Customer Reviews

The Neverending Story (Widescreen and Fullscreen)

5 star:		(155)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Sir Adam got it almost right! Good review, by the way.

This is an awesome story about the importance of the story. Yes, the moral lesson of "The Neverending Story" is the importance of the story itself (and by extension the importance of human imagination). If one has read some of Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth" one understands this completely. It is that Native American idea of "he who does not have the stories has nothing."

The key force of destruction in this tale is "the Nothing" literally non-existence or the lack of imagination. The world in which "The Neverending Story" takes place, Fantasia, is a conglomerate universe composed of the dreams and hopes of all people. Every story ever told and every character who has ever lived exists somewhere in Fantasia. So that somewhere in Fantasia, Paul Atreides wanders a desert landscape while somewhere else in Fantasia Alice falls down the rabbit hole.

Fantasia, this conglomerate world of human dreams, is dying. The reason is that people in the real world no longer dream... of anything. It is a very modern tale about the death of the human capacity to, as John Lennon put it, IMAGINE. Without the capability to imagine anything, people become easily manipulated by forces greater than them... this is where the real villain comes in (more about that after the next paragraph).

The main protagonist, Atreyu, is the alter ego of the real life boy who is reading the story. The real life boy, therefore, is filled with imagination, brimming with it, in fact. He exists in a real world where nobody imagines anything anymore. Therefore, the alter ego (in Fantasia) of the real life boy with imagination is a young champion who is trying to save imagination itself and its conglomerate world, Fantasia.

The real villain of the story is, at least from a Christian context, Lucifer, or the Devil himself. He is the "force behind the Nothing" who is attempting the death of all imagination. This explains the creature known as the Morg. As Sir Adam mentioned in his review, this is the major adversary for Atreyu (and the real life boy who is his generator). The Morg is, in his own words, "a servant of the force behind the Nothing." The Morg is, I believe, a demon, or fallen angel servant who has somehow crossed the border into Fantasia and put on the guise of that mythical creature of destruction, the werewolf. The Wolf image is only a guise used by the demon to try to blend in with his surroundings.

Of course, we know who wins in the end. This is a very complex movie and a VERY relevant one to the times in which we are living. I see people around me who are quite literally mental cripples who are incapable of imagination. Without the stories, we are nothing.

If there was ever a work of art that personified the imagination of childhood- all the joys, the fears, the dreams and sheer wonder of life and all its possibilities - one would need to look no further than "The NeverEnding Story."

Looking at this film through older, more cynical, world-weary eyes, it's easy to discount it and point out its many faults. YES, the acting is unbearable at times. YES, the last twenty minutes are overly preachy. And YES the narrative progresses aimlessly with no rhyme or reason. But you know what? I don't care. I even found myself getting teary-eyed at some points, something I rarely do.

I agree with the other reviewers. If you didn't see and love this film as a kid, you won't enjoy it now. I watched the DVD with my (now ex) girlfriend, who yawned and groaned and rolled her eyes throughout the whole thing. A shame, really. I felt like she missed the boat. If this movie captured you as a kid, you owe it to yourself to let it capture you again.

I received it really fast, many days before the due date! However, the case is a little broken. Good seller!

This is a great movie for children of all ages (including adults like me). I watched this on DVD when my kids were young about 25 years ago, and have owned the DVD for several years. I decided to "move up" to the Blu-ray version and was not disappointed. Both the picture and sound are considerably bigger. Eric

I grew up on this movie, but I hadn't seen it in years until I bought this DVD. I view it with and adult's perception now, so it's not as good for me as it was when I was a kid. However, because I can see that kids would love it, I think it still holds up well. Heck, I still like it.

I wish this DVD had more special features, but alas it does not. What really bothered me was that it didn't have a subtitle for when Bastian shouts out a name for the Child-like Empress. I was so looking forward to finally finding out what the heck he shouts out for her name, and I get nothing. But I researched it on the net, and apparently it's "Moon Child." It does sound like that's what he's shouting. But I'm baffled that that was his mother's name (unless he changed his mind further into the film and decided to give the Empress a random name rather than his mother's).

So overall, the movie's good and the DVD is so-so. Great picture and sound quality, but no special features and no subtitle for when he shouts out the Empress' new name. But it's the only one in the series worth buying I think. Well, maybe the second one was ok.

Having only seen this movie for the first time two years ago, I beg to differ with those who claim that it's allure is lost to those not having been exposed to it at an early age. What makes this movie significantly superior to many other such children's films is heartful, caring use of non computer generated special effects. The challenge comes with letting yourself go on the wings or backs of the several beautifully crafted creatures we share this adventure with. It's shabby chic artisty is everywhere to be found including that great Moroder new wavey score. The best film fantasy film since the 80's? Quite possibly.

This movie is a great film from the 80's. I enjoyed the fantasy-like, imaginative plot of the movie and the characters. Though it might make you laugh for all the wrong reasons, (poor acting, ancient special effects, etc.) it is a sweet movie that has that special touch to it. To newer audiences, it may be a bit boring, old, and stale. As with a lot of movies based on books, it doesn't have all the thrill in comparison to the book in my opinion. It is a classic. Even if you hate it you should watch it (sort of like how don't like certain subjects in school, but learn about them anyway,) because it's a cultural icon.

I would agree with a lot of the reviewers thus far about this movie. If you didn't see it when it first came out (and if you weren't between the ages of 5-10) then the magic will be difficult to grasp. Which is the irony of the movie. It's about imagination disappearing, and people forgetting to dream and remember what it was like to be a kid.

Nevertheless, it is a good movie. The wolf might scare the kids, I remember it being rather spooky when I saw it at the age of 8. And of course, the effects are. . . ohhh, slightly dated, but they hold up. The only thing that simply STINKS about this DVD release is the lack of extras, (I guess we could call it the Nothing). Because it has none. Big disappointment. Where is the cast and crew? Why didn't the director put in some time with this movie and give us a commentary, or behind the scenes, or even cut scenes? Wasn't this a classic. . . ? As far as I know the director hasn't been up to too much lately. It's a shame, it's a classic for those who grew up in the 80's, it did leave it's mark culturally, and I'm surpised nobody from the cast/crew decided to do anything for it when it released. It may have DVD quality, but not the quantity. I only paid 10 bucks for it, so, in the long run it was worth it.

In the meantime, if you want just a movie purely for imagination, then buy it for your kids. It sure beats all the slop the movie industry has kicked out recently for "childrens entertainment".

This is the kind of movie (like so many of those from the 80's) where, if you did not see it around the time it came out, you cannot fully appreciate the magic of it.

It's such an enchanting story. If you liked it when you were a kid, there's no doubt in my mind that it will always have a place in your collection. If not, you may like it, but all of today's computer generated characters will probably leave you wanting something more. Read the book.

In Japan NeverEnding Story was roadshowed at that time. Because I was 8 years old, couldn't understand the movies that had difficult story. On the other hand, as the age was young, had the eyes that could feel fantasy stories purely, that is, had the pure mind that could feel what bravery or challenging etc was wonderful thing.
When I was a adult now, having such a thinking is difficult, that is, when think about [bravery or challenging], in mind needless thinkings are added, resignation, fear, uneasy etc..

I was happy that can watch this film when was child.
Recently I watched the film on TV aggain after an interval of twenty years. But even if I am a adult, the moving mind remained, I was moved very much again as I was a boy. For instance when the horse sinked into a marsh, I that was child cried, and when I watched the scene again on TV, I have the emotion of the sorrow.

when we get to be adults, in many meaning we lose the mind that we had in children age, for instance, passion, trial, tenderness etc. Because we are followed by time, money, benefit etc, tend to forget such important things.

But by watching the movies, I feel that got such mind again in addition to have remembered the scenery of my child age.

Thank you for reading poor English.