Good acting, wonderful story . . . there are far too many to mention .
Disadvantages:
The Gmork may frighten young children .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
The Neverending Story is a film based upon the book of the same name by Michael Ende and is about the adventures of a young boy, Bastian Balthazar Bux (Oliver Barret). Bastian loves to read books and one day after running away from school bullies, he takes refuge in Coreander's bookshop. It is here that he is introduced to the book of 'The Neverending Story', but is warned off of it by the owner of the shop, Carl Coreander. This is because this book is like no other. For in other books, no matter how involved you become with the story, at the end of the day it is only a story, the same isn't true however with 'The Neverending Story'! Bastian however still wants to read it, and as soon as Coreander's back is turned he borrows the book. He heads off to his school and decides to take sanctuary in the attic, and prepares to read the book. The Neverending Story is the tale of a beautiful land called Fantasia that is slowly but surely being swallowed up by a nothingness. At the same time the ruler of Fantasia, the Childlike Empress (Tami Stronach), is becoming deathly ill, and it is clear that her illness and the nothingness are related. What starts is a dangerous adventure for the young hero Atreyu (Noah Hathaway), a warrior from the tribes people who hunt the purple buffalo. Atreyu must leave all his weapons behind and embark on a quest to find out a cure for the Childlike Empress. Bastian is drawn into the story, and it becomes apparent that the survival of the whole of Fantasia could be down to him.
The Neverending Story is a beautiful film, with the message to 'do what you dream'. I watched this film when I was younger all the time. It's fantasy theme is very similar to Lord of the Rings in the fact that you want to be part of the action. You want to be Atreyu, questing for a cure, or Frodo, trying to reach Mount Doom. That's how drawn into the story you become. I recently bought the video of The Neverending Story, and after watching it I realised that even though I'm 18, no longer a child, I still wish that I could become part of The Neverending Story. The directing by Wolfgang Peterson (he has directed such films as 'Air Force One' and 'The Perfect Storm') is amazing, the tension that he creates when Atreyu is at the Sphinx Gate will leave you holding your breath, even though you have seen the film many times. The music composed by Klaus Doldinger and Giorgio Moroder only adds to the tension and in some places, scariness of the film (i.e. the scenes with the Gmork in). The music for when Atreyu is riding across the plains, or when the Ivory Tower is seen, is unforgettable, and for some people, will stir up something in their soul that they can't quite explain to anyone else. This is an amazing film, and everyone should have at least watched this film once. It has a rating of Universal, which I don't quite agree with. I think it should be a PG rating because the Gmork might frighten young children, I know that it frightened me when I was younger. But that and the fact that it's not easily available on DVD are the only little quibbles about it. Everyone should own a copy of this film!
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Soundtrack
Outstanding
How does it compare to others by the same director?
Outstanding
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