Cast: Barrett Oliver (Bastian), Noah Hathaway (Atreyu), Tami Stronach (The Childlike Empress)
Director: Wolfang Petersen
Genre: Fantasy/ Family
This film sprung up in my path quite a bit in the last few weeks. So, instead of wondering where it decided to come from all of a sudden and why- perhaps it might have something to do with my giving the book as a Christmas gift this past holiday season- I jumped happily off a high board into the warm waters of my childhood and decided to watch it again.
Often audiences look upon a movie like this from their childhood and can't help declare such as "classic." It’s purely nostalgia but surely their appreciation has withstood the test of time. This picture has set itself a nice little place in the line of children's classics. The Neverending Story does have a bit of a cult following. Otherwise, it’s not too well known by people under the age of 18. The story line is original. The actors are memorable. The characters are enjoyable and creative. If you don't believe me, just look up the criticisms online towards writers trying to do a remake of this movie. Hollywood! When will you ever learn? People don't want to see their favorite childhood movie along with the imaginations attached to it completely redone. The original is just fine. Leave it alone!
I enjoy this movie very much. Granted, it now seems a little too juvenile, predictable, and a little over the top with the emotional shoves. But back when I was a kid, I lived for that kind of stuff. What kid didn’t? This film met all those expectations.
The Neverending Story was originally a German fantasy book written by Michael Ende. Not too many people know this because Ende was so ashamed of the film version of his book, he did not want his name in the film's opening credits. I can understand that. The film left out so much of the book.
The film starts off with a strange title screen of fantastical looking multi-colored clouds (or smoke?) wafting in a strange looking sky as the long forgotten 80's singer Limahl sings the distantly remember but still very enjoyable them song The Neverending Story. It’s a trippy, yet typical 80’s opening. From then, we see Bastian (Barrett Oliver- remember him from Cocoon?) awaken out of bed in a startled manner. I still get the idea he was dreaming the opening credits. That’s what it always seemed like to me. His bad dream was the opening credits with Limahl singing to him in the midst of soft psychedelic cloud formations. I would be scared too! Of course we find out a few moments later that we was dreaming about his mother. I think this sets the tone of the movie immediately. A young boy lost in his fantastical imagination while disappointed in the hum-drum world around him. We find out his mother had died and the grief is still with him. His father tells him that, despite his mother’s death, he must keep his feet on the ground and his head out of the clouds. Her death is not an excuse for not performing his duties. Bastian agrees to do his best.
On his way to school, he gets hassled by a small gang of school bullies who decided to toss him in a dumpster. After getting out, he runs back into them and they chase him again. He loses them after running into a bookstore. Inside, he meets an upset book seller, Mr. Koreander (Thomas Hill) who is first displease at the presence of a kid in his bookstore but finally gets into a sort of literary conversation with him. Bastian is curious about the book he’s reading and questions him on it. Mr. Koreander plainly tells him to just read his own “safe” books and not worry about this particular book. The unsatisfied and overly literarily curious Bastian steals the book and decides to hide in his school’s attic to read it. Why the school’s attic, I still don’t know? Anyways, as he reads, the movie takes us to the land of Fantasia where we learn the ruler, a childlike empress, is dying. A young warrior from a tribe called the Plains people is summoned to find a cure for the empress. Bastian follows the adventures of Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) as he searches for the cure. The creatures Atreyu encounters are very original. The movie starts off well without dragging on with explanations. The audience is allowed to use their imagination in following the story. The more Bastian reads, the more he realizes that the cure for the empress is outside the book. It’s a very brilliant twist and certainly not over done. It, therefore, earns its title.
It was juvenile, maybe “corny” at parts. It is a children’s movie after all. Still, the originality cannot be praised enough. It certainly is a movie promoting reading and points out the lack of imagination that seemed to be developing back then- and now. (Did you hear that, Hollywood- lack of imagination)! I could see how the issue would surface. With the onslaught of video games taking off in the 80’s, imagination was facing some serious threats. I’m not surprised Nintendo didn’t jump of the retail market band wagon and turn this into a video game like it has done too many times in the past.
There were two sequels which spawned from this movie. Both of which were obviously inferior. I believe the third installment didn’t even make it to theaters but went straight to video. Still, this makes a perfect evening for people finding their way back to their childhood!
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