DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Neverwas
By Jeff Swindoll
Jul 3, 2007, 14:34 GMT

“What use has this world got for a king without a kingdom?”

Sir Ian McKellen could read candy wrappers and make it compelling.  He stars as a mental patient who may be more connected to the childhood tales written by his new psychiatrist’s late father. 

What the back of the box says:
“Every fairy tale needs its hero. Weaving together fantasy and reality, past and present, Neverwas is the enchantment-filled, life-affirming tale about a young man (Aaron Eckhart, Thank You For Smoking) who finds out his childhood fantasyland may really exist. Searching for insight into his father's (Nick Nolte, The Prince Of Tides) life and the magical place he wrote about in the beloved children's book, Neverwas, psychiatrist Zach Riley (Eckhart) takes a job at the institution where his father lived on and off. Once there, Zach meets Gabriel (Sir Ian McKellen, Lord Of The Rings Trilogy), a patient whose alternate reality is startlingly close to the world his father created. Featuring a critically acclaimed all-star cast that also includes William Hurt (The Village), Jessica Lange (Big Fish) and Brittany Murphy (Sin City, 8 Mile), Neverwas is a magical and moving journey of discovery you won't soon forget.

A critically acclaimed, award-winning cast including Sir Ian McKellen (X-Men trilogy), Aaron Eckhart (The Black Dahlia), Brittany Murphy (Happy Feet, 8 Mile), Nick Nolte (Hotel Rwanda, The Prince ), William Hurt (The Village, A.I.), and Jessica Lange (Big Fish, Titus) stars in this tale of a man who discovers that his childhood fantasy world, the world of his father’s renowned children’s book, Neverwas, may actually exist.”

Zach Riley’s (Aaron Eckhart) father was a writer of a fantastical children’s book called Neverwas.  The main character of Zachery Small is a homage to his young son.  However, Zach’s father T. L. Pierson (Nick Nolte) was a man pursued by his own inner demons and committed suicide. 

Zach has returned to the run down Millhouse Sanitarium under the nose of the head of the sanitarium Dr. Reed (William Hurt) to try and figure out the reasons behind his father’s mental illness.  There he meets a man called Gabriel Finch (Ian McKellen) who seems to have a connection to the mythical lands that Zach’s father wrote about his children’s book. 

He also finds an old friend named Maggie (Brittany Murphy) who also is a fan of the children’s novel that Zach has seemingly abandoned.  Sir Ian is an actor of great note and brings a great deal of that to the schizophrenic denizen of the sanitarium who is a connection to the mythical kingdom of Neverwas.  Aaron Eckhart also performs well as the confused son who must come to terms with the death of his father and thereby comes to term with himself. 

Although it’s not a large part, Nick Nolte’s presence is felt throughout the film as the “ghost” of Zach’s father’s madness is palpable through his performance, which is only seen in flashback and films used in his treatments.  There are some true scenes of wonder, especially as Maggie and Zach begin to discover the inspiration for Zach’s fathers fantasy world has a component in reality.  I found the film an intriguing one that’s only bolstered by the fine performance of Sir Ian McKellen. 

Neverwas is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  Sadly the only special features are trailers for Underdog, Wild Hogs, and the Invisible. 

I thought Neverwas was very compelling and greatly benefited from the performance of Ian McKellen as well as the other members of the cast. 

Neverwas is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.