The NeverEnding Story

"But it's just a story! It isn't real! It's just a story!"

Although it was not originally planned, I seem to be revisiting favorite films from my childhood. The next one up, courtesy of Cinema Rex at the 2014 Sci-Fi and Fantasy convention Convergence (located in Bloomington, MN), I got a chance to revisit a longtime favorite, The NeverEnding Story. If this trend continues, brace yourselves because there may be a Witch Mountain retrospective in our near future as well.

 

The film tells the story of bullied misfit Bastian Bux (played by Barrett Oliver), who one morning on his way to school, ducks into a bookstore to escape a trio of bullies chasing him. The he encounters the shopkeeper, Mr. Coreander (played by Thomas Hill), who at first assumes Bastian is like other kids who doesn't like books and asks him to leave. However, Bastian insists he does like books and asks about the one Coreander is reading. Coreander discourages Bastian from that book, saying it will personally bring him into the story. When he puts it down and leaves to take phone call, Bastian looks at the book, called The NeverEnding Story. Intrigued, Bastian takes the books and runs, leaving a note promising to return it. He proceeds to go to school but upon discovering that they are taking a test, ditches and goes up to the school attic to read his book instead. 

From there, the action shifts to the land of Fantasia. There is a growing force slowly destroying the lands called The Nothing. A young hero named Atreyu (played by Noah Hathaway) is summoned by the Childlike Empress (played by Tami Stronach) to find a way to stop The Nothing. He is only given a special medallion called the Auryn to identify himself as an agent of the Empress. He and his horse, Artax, go out in search of the Southern Oracle, who may know of a way to stop The Nothing. Along the way, Bastian's presence is subtly revealed to Atreyu over the course of his quest until it's finally revealed to the both of them that Bastian is a critical part in the saving of Fantasia more or less through the power of his imagination.

 

While the overall theme of reading is good is a bit heavy-handed, it's never so much so that it's hitting you over the head with it's message. Also the fact that Bastian plays an active part in the story is empowering for kids, especially those who would relate to him. I would say this film, which was made in 1984, still holds up well. Yeah, it's clearly 80's in everything about it, but the themes of the story are universal and still hold up without a doubt.

 

The film went on to spawn two sequels, The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter and The NeverEnding Story III. The second film, made in 1990 with a whole new cast led by Jonathan Brandis and John Wesley Shipp is at least watchable, but still a noticeable drop in quality from the original. The NeverEnding Story III, starring Jason James Richter and a before he was famous Jack Black, is an unmitigated disaster of a film. The film is so far removed from everything that was great about the original film. All of the characters are different and somehow incredibly irritating. Atreyu isn't even in it (thank god) and it has no real continuity with the previous films and it also leaves the door open for another film, something that seems more of a threat than a promise.

 

I was a huge fan of this movie as a kid and it was something that was renewed in me as an adult when I re-discovered the film on DVD, along with the first sequel. One of my friends even gave me a replica of the Auryn that Atreyu wears in the film, which I treasure to this day. It remains one of my all time favorite films and is a unique fantasy adventure well worth seeking out.