The Mosquito Coast is based on a book by Paul Theroux about a self made inventor Allie Fox (Harrison Ford) who's disillusioned with everything America stands for, quits his job and takes off with his family to build a new future in the remote jungles of Belize (Honduras in the book). Allie is tirelessly optimistic even in the worst of adversities and has a maniacal genius in him which leads his family to trust him in everything he does. He makes his family settle in the jungles and creates a small town, in harmony with nature, with the help of a few locals where he builds a giant ice box that works on steam and provides refrigeration and air conditioning to everyone. The film is narrated by his son Charlie (River Phoenix) who is supporting of his father but also wary of his harebrained schemes. The problem with Allie is, while he's a genius with mechanics, he knows little about people and  makes very poor judgements of them which gets him into trouble.

The problem with the film is, while it depicts his descent into madness and insanity (?) very effectively, it's competely incongruous with the first half where the journey from America to the jungles seems like a vacation trip. The whole section seems rushed and robs the film of any genuine perspective to Allie's motives behind his moves. These portions are some of the most interesting parts of the book which convey that there might really be some truth in what Allie finds wrong with the consumerist culture in America. Minus this, it's essentially played in broad strokes, just accounting for the incidents and leaving out the details and comes across as shallow.

That is not to say it's a middling venture by any means. The film moves along at a brisk pace and once the shit hits the fan for the family, Allie's obsessiveness with his unconventional methods and his subsequent delusions make it an engrossing feature. Harrison Ford is in terrific form as Allie Fox, giving the character the command and energy it requires and single handedly elevates the film above the average script. The film is made by Peter Weir who'd previously made the brilliant adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock and the interesting surreal films The Cars That Ate Paris and The Last Wave. But I think by the time he made this film, he must have lost his edge a little and although enjoyable on the whole, it really isn't quite as great as it ought to be. The film was shot on location in Belize and would have been something else in the hands of a director of the calibre of Werner Herzog or Terrence Malick who have dealt with the theme of man in relation to nature more effectively.