in '85. In the panel, Walter throws Jack the bag of money, saying something like, "Here's a bag of money for your trouble!" Jack says, "What good will it do me? The cops will think I'm responsible for the deaths of 30 old people!" Walter says, "Don't worry! We've been on Earth long enough to see that a bag full of money will buy you out of any trouble you're in!"

Even back in '85, at the tender age of 15, I knew that was true. It was about the funniest thing I'd ever read (up to then).

The Falcon flies

[–] shrugs 13 years ago

What? There are no bodies and no evidence of any wrong doing. What would they jail him for? You can't just throw your hands up and say I have no idea what happened here or where these people are but I think it's likely that you done 'em in so off to jail you go. You have to be able to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt and there isn't even any proof that a crime was committed in the first place let alone that he committed it.

What if a squirrel wants a sausage?

[–] Guamley 12 years ago

What shrugs said.

[–] Frumious_Bandersnatch_46 11 years ago

They may not have been able to prove it in court. However, I'm sure law enforcement at all levels from local to federal saw enough to convince themselves of what they thought he'd done. Enough to inspire them to make the rest of his life as miserable as they legally can — and perhaps a bit beyond.

The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.
— Stephen Hawking

[–] melnar1 8 years ago

Shrugs, yours is the only correct answer.

Besides, in fact no old people died. On the contrary - they were all to be imbued with everlasting life.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] marvelass 9 years ago

I winced when he jumped into the water. I was like, "Now, those wads of cash are gonna be soaked and worthless."

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