Before J.J. Abrams was making a name for himself with Alias, LOST, Fringe, Super 8, and Star Trek/Wars, he was young screenwriter "Jeffrey Abrams" writing the screenplay for this Mel Gibson vehicle. While the film as a whole is only decent, it is fascinating to get a glimpse into the early film musings of Abrams.For a basic plot summary, "Forever Young" tells the story of Captain Daniel McCormick (Gibson), a military test pilot in 1939 who sees his fiancée Helen (Isabel Glasser) involved in an accident and rendered comatose. Overcome with grief, Daniel persuades inventor friend Harry Finley (George Wendt) to enroll him in an experimental freezing process (to last a year) so he doesn't have to watch the love of his life slowly die. Daniel is indeed frozen...but wakes up in 1992 instead of 1940. Taken in by single mother Claire (Jamie Lee Curtis) and son Nat (Elijah Wood), Daniel must assimilate back into culture while at the same time untangle those missing years.There are unique elements to this script that I see Abrams' handprints all over. It's a mix of science fiction, romance, drama, and adventure, and all those elements work well together. The premise is interesting, the acting is quite good, and there really are some great scenes featuring Gibson and Wood (their chemistry almost steals the show at times). The film doesn't really do anything flashy or have any special effects at all, but it is able to create some great character moments and tug at the emotions.The problem with "Forever Young", however, is that the climax isn't nearly as interesting or well- executed as the setup. In the final third of the movie, I kept waiting for a big, emotional character moment, or some kind of interesting plot twist, but neither were in the offing. Instead, it unfortunately just kind of plays out rather predictably and loses much of its steam.Overall, I consider "Forever Young" to be a rather average film, but potentially more interesting when considering the legacy that J.J. Abrams might leave on the film industry when all is said and done. I can easily see the Abrams-ness of the movie, but it just isn't as polished or interesting as his subsequent works. This is a flick that can be enjoyed by the entire family (really no questionable material besides a few curse words), however, so it still retains a decent amount of value.

The 1990's were a booming decade for Mel Gibson. Fresh off of three Lethal Weapon movies, he was already establishing himself as a bankable American movie star. As the decade went on he would find a balance between commercial and personal projects. "Forever Young" seems to have a mix of both commercial and personal sides, and despite a few flaws in its screenplay it still entertains and holds your attention.The basic plot line has Gibson as a military test pilot in 1939 who wants to propose to the love of his life played by Isabel Glasser, but he chickens out, and as he does so, she goes comatose and nearly dies from being hit by a car. Gibson then asks his scientist friend (George Wendt), who has invented a cryogenic freezing system to freeze him for a year so he won't see Glasser die and if she is well to wake him up. He goes to sleep for over 50 years and wakes up in 1992 after a boy (Elijah Wood) and his friend find him in a nearly demolished military warehouse and revive him. After saving Wood's mother played by Jamie Lee Curtis from nearly being abused, he briefly moves in and begins a minor relationship with her until the climax, which I won't give away.So yeah it definitely has the ingredients and clichés of a made-for- TV movie. Gene Siskel said one reason he didn't like the film was he didn't believe the relationship between Gibson and Glasser and felt the movie failed to really explore the depths of it. I do agree with him on that minor note. A little more time exploring the relationship would have been nice to see. More scenes with Wendt's character would have been nice too, sadly he has very little to do, and his part really should have been more of an un-credited cameo. Of course "Cheers" was in its final season when this movie came out, so I'm sure the director felt "if people know Norm Peterson is in this movie along with Mel Gibson, I'm sure people will come!" Aside from those flaws, the relationship between Gibson and Wood is special. Wood is like the son Gibson wished he would have had, and I like that approach. I also like the scenes with he and Curtis and they definitely have some spark. The flying sequences and scenery are also very well done. Bottom line: A few clichés, and a little overly-sentimental like a Hallmark movie, but still enjoyable and fun to watch. Rating: *** out of ****. Rated PG for some language, brief nudity (Gibson's backside after he is revived from being frozen), and a brief sequence of domestic violence, along with some fist fighting. (Thankfully Gibson saves the day, before anything gets too bad). Suitable for children 11 and older.

Mel Gibson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Elijah Wood, Isabel Glasser and George Wendt star in this 1992 sci-fi drama. This begins in 1939 where we meet test pilot, Daniel (Gibson) who has a girlfriend, Helen (Glasser) and best friend, Harry (Wendt) who is a scientist. Daniel wants to marry Helen, but she gets into an accident and goes into a coma. Daniel is depressed and convinces Harry to be his cryogenic test subject allowing him to sleep for a year instead of waiting for her to wake up. Fifty years later, Daniel is unwittingly thawed out by young boy, Nat (Wood) who helps him search for the answers of what happened during the years he was asleep. Curtis (Halloween) plays Nat's mother, Claire who is a nurse and also helps Daniel. I've always enjoyed this film, Mel is great in it, he & Isabel have good chemistry and Jerry Goldsmith's score is great as usual. I recommend this good sci-fi drama.

I guess I would call this a feel good movie for kids. I say that it is a kids type movie because the major characters are kids. Because of this it seems that the movie is targeted at a younger audience. The plot actually seems to follow the same idea as ET with the kid not only being the hero, but the saviour. In a way, this is the fantasy of all kids, to be a hero and do something that is far more than their ordinary life. This is what is true for most people who watch movies, but children are far more imaginative and willing to accept the impossible.The year is 1939 and an airforce test pilot loses his girlfriend in a car accident. The tragedy is that he wanted to propose to her, but he never got around to it. His girlfriend is in a coma, and as he cannot wait for her to awaken, he agrees to test out a cryo-freeze chamber. The deal is that he freezes and is woken up when she wakes up. In 1992 two kids find the chamber and accidentally open it. The pilot wakes up and finds that the world that he once knew is no longer there.As such the movie falls into a typical ET plot. The pilot goes to the kid and asks for his help. The US army learn the truth and want to find him, and he simply wants to find his old friends, hoping that they are still alive. Well, that plot point is very different to ET, but it still has the same essentials.The basic theme of this movie is Carpe Diem: seize the day. This is what the pilot failed to do. He did not seize the day and he missed out. Then he was not patient. The only person he ever cared about is gone and he could not afford to live in the world anymore. Even though I may sound quite blunt, but this is the way the world is. We might say Carpe Diem, but it is not always going to turn out for the best. It does in the movie: both heroes end up getting their girls, but it is not always the case in real life. Patience is a virtue, which is the beginning of a very well know saying (and the end is rarely in a woman and never in a man).The truth is that this world is full of pain and suffering. We make mistakes and we must live with them. This is what life is all about - actually it is much more than that, but the thing is that life may seem bad, but the new day always will bring new things. There have been times in my life where my mistakes have left me alone and very sad. There have been times when I have wanted to kill myself, but the truth is that I am glad I did not. Sometimes we want to escape the consequences of our actions, but if we face them, they will not always be as bad as we expect them to be.This may sound like idealistic garbage spewing from the mouth of a Christian, but the truth is that the world is in a mess, and that is because we think that we can rule ourselves. This is just not true. We are hopeless and we rely upon drugs of all sort (whether they be heroin, or simply money, power, popularity). That those drugs of dependence away from us, we are nothing. The pilot's drug of dependence was his girl friend, and when she was gone, he had nothing left. The truth is, nobody can take God away, and that is why I clasp onto him, because he is a drug of dependence, but one that I don't have to by, nor will leave me lost and alone.