When I was a kid this movie dominated my childhood. From age 4-8 I watched it virtually every week without exception. It seemed to me to be the height of cinema. Then, when I started getting up there, I sadly shuffled it away along with most of the rest of my childhood possessions. Soon enough, I forgot about it and went on with my life.

Flash foreword several years, and there I was, watching Troy. Troy was directed by Mr. Wolfgang Peterson. Curious, I looked up his name to see what else he had directed, and was amazed to see that he was actually the one responsible for the Neverending Story. That got me thinking about it for the first time in many years, and I knew that I would absolutely have to see it again, if only to have a good laugh over something I thought was so great way back in the day. I was stunned to see that there was nothing to laugh about. Apparently I had good taste all the way back when I was a kid, because this movie is a fantastic masterpiece.

Bastian Bux is a kid who always has his head in the clouds. He’s a big reader, and since his mother died, he spends most of his time dreaming up fantasy worlds and drawing unicorns. His grades have been declining and he is picked on relentlessly by bullies. His father decides to have a talk with him, and tells him he wants Bastian to stop daydreaming and start getting the “old job done.”

Depressed, and being chased by bullies on the way to school, Bastian decides to hide in a book store. There he meets and old man reading an odd, leather bound book called the Neverending Story. The old man tells him the book is special, but that Bastian can’t see it. Obviously the man has little experience with kids because Bastian borrows the book while the man is distracted, and takes it with him to school. He decides rather than taking a math test to go and hide in the schools attic and read the book.

The action now switches from Bastian to the book. The magical land of Fantasia is being slowly destroyed by a deadly darkness known as The Nothing. The Nothing is swallowing Fantasia, and many of it’s citizens are flocking to the Childlike Empress’s mighty Ivory Tower, in the hopes that she might provide a solution.

The Empress herself however has become deathly ill. A young (very young in fact) warrior named Atreyu is summoned to go on a quest to find a cure for the Empress and to stop the Nothing. Atreyu is frightened by such a responsibility, but is determined to succeed no matter what. He Is in great danger however as the Nothing grows stronger day by day and he is also being tracked by a demonic creature called the Gmork, which is determined to kill Atreyu and prevent anything that might stop the Nothing.

The remainder of the movie chronicles Atreyu’s quest across Fantasia, and Bastian’s growing fear of the book as it increasingly starts to seem to real for him to deal with.

There is much more to the plot than this. The plot for this movie is one of the finest ever written for a fantasy film. It is simple enough for virtually anyone to understand and is very entertaining. Indeed, there was not one point in the whole movie where I wasn’t engaged and eager to see what happens next. Yet at the same time drips of complexity and something deeper going on beneath the surface. The Nothing, in the end, is what humans will be like if they give up their hopes and dreams, simply and empty shell, full of hate and the desire to destroy. The movie will make anyone question if they are giving up their hopes and their dreams, and want to change for the better. The movie also has the significant challenge of needing to tie two plot threads together, but it handles this with great skill and care. Best of all is the sheer creativity poured into this film. Few other stories are so creative. What other movie has the chief villain being nothing but darkness, eating away ever faster at the world? All the fantasy creatures seem real for the time of the movie.

The dialogue is also as big help. It is creative and emotional, and not cheesy at all. Once again it is easy to understand, yet drips of complexity. The Gmork’s speech concerning the Nothing and the nature of evil is genuinely very chilling and very thought provoking. All the characters are also well developed. We understand that Bastian is really a very shy, nice person, who the world keeps putting down. Because he wants to please people, he allows them to put him down rather than fighting back. Atreyu is a young man with a seemingly impossible task ahead of him, but one he is determined to carry out. All these characters are very well developed, especially for a 1 ½ hour film. Overall, the script remains one of the finest I’ve ever witnessed.

The special effects, costumes, and sets are remarkable, especially considering the film was made more than 20 years ago. It just goes to show you that you don’t need CGI to do a good looking movie. All the creatures and effects look sterling, especially the Nothing and the Rockbiter, which look significantly better than if they were done with CGI. The costumes also all look great, with excellent use of makeup especially. You can see that great attention to detail and a lot of love was poured into the making of each of these costumes and the result is great.

The acting is quite good, especially considering the movie relied so much on child performances. Barret Oliver is very good in his role as Bastian, the films main character. He manages to portray a depth of emotion that is very difficult for any actor to portray. Most of his emotion is displayed mainly with glances and with the eyes. I felt like I could empathize with him the whole way.

Many of the supporting characters also did a great job. It is very difficult to act in a fantasy movie, requiring great control and a willingness to take the project seriously, but most of the actors here manage to pull it off. The only bad performance here is delivered by Noah Hathaway. It can be shrugged off simply as a result of his inexperience, but many of his lines seem like acting, and the illusion is broken.

The score can easily make me forget any qualms though. To put it simply, it is magical. A fantastic mix of eighties and classical music that is very well written and expertly performed. From the moment the beginning credits rolled and the score began, I knew I was watching something special, and that greatness continued unfettered throughout the movie. The music is uplifting and makes one feel better.

The direction is also great. Peterson demonstrates that he is simply one of the most watchable directors out there. It is a different direction style, sometimes subtly hidden with slow tracking shots, at others very obvious with fast cuts and bold angles. Yet, never did it do anything but improve a scene and make it even more enjoyable.

Best of all, the movie can work for any audience. Kids will love the creative characters and cool effects. But it is far more than a kids movie, what other film do any of us know that would kill off virtually all the characters, just before the happy ending? The film is deep, with a lot going on beneath the surface. And that is what elevates to the status which it now holds in my heart. It is simply a fantastic masterpiece.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8