Rating: 
Summary: The greatest chapter in the Peter Weir library
Review: For fans of director Peter Weir, whose films deal exclusively with themes of man confronting his destiny and / or madness, "The Mosquito Coast" is his greatest effort. Here, Harrison Ford plays Allie Fox, a heartland family man sidelining as a eccentric inventor who grows weary of the disenchanting greed and (what he perceives as) disintegration of America. He moves his family to South America where he ends up purchasing a small village, and successfully creates his own primal vision of utopia. Through a series of problems he fails to see as beyond his control (nature, internal turmoil, religious & milirary interferences) his utopia begins to crumble and Allie resorts to the selfish, materialistic American ideals he so venemously despised. However, Allie cannot see his own faults as he clings desperately to a dream that is ravaging himself & his family. The descension sends him into a palpable madness as his family helplessly watches. No screenwriter other than Paul Schrader communicates madness better. Ford unarguably delivers his best performance EVER; no other character portrayed by Ford has been given so much emotion and freedom to use (it would of been more appropriate for Ford to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for this film rather than for "Witness" - also directed by Weir). In some ways this film is more difficult than the Schrader-scripted "Taxi Driver" or Weir's "Fearless", which also deal with themes of dementia. Typically, what you receive is a character who is either combating their madness or completely unaware of it. With this film, inventor Allie Fox embraces his madness because he sees it as the only catalyst to his freedom. A powerful and overlooked film.
Rating: 
Summary: A chilling parable set in the tropics
Review: With a screenplay by Paul Schader(Taxidriver) and direction by Peter Weir(Trumanshow) it is no wonder this film is a minor masterpiece. Harrison Ford is Ally Fox, an idealistic genius who rejects the U.S. and sets out to start a new way of life in the Jungle(taking his wife and 4 children with him). However when his best laid plans fall apart this mans great mind decents into a pit of obsession and madness. You could watch this film for the acting alone. Ford is exceptionally stunning as Ally, making him a maverick anti-hero. He is all at once admirable, sharp, fearsom and utterly absorbing. But perhaps even more remarkable is the performance of River Phoenix as Allys some what brain-washed son Charlie. With barely any dialoge compared to Ford, Phoenix simply dazzles you with his looks of overwelmed awe at his father- sometimes his glazed eyes just seem to jump off the screen with intense pride. I think great credit should go to the visionary Weir for the spectacle he creates. The beautiful scenery together with a majestic soundtract are nothing less than hypnotic. And how he transforms his cast from well-fed, clean cut Americans to ragged, starved savages is incredible. Above all the most striking thing about "Mosquito Coast" is the honest statement it makes about human nature. If you dont like it, then basically, your kidding yourself!
Rating: 
Summary: boring boring boring
Review: Harrison Ford should stick to action. He just doesn't pull off the intellectual. I highly recommend this as a replacement for sominex.
Rating:
Summary: A true view of a genius' descent into madness.
Review: Harrison Ford is superb in this tale of an inventor who finds, then creates his Utopia, only to lose it. Many Harrison Ford fans are stuck in the action genre and do not like this movie. I pity them because this is a wonderful movie that crosses genres. I am very happy that it is again in print.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating And Thought-Provoking.
Review: Over the years I have seen this film more than a handful of times. There has always been something about it that's interested me. Just recently I just viewed it again and still find it to be a better-than-average movie. Harrison Ford does a great job as the eccentric inventor along with the rest of the cast. The cinematography and the music are nice too. A movie that is quite fascinating and not bland or boring at all. I actually give Mosquito Coast 3.5 stars. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay
Review: There is a lot good in this film, but a lot that's bad. It's clumsily constructed, but it's original, and it's refreshing to see a major star play a jerk. Most stars want to play perfect people. I know someone who read the book, and thought the movie sucked by comparison. I didn't read the book, and thought the movie so-so. Even though there is a lot wrong with the movie, it IS substantive, and there are fewer such movies from major studios with major stars than ever. So, it's rather an oasis in the desert of contemporary cinematic fair. It's not that great an oasis, but considering that all around it is desert, that ups the value of the film quite a bit.
Rating:
Summary: The King and the Cardinal
Review: Peter Weir directs this film about a man, Aliie, fed up with society who travels with his family to the Mosquito Coast to set up his own Utopia. In the tradition of the Conrad novel Heart of Darkness, Allie(Ford) becomes obsessed with the Utopia he has created an will not let anything or anyone stop him from his near perfect world. The person intent on stopping Allie from his "destruction of mankind" is the Rev. Spellgood, a missionary who plans on coverting the heathens along the coast. Allie has his atheistic beliefs though and is not willing to left Rev. Spellgood interfere with anything that he does. For many people this movie was an absolute disgrace and according to my mother it was a complete attack at Christianity and GOD. But if you are willing to put religion aside to get a view from both sides of the fence then Mosquito Coast might have something to offer you. Insight.
Rating:
Summary: An excitingly "different" type of movie...
Review: Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and River Phoenix star in the unusual story of a man "fed-up" with how civilization has ruined the humanity of mankind, so he packs up his family and heads to the jungle to start anew. Ford plays completely against type very convincingly. The fast-paced story pulls you in and even makes you envy the courage that Ford's character has, that is, until human nature begins to rear it's ugly head. A Great Film!
Rating:
Summary: An excitingly "different" type of movie...
Review: Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and River Phoenix star in the unusual story of a man "fed-up" with how civilization has ruined the humanity of mankind, so he packs up his family and heads to the jungle to start anew. Ford plays completely against type very convincingly. The fast-paced story pulls you in and even makes you envy the courage that Ford's character has, that is, until human nature begins to rear it's ugly head. A Great Film!
Rating:
Summary: This is an unusual, yet successful, role for Harrison Ford.
Review: Reviews are only subjective. Ford as Allie Fox is an inventor, a genius, a man too smart for the world around him. He is a mechanical engineer who takes his family to Central America in search of Utopia, as he defines it. Of course, his family does not want to leave behind civilization and all of the comforts that home brings, but no one can resist his will. Perhaps that and his abrasive irritating manner are aspects of his insanity. He does not expect to find another zealot, particularly in the form of Reverend Spellgood (Andre Gregory) who has determined to bring Christianity to the natives. Fox's goal is to bring his definition of civilization. The conflict and comparison between two very strong characters is part of what makes Paul Theroux's story work River Phoenix as Charlie, the son who comes of age, and through whose eyes we see this story, is brilliant. Helen Mirrin, recently of 'Calendar Girls,' is stunning; her portrayal of a woman in love with her family, wanting to support her husband, yet protect her family is touching. John Seale's, directory of photography, work is outstanding, and reminds me of other fascinating movies brought to life by the careful use of lights, shadows, and lush, verdant scenery. Ford's portrayal of the disintegration of a brilliant man, inventor, know-it-all, family despot is compelling, but gets lost in the slow, tedious complexities of a long journey - both mentally and the one his family travels. Yet, it has been almost twenty years since I saw the theatrical release, and I remember this film. I still think about it, wonder about motives and actions - and that is what makes this an excellent film, in my opinion. This is one of the most difficult films to rate because it was overly long and somewhat wearisome, but it is also powerful. However, when actors, a story, and cinematography linger in my imagination and analysis processes since 1986, I must give it five stars. I know that some people will be bored because it is slow, but I will watch it many times to enjoy the nuances. Victoria Tarrani
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