Home :: DVD :: Science Fiction & Fantasy :: Fantasy  

Alien Invasion
Aliens
Animation
Classic Sci-Fi
Comedy
Cult Classics
Fantasy

Futuristic
General
Kids & Family
Monsters & Mutants
Robots & Androids
Sci-Fi Action
Series & Sequels
Space Adventure
Star Trek
Television
Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $11.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 .. 10 >>

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Disney missed on this one....
Review: Tuck Everlasting is a wonderful book, with a sweet and basic tone. Winnie Foster is girl with a crush, not a teenager in smoochy, eye staring love. This movie sacrifices the fine characters of the book, (Tuck, Mae,
the Constable), and turns them into side characters to
Winnie and Jesse's romance. The Tucks of the novel are common, not so clean, overweight folk. Though William Hurt and Sissy Spacek remain great actors, their work here is limited and
not as engaging as the reflective Tuck and sweet , funny
Mae of the novel.Disney's new version gives the Man in the Yellow Suit a creepy, dominating Clint Eastwood-Unforgiven feel. The talented Ben Kingsley could have brought more to a better written character. The book and the 1981 movie show the man as he is: a manipulative opportunist who pushes his luck. Reviewers that liked the 1981 TV movie are correct: it's better, because it sticks to the story, even with subtle changes. The characters are fully developed.
If you're a teenage girl, enjoy the new Disney 2002 version of Tuck Everlasting. If your looking for the engaging, thought provoking story, stick to the book or the 1981 tv-movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Captivating Tale of Love, Immortality, and Choices We Make"
Review: Even though I teach middle school, I had not read this book. My students mentioned it often however, and as an instructor of Greek mythology, I became curious about the story when I learned its basic premise was immortality. (I have been told that there was much less a love interest between the teenagers in the book, however this emendation certainly lends a magical spark to the timeless story.) Upon seeing the movie, I can recommend it not only for its excellent treatment of this subject, but also as a film the whole family can enjoy and discuss afterward.

In brief, this is the story of those (the family Tuck) who would seek to live forever. Unlike the mythological Tithonius however, who was granted everlasting life without eternal youth, the Tuck family becomes immortal from the moment they drink of the mystical pool at the foot of an ancient tree--a tree that will lend a poignant and touching climax to the end of the film.

Suffice it to say, the acting is wonderful. High profile heavyweights such as Ben Kingsley, Sissy Spacek and William Hurt give predictable sterling performances. Victor Garber (Alias; Annie) is also excellent as the wealthy father. But Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls) as Winnie Foster is simply disarming. She is convincing and superb in her effort to balance her desire for love in a life outside of time, with her responsibility to live the life intended for her. The talent of the cast, as well as the curiosity of the storyline makes for few dull moments, and the conclusion left me with one wet Kleenex!

This is a beautiful film--from the scenery, to the music, to the performances, to the plot. Yes, it might be simplistic and predictable, but it would take a crusty old grinch to say that this ninety minutes wasn't thoroughly delightful, and time well spent.

In the end, the age-old questions remain--is immortality all we would dream it to be? Is it quantity, or quality of life that is important? Does living forever make one unique and privileged, or does it (as Tuck would say) make one merely a rock stuck in a mud bank beside a flowing stream? And where does love fit into this equation? Is being given the love of your life, or loving the life you're given the more appropriate choice? The answer is found in Winnie's final decision on whether or not to drink from the eternal pool--a decision I could not have made.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Awesome
Review: I liked how everything looked so real. It shows alot of bravery and its really, really good. I liked how they came up with such a good plan to get Mr. & Mrs. Tuck out of the prison. I would recommend that kids be at least 8 1/2 to watch the movie -- otherwise they might not understand everything.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Excellent Family Film
Review: Tuck Everlasting is a wonderfully bittersweet family film. Alexis Bledel (WB's Gilmore Girls) stars as Winnie Foster, a 15 year old girl tired of her parents strict reign on her life. When she ventures out into the woods, she discovers Jessie Tuck (Jonathan Jackson) and begins an adventure with the entire Tuck family. A Man in a Yellow Suit (Ben Kingsley) plays a mysterious role, stopping at nothing to locate the Tuck's whereabouts and discover the source of their deep and immortal secret.

With a few exceptions, Disney's Tuck Everlasting is true to Natalie Babbitt's classic book. (A couple of scenes are added to the film for dramatic effect and to build character development. In the end, they pay off quite well and it's a shame these scenes never appear in the novel, as they truly enhance the film.)

Bledel plays the part of Winnie Foster perfectly. She captures the innocence of youth and the nervousness associated with a first love to a T. She is the perfect actress for the part and Disney hit the nail on the head in casting her. Nevermind that this is her first film, as Bledel's experience from the Gilmore Girls has surely paid off and is demonstrated many times throughout the movie.

Jonathan Jackson is also great as Jessie Tuck, an eternal 17 year old who falls in love for the first time. He's an adventurous young man who likes to travel, but his life is forever changed when he meets young Winnie.

The remaining cast members also capture their characters' personalities and emotions beautifully. Ironically, however, most of the "big names" (William Hurt, Ben Kingsley, Sissy Spacek) are only secondary roles, as the film truly focuses on the relationship between Jessie and Winnie. Kingsley, talented as ever, plays a great villain while Hurt and Spacek are the perfect "neighborly" folks that everyone wishes they lived next to.

The music by William Ross enhances each scene with its own, unique melody. Everything from a music box tune to outdoor dancing to music from the era is present. It's a nice change from the all-too-common mundane music found in many of today's films.

Parents should not worry about the "PG" label attributed to Tuck Everlasting. The so-called "Some Violence" is far from gory or bloody and exists in only one or two scenes at best. This is undoubtedly a Disney classic, sure to find its way among other such films as "Old Yeller" and "The Swiss Family Robinson".

With a comfortable running time, you won't find yourself shifting in your seat and checking your watch. Disney has outdone itself with a modern classic that you can feel comfortable taking the whole family to see.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: the story is a bit thin but some scenes are simply powerful
Review: It was not as great a story or character development as I could have hoped for, but overall I was not dissapointed. The scenery was beautiful, the 2 main characters also were beautiful and they had some powerful scenes between them.

The scene of him helping her in the water because she cannot swim is one of the most romantic and touching few minutes of film I have ever seen.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A disappointment, sadly enough.
Review: I was expecting this film to be excellent, having read the book and finding it to be one of the best novels I have seen. Unfortunately my hopes were rudely shattered right from the opening sequences of the film when it became obvious that the story had been seriously tampered with. I carried on watching, however, as these changes did not overly detract from the atmosphere of the book to begin with. After about 15 minutes into the film, though, I just gave up watching completely and tried to pay as little attention to the screen as possible since I was in serious danger of having my memories of the story irrevocably tainted by the film version.
The movie bears almost no resemblance to the book in all but the broad details (names, places, base timeline etc). the Tucks' characters have been altered, especially Miles', numerous events and scenes have been added primarily it seems for the sake of drama, lines are hacked about (either spoken by other characters, omitted or altered) and, as has been picked up on in other reviews, we have a classic Disney romance rammed home to us. All of this seriously ruins the mood and feel of the original story and as a result I would recommend that you do not watch this film if you greatly enjoyed the book version or at least if you do then consider yourself forewarned of the possible effects on your memories of the tale.
I recognise that I am probably not objective and haven't really assessed the film on its own merits, there's nothing I can do about that, I can't stop myself comparing it (unfavourably)to the book. I will add, for those who are not worried about the book that my family, who had not read the story, thoroughly enjoyed the film so it clearly can stand on its own. If you can dissasociate it from the book in your own mind then you could probably add another star and a half to the score I have given it. Sorry I can't be more specific about the film itself but as I said I only really watched the first few minutes and then caught snippets of the rest (enough I might add, to convince me I did not want to see the whole thing).
So in summary I was seriously dissapointed and I imagine that most fans of the book would be as well. For anyone else I can only recommend strongly that you try and get a copy of the book to read. The film really cannot compare.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: a truth about life
Review: I have not yet read the book (the movie does make me wish to do so), so I won't be offering any comparisons. That said, I think this is a fine story. I find no fault with the plot. (Except... I do wonder what would happen when that water evaporates, and what about if and when the world does come to an end...?) There is a real philosophical and psychological question, about something that touches us all, at the heart of this movie: Would you really want to live forever? The story makes you face that question and reveals some truths about the reality of immortality in the wordly sense, without forcing the lessons down your throat. It is a lovely film, with beautiful natural scenery, stirring music and some of the best acting ever. I imagine the story will be too much for the sensibilities of some, but it is worth viewing for those who have the courage to consider what life would be without death. (The filmmakers' commentary adds to your appreciation of the art in this movie.)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: No comparison with the 1981 version
Review: Demand that someone release the old version on DVD. The characters were much more interesting, the action truer to the original Natalie Babbitt book, the sweet was sweeter, the evil eviler. It's too easy to portray evil as a leering, sneering, menacing "man in yellow". How much harder (and better) to put a pleasant face on it and let the actions speak for themselves. For all the characters it almost seems as though the director wrote down a two or three word description and told the actors, "This is your character; now, read your lines."

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Tuck Everlasting: A Timeless Tale--Literally!
Review: Tuck Everlasting was enjoyable and thought-provoking. However, I believe, as many others do, that Disney really could have gone a lot farther with this movie. It ended way too abruptly--just when I was really starting to get into it. Still, it was exciting because it did have a bit of suspense to it. Winnie Foster was faced with the most important question of her life: "Do you want to live forever?" All she had to do was drink the water of the spring in the woods by her home, and she could live forever with Jessie Tuck, the boy/man she was "in love" with. (Winnie just seemed too young--way too little-girlish--to be "in love.") You become involved in finding out what her decision will be while you're asking yourself what you would do. You want her to drink the water, but at the same time you don't.

While Tuck Everlasting lacked much character development and a thick plot, it was still touching and is a great movie for all ages. I haven't read the book or seen the 1981 movie that I've seen mentioned in other reviews, so I can't compare them all, but I can say that I would recommend this movie. The colors are beautiful throughout, and the cast is great, although I think that the lovers are just a tad too young to be taken seriously.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: jonathan jackson
Review: jonathan jackson has been a fav of mine since general hospital. great performances by all. Great for all ages to see as well. enjoy !


<< 1 2 3 4 .. 10 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates