Genres

Visitors Review

Thomas Honoré Nielsen 2013-05-09 04:59:02

A fantastic story brutally manhandled

Michael Ende's story was incredible and noone should miss reading it. Thismovie, however, is awful. I know I saw it in the cinemas when first releasedbut it obviously didn't leave much of an impression back then. Having justreexperienced it on TV I realize why. The story is a litany of events withno connection between them. Not much mystery. No surprises. The effects andcostumes are amateurish compared to its contemporaries and the actingdilettante.

2013-05-08 17:22:04

Magical movie!

When I first saw this movie as a child I thought it was one of the best movies I have even seen. Since I was really into Fantasy movies. But now that I am older and have seen it as an adult I still find it amusing and lovable family movie that tells you that if you follow your imagination the only thing that can come out of it is good. I suggest this movie to anyone who has young children.

Aaron1375 2013-04-19 00:22:33

Don't let the title fool you...the story does end.

All in all when I saw this one as a kid it was rather good. Not the bestmovie ever, but a fine film nonetheless. I was disappointed with the moviewhen I first saw it, but learned to enjoy it quite a bit. One thing thatsurprises me is that it was a foreign film. I never knew this, though thatexplains why it is kind of a strange movie. Not that I am insulting it, itis just it moves differently and looks differently than most movies in theU.S. The story is about a boy who wanders into a bookstore (I won't go intothe details to greatly) and finds a book titled "The Neverending Story". The guy who owns the shop does everything, it seems, in his power to get thekid curious about the book, but then says he can't read it. So the boyborrows it when the storeowner isn't looking. He begins reading it and thescenes cut to what he is reading kind of like "The Princess Bride". Itseems in this fantasyland some force known simply as "the nothing" isdestroying their world. A boy is sent to save the world and must traversemany obstacles along the way. All the while in the real world where the boyis reading this story things get strange, as the book almost seems to bereal. Interesting story, the reason I was disappointed as a kid is that Ithought the boy reading the book would be trapped in the fantasy world, buthe isn't. All in all though it is a rather good tale and interesting storyas there really is no villain aside from a wolf creature trailing the boywho was sent to stop the nothing. Sequels were made, but the second one,which is the only one I have seen, is awful.

cwrdlylyn 2013-04-18 11:38:03

THE NEVERENDING STORY: A Classic That Stands Above It's Pathetic Sequels...

THE NEVERENDING STORY After the most disappointing closing of Oscar season I've everexperienced, I decided to bury my head in brilliant childhood fluff.What else other than THE NEVERENDING STORY? The film's quality may betainted a bit by ridiculous sequels with terrible plots and acting...however, Wolfgang Peterson's original NEVERENDING STORY remains one ofthe most brilliant children's epics ever captured on film.THE NEVERENDING STORY manages to take a brilliantly paced adventuresaga and tie it in seamlessly with a pro-reading message thatmiraculously never comes across as preachy. The "human" hero isBastian, a young boy coping with his mother's death who uses books as ameans of escape. One day, he takes a mysterious book from a localbookstore and reads it in the attic of his elementary school. While hereads, he discovers that he is a part of the story as well... thefictional land of Fantasia is not simply on the pages of this newbook... it is a land that needs his determination, commitment, andbravery to finish the story.The brilliance of THE NEVERENDING STORY is that nothing is simplifiedfor a young audience. The drama, the scope, the frightening aspects,and the message are all presented in the setting of a children'sstory... but with the artistry of an adult-minded filmmaker.THE NEVERENDING STORY manages to be a thrilling adventure despite thefact that there is virtually no action sequences. We never have overtlyexciting sequences of thrills. The most exciting moments don't build upb/c of visual flash and spectacle... they build up because Petersonengrosses us in the story and when the stakes get high we feel it.In addition to all this quality story-telling... the visual imagery isstill beautiful today. The land of Fantasia looks realistic at times,fantastical at others, and has a constantly changing cast of eccentriccharacters... and they all blend together perfectly in the visual worldPeterson has created for us.Anyone who forgets how great this film is should re-watch it and forgetthe fact that the studio turned this into a cheap and ridiculousfranchise. THE NEVERENDING STORY is a classic film for kids that getsacross it's message about reading in an thrillingly paced adventurethat never seems preachy. That's a quality too few "message" filmshave, and THE NEVERENDING STORY's success at doing so makes it a trueclassic for children and adults of all ages.... A- ...

Movie Nuttball 2013-03-19 23:48:11

The Neverending Story greatness will never be forgotten!

This is one of the great movies of the 80s in MY collection that I thinkabout all the time.Some minor spoilersThis movie is a fantastic adventure.Great Special effects,characters,andstory,and spirt flow with greatness.Most kids in movies are annoying buttheones in this movie arn`t.The Wolf is so neat.I love how he talks and Falcor,The Luck Dragon,he is so funny and cute andthe big Bat and and racing Snailing,well they are cute and funny aswell andthe huge rock man but MY favorite one of all is giant turtle.He isawesome.Ijust love the senery in this film.The sky with the stars and the land isjust simply gorgous.The Orical Statues(gold ones)are really scary.EverytimeI watch that scene it sends chills down MY back and makes you verynervous.Its unbelieveable how that scene was made.This is truly a greatmovie.Its one of the best movies I have seen.If you love ultimate fantasyfilms with just about everything you can think about then this movie yougotta see.

2013-03-19 10:15:36

Visit Your Friends!!

My best friend Nannette and I watched the NeverEnding Story every time we had a sleepover. We knew every word, all the music, we would get our popcorn ready, pile the pillows on the floor, put on our pajamas and get lost for 90 or so minutes. This movie is PURE escapism for children and adults alike. It's also a great commentary on keeping your imagination, and the power of storytelling, and being a kid at heart. "The Nothing" is scarier then any bad guy I have ever seen, How many times have I found myself going through my closets and finding a book I haven't read in forever, and sitting down to read it I realize how much I missed looking at the pictures (Grimm's fairy tales, Dr. Seuss, ElfQuest, Sweet Pickles), or the characters that are so dear to my heart (Anne of Green Gables, The Trumpeter Swan, The Xanth Series) I feel like I know them all, they are old friends, they depend on me to live , to breath, or else they are ..nothing.

Sarah Baucom 2013-03-19 02:26:02

As good as I remembered it

I just bought the DVD, thinking that in the 12 years or so since I lastsawthis movie, I wouldhave grown out of it. I was surprised to find that I loved it just as muchas I did when I firstsaw it as a child, perhaps even more. It has a great story that childrencanfollow, and adultscan appreciate as well. The music fits it perfectly. I have the soundtrackas well, and theSwamps of Sadness always makes me cry, and the main theme always makes mesmile.

vvjti 2013-03-18 13:23:09

fantasy movie

'the neverending story' is a film that had two sequels starringdifferent kids from original film. This first film is maybe strongestfilm in series. This film was filmed in Germany. It has a Germandirector and features electronic music that was successful in Germanyand uk at that time. Its catchy song is sung by limahl. It's Englishspeaking film with actors from mainly USA and uk. Stars includepatricia hayes, moses gunn, gerald mcraney. There's imaginativecreatures like falcor the luck dragon and rock biter in interestingstory developed for film with themes of discovery and value of reading.There are big challenges for characters such as wise, questioning,powerful oracles. The film has a light fantasy tone. All young actorsand actresses in film starred in number of films. Barret oliver in oneof main roles here starred in 'd.a.r.y.l' and 'cocoon'

2013-03-16 21:49:07

The Never Ending Story

This review is from: The Neverending Story (DVD) Not bad, but not a classic. Poor dialoge and the acting was week as well.

2013-03-16 16:34:33

became spellbound at age 11, still spellbound at 25

When I first saw this movie at 11 years, words could not describe the emotions I felt. The Neverending Story has been my favorite ever since, even at 25. It is magical. I still get goosebumps every time I see the movie. The soundtrack is wonderful, such beautifull music. You can almost imagine yourself there with Bastian and Atreju. I am an adult and proud to say that this movie inspires me and it always will! I love to read, especially fantasy novels. If you like to leave it all behind and go some place wonderful just follow Bastian as he reads his story. Bastian is a young boy having a hard time dealing with the death of his mother and also a father who insists he grow up much to fast. He reads The Neverending Story, which is about a boy warrior, Atreju. Atreju is on a quest to find a way to stop the Nothing, a horrible thing which is eating up Fantasia. The warrior must travel thousands of miles and meet many enchanting friends along the way. As Atreju goes on this quest Bastian discovers that he is living vicariously through Atreju and that this story, this quest is all meant to reach him. Bastian realizes he is a very important part and that he alone can save Fantasia. He learns that his dreams and imagination are all part of life and are a necessity. Without our imagination we are all in a sad existence and easily controlled because we have no drive, no inspiration. Watch it, keep and open mind and heart and you will see that you are also a part of The Neverending Story.

Deathawk 2013-02-26 10:49:43

A Childhood Classic? Maybe. A Good Movie? No Way

The Never Ending Story is one of those movies that's considered an 80schildhood classic, it's one of those movies thats uttered in the samebreath of movies such as the Goonies or Gremlins as must see movies,many will even in Adulthood still swear by them as being great movies,as someone whose only seen the Never Ending Story in adult hood I canassure you that this movie is not a good movie, and is in fact a pileof rubbish. The Never Ending Story tells the tale of Fantasia a landbeing consumed by a strange force called "The Nothingness" and a youngwarrior named Atreyu who is summoned to stop this force by finding acure for a dying empress. Atreyu's quest is chronicled in a book called"The NeverEnding" story which is found by a young boy named Bastion whoreads the book one day while ditching class, more than a narratorBastion is a character all his own and while reading the book hediscovers a weird parallel between Fantasia and the real world. To sayanything else would constitute a spoiler, needless to say it's aninteresting setup unfortunately the movie doesn't do much with theconcept at all. Reading the above summary you'd probably expect themovie to focus on the aforementioned fantasy world/real worldrelationship but you'd be wrong, the movie only dabbles in that whilebeing far more focused on Atreyu's quest which is actually quite boringconsisting mostly of going from point A to point B. Their is verylittle combat Atreyu has to do, and the "Nothingness" is nary a threatat all this makes the whole movie seem very pointless and boring. Giventhat the book is only half represented here you'd think that theproducers could find more action to put in, but sadly this is not thecase. It should be pointed out that the movie is very 80s containing awhole host of puppets and guys dressed up in ridiculous costumes, themovie even sports a new wave-esquire theme song by the lead singer ofKajagoogoo which you'd think wouldn't work but oddly does. Their's morekitchyness in store though as the creatures voice doesn't quite seem tomatch what one would expect these creatures to sound like, which offersthe movie a slightly surreal quality. Overall the movie has a greatsetting and a unique premise but doesn't really do anything with it.While kids might enjoy it for the puppets I doubt this movie will holdan adults attention for very long.

2013-02-25 22:56:50

FANTASTIC!

The decade of the 80's produced some classic, great films. But none captures the dreamy fantasyworld of that time better than The Neverending Story. Disregard the other sequels, this is the only good one. It is magical, wondrous, and enveloping. I am truly in love with this film. Everyone should experience its magic.

Brian T. Whitlock 2013-02-22 05:42:30

This movie makes me feel good!

We want to get away, we want to find ourselves a world we can feelhappy in. This movie does that very well! This bookish young boy getbullied and put in a dumpster, then he goes to this bookstore and hemeets the owner he tells the book called "The Neverending Story" and hesays "This book is not for you." Though he loves to read, he shouldhave taken heed of that warning. When he reads, he delves into thatfantasy world where the young man who lost his horse meets this strangecreature who looks like half-dog and half-dragon. Calling himself theLuck Dragon, he was pretty friendly all the way through. And when thatyoung man finally succeed a trial, the short man shouted "He did it!,He did it!" and tumbles over. That's a big laugh there. When the readerrealizes that he's the one to help the people, he gets his wish. Thekid got not only his wish to ride the Luck Dragon and meet the peoplehe read about, he got his exact revenge on those bullies who decide toput themselves in their places. That that Bullies! This movie canreally set you free, it's a stress reliever, and it's fun for the wholefamily. I truly recommend "The Neverending Story"! 5 STARS!

2013-02-21 06:15:17

Excellent growing pains movie

I was a "moonchild" growing up. Bouncing around from city to city and losing lots of relatives to death. This movie was MY escape from reality and I was very much like Bastin myself. In fact when he takes the key and goes into the school attic, that was me. I would look for any way to escape my home life. I read any book I could and fantasized about being the characters. Bastin and his wonderous adventure to Fantasia on the flying dog was just the way to go else where. The sadness of losing Artax still makes me sob to this day. I'm getting this on DVD so my kids can grow up with this wonderful movie. Thank You. TLD

Helen Nicholls 2013-02-20 16:08:24

My childhood in one film

There is no 'why', just 'is'.This film IS beautiful. Everyone has dreams, everyone wants to see them come true. This film teaches us that, through the eyes of someone else.

2013-02-20 05:38:03

The Book and Movie can coexist

Like so many other reviewers, I watched this as a small child. My kindergarten teacher just loved it. At the time, I found it horrible, dark and scary. (I was a VERY wimpy movie watcher, Raiders of the Lost Ark sent me into hysterics) Years later, I decided to bite the bullet and try it again. I found it to be a lovely pure fantasy with (for the time) great special effects and good music. Let's face it, you either love electronic fantasy scores or you hate them, there's no real middle ground. That said, I do think that this movie is too scary for small children, parents should use their own experience and knowledge to decide when their child is ready. (That is what the PG means)This is the tale of a sensitive child who finds himself being absorbed into the magical book he is reading, called the Neverending Story. (That is where the movie gets its name, the story is different for each person, thus it never ends. There was no ripoff) Dragons, monsters and beautiful images dance in his head as he slowly realizes that the characters in the book are talking to him.The movie is based on a German novel of the same name by Michael Ende. (a master of surrealist fairy tales for grown ups) Yes, the book is better and yes, the movie only takes the first half of the book. But really, isn't it better to take the first half mostly intact rather than try to cram in every single scene and totally alienate all viewers? What this book really needs is a miniseries but until then, this movie is great.Two other questions raised were what was the name Bastion yelled. Moonchild, and it wasn't his mother's name in the book (though it is possible if she were a hippy '_') The second question was about the attic. AS the book was written by a German, one may presume that some German schools have attics. Or maybe it was just another fairy tale element added to make the story more surreal. (Attics always seem to figure into fairy tales) either way, it is a relatively small thing to worry about.This is a very fine example of 80s fantasy, it has a good message and if you or your children are not easily frightened, it is a very good movie on a rainy day. As an owner of 186 books all I can say is see the movie, savour the book.

MARIO GAUCI 2013-02-03 17:13:21

THE NEVERENDING STORY (Wolfgang Petersen, 1984) ***

During the 1980s, my father used to have a part-time job in one ofMalta's leading nightclubs every Saturday night so, to keep his fourboys busy and off of their mum's back, he made sure of renting a bunchof movies on VHS every week. Therefore, child-like fantasies like thisone – and which, conveniently, were all the rage at the time –basically proved the order of the day as I was growing up and,consequently, I still have a fondness for the genre and its 1980sentries in particular. In fact, I have enjoyed this one again so muchthat I might well decide to spend the Saturday nights of 2009 in thesame nostalgic mood by revisiting contemporary movies from mychildhood! Anyway, this West German/Hollywood co-production was quite popular inits day in the shorter international version (running for 94 minutesrather than the full 102 of the German cut) that produced a hit titlesong (composed by Giorgio Moroder) and two lesser sequels (which Idon't think I've seen). The striking visuals (courtesy ofcinematographer Jost Vacano), production design (Rolf Zehetbauer),make-up and special effects all deftly combine to vividly recreate themythical land of Fantasia that is described in the titular book beingread by put-upon student Barret Oliver who takes refuge in the schoolattic from the persecution of three bullying classmates.Although there have been many similar movies before or since, this morethan holds its own thanks to well-rounded characters (the modern-dayboy Bastian himself, warrior boy Atreyu, the lethargic giant turtle,the benign dragon Falkor, the gnomic astronomer Engywook, thevillainous yet philosophical G'mork) and consistent inventiveness (theSwamp of Sadness, etc). Apparently, the source novel is much moreelaborate (the film ends halfway through the book, Atreyu had agreenish skin, etc.) but, given my averse reaction to Peter Jackson'shopelessly overwhelming THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy of films, I'mgrateful for the film-makers' decision here to tone it down where theintroduction of characters and the preponderance of interminable actionset-pieces are concerned.Wolfgang Petersen moved to Hollywood permanently after this one but,apart from a couple of interesting projects (ENEMY MINE [1985], TROY[2004; which happens to be the only official Maltese co-production inexistence!]) and good action flicks (IN THE LINE OF FIRE [1993], AIRFORCE ONE [1997]), his career completely lost the momentum it hadinitially obtained with the art-house circuit hit, DAS BOOT (1981),which had even landed him an Oscar nomination. By the way, theexecutive producer of this one – ex-movie star Mark Damon – had spokenof his second career behind-the-camera while at the 2004 Venice FilmFestival which my twin brother and I attended and where he hadintroduced one of his own favorite films as an actor, VittorioCottafavi's superb picaresque epic THE HUNDRED HORSEMEN (1964).

fjurkovic 2013-02-03 03:07:10

This is the Only movie that have SOUL

This movie cannot be compared to anything else. This is the only moviethathas a SOUL and a deep meaning to everyone. I was 11 years old when I sawthis movie and still remember this movie as the best movie of all times.I'msure everybody will agree with me that this is an exceptional movie and ifyou saw this movie first as a little kid then only now you can understandthe true value of this masterpiece. There is nothing else like NeverendingStory. This is the story. This is about us. About our dreams. About how wewere as kids. About our fantasy. Abut our past children's life. A storythatwill never end.

2013-01-23 02:44:02

Not just a film within a film; a profound connection.

What I liked about The Neverending Story is that what appears to be a framing device - a boy reading a book of adventures that comprise the bulk of the film - actually turns out to be an integral part of the whole premise. The boy reading is actually important to what he's reading about, sort of the flipside of what we accept as reality. Bastian (Barret Oliver) skips class after arriving too late for a math test, and spends the time reading The NeverEnding Story, about the fantastic characters of Fantasia, which is slowly succumbing to "nothingness." In the story, which is almost like another film within the film, plains warrior Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) is sent on a quest to stop the nothingness. His adventures are as entertaining - with imaginative and often poignant action - as almost any fantasy movie like Lord Of The Rings or Harry Potter, though with twenty-year older special effects. But as it appears Atreyu's about to fail in his quest, Bastian's own role is revealed very dramatically, and the whole result is quite profound.

TheOtherFool 2013-01-22 08:40:17

Fun when you're young

I was highly impressed with this picture when I was young. But when Irecently saw it yet another time, there's a lot wrong withit.The biggest problem is that the story doesn't continuously move, it's onecoincidental meeting after another. It's very fragmentaric so you don'treally feel that you're into the movie.The acting by young Hathaway isn't too convincing either and the effects areso-and-so at best. But these are all problems you can live with when you areyoung I suppose.A great movie to show your kids, but if you keep fond memories of it fromwhen you were young, leave it where it is as you might feel disappointedafterwards. 6/10.