Tuck Everlasting

The band Queen once asked a question during their soundtrack to Highlander: “Who wants to live forever?�

Michael Ironside, then Casper Van Dien ask in the excellent movie Starship Troopers, “Do you wanna live forever?�

"You speak blasphemy, sir!"

Fine questions in themselves and ones that Tuck Everlasting tries to answer. Unfortunately, whilst those other films were asking the questions there was lots of violent action surrounding them to keep the viewer interested. Not so for Tuck. Told through the eyes of 14 year old Winnie Foster, an only child to wealthy landowners, this is a story of the Fountain of Eternal Youth.

Whilst evading yet another trite lesson in rules, she happens upon Jesse Tuck (a wild teen hunk) drinking from a small spring in the base of a tree. His brother then happens along and she gets taken back to the Tuck’s house whilst a massive search for her begins back home. As Winnie stays longer and longer with the Tucks, she discovers that the spring in the tree grants immortality to all who drink from it. Falling in love with Jesse, they talk of living forever together whilst father Tuck tries to give her advice on how awful it is to not grow old or die and just keep on living.

Meanwhile, a mysterious stranger is trying to track down the Tucks realising he has brushed with immortality, and he is intent on learning the secret and marketing it to the world (at a reasonable price, of course).

It’s a beautifully shot movie and one which will deliver a light entertainment, but not one that truly digs into the psyche of our yearning to live on, through either memory or immortality. Dealing with some heavy issues in a lightweight manner, the film tries hard to impart wisdom, but only succeeds in frustrating the viewer with plot inadequacies. For example, Jesse Tuck claims at one point (after going into hiding) that he will return for Winnie when it’s safe. 80 years later he shows up. How much safer could you get?

Being a very recent film and transferred by the fine people at Buena Vista, we should expect a good-looking film transfer and naturally, we get it. Little to no artefacts impede our vision, there’s a nice clean picture and a 16:9 enhanced 2.35:1 aspect ratio make this look absolutely superb. I might also add that there are some truly magnificent landscapes shot here that the 2.35:1 really shows off with style. Also, some nice sepia-tone flashbacks incorporating modern film techniques have been utilised very well and look fantastic. The colours are fabulous, flesh tones are great and as stated the picture quality is magnificent.

Occasionally on some indoor scenes the blacks go heavily green (the interior of the Tuck cabin for one) whilst in others the blacks and shadows are perfect. This is really the only qualm I’ve got with the entire look of this film on DVD.

The modern classic of Dolby Digital 5.1 does the honours here and sounds just perfect. I could only find one fault in it and that is the dialogue being a little low. The music and sound effects levels are both fine, it’s just the dialogue that's slightly low. The music is very pleasant and typical of this sort of Disney film in that it has that summery afternoon with nothing to do kind of happy lilt to it. Think Little House on the Prairie or love scene from Attack of the Clones.

Elisabeth Shue as the Narrator is a real surprise, because she really doesn't get to say all that much. Sissy Spacek and William Hurt are also wasted, now I come to think of it. They barely appear at all. What's up with that?

One last thing; great actor that he is, Ben Kingsley runs his lines together a lot here. I’m sure this is intentional for his character, but he does tend to be a little hard to understand at times.

This is a mediocre batch masquerading as above average. Firstly, there are two audio commentaries that aren’t very interesting and we get a little bit of doubling up in them from the next extra: The Lessons of Tuck. Sheesh. This really blows. Hosted by the 18 year-oldish dude who plays Jesse, Jonathan Jackson, this works like a visual commentary in which an icon appears whenever an interesting or controversial plot question appears in the film. Clicking on it sparks a bunch of soundbites from Mr Jackson, the cast and crew as well as everyday folks on their opinions of the issue. This is mostly pretty sugary stuff and didn’t teach me a bloody thing. Lessons indeed. What is it with young dudes who make one movie and then become all bloody philosophical?

Anyhow (he says climbing down), the last extra is a nine and a half minute featurette on Natalie Babbitt, the author of the book Tuck Everlasting. She is interviewed and talks about her illustrating work - which is actually very interesting – and her influences. There is also included a brief history of her life and the inevitable comparisons to Winnie.

This is a movie that will appeal to (and is pretty much aimed at, let’s be honest) the early to mid teenage female market. With hunky young fellas on motorbikes sporting untamed hair, a spunky teen heroine and a timeless romance, how could it not be? It isn’t a bad movie, it looks fantastic for the most part and sounds great, it just takes a little while to get off the ground and by then it’s getting time to land, if you know what I mean.

However, the girls will love it and it is a nice teenage movie with some interesting themes and a couple of pop life lessons to boot, just don’t expect too much.