MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #35 - 'The NeverEnding Story' (1984)

4/5 Stars

In 1984, director Wolfgang Peterson co-wrote (along with Herman Weigel) a screenplay based on a German book by author Michael Ende. That book was “The NeverEnding Story” and the movie has gone on to become a classic of 1980s fantasy films. It is also the film that scarred an entire generation of kids due to THAT scene. If you know, you know.

The movie follows Bastian Balthazar Bux (Barret Oliver), an avid book reader and dreamer whose father and everyone else around him wants to become more grounded in reality. One day, while trying to outrun some bullies, Bastian ends up in an old book store where he meets the cantankerous bookkeeper, Carl Coreander (Thomas Hill).

Carl shows Bastian a copy of the current book he’s reading, “The NeverEnding Story”, only Carl tells Bastian that the book is special as you may find yourself literally becoming a part of the story. Bastian ends up swiping the book and ends up in his school’s attic where he gets lost in the world of Fantasia.

Bastian finds himself getting literally involved with the story in 'The NeverEnding Story'.

Things are not going so well in Fantasia, though, as a great “Nothing” is sweeping across the entire land, wiping out everything in its path. The Childlike Empress (Tami Stronach) is ill and has sent forth a message to the greatest warrior in the land requesting his presence.

That warrior is Atreyu (Noah Hathaway), a young boy who is also accompanied by his faithful steed, Artax. Atreyu agrees to set out in order to not only find a cure for the Childlike Empress but also to try and find a way to defeat the Nothing.

First off, this movie is filled with boundless imagination as we meet a wide range of colorful characters. This includes a giant rock creature aptly named Rockbiter, Teeny Weeny (Deep Roy), the goblin Night Hop (Tilo Pruckner) and his hang-glider bat, and Falkor, a faithful Luck Dragon that helps Atreyu on part of his journey.

Atreyu and Artax navigate the Swamps of Sadness in 'The NeverEnding Story'.

The movie, for a kid’s film, is admittedly dark. I previously mentioned a scene that scarred my generation for life. Of course, the scene that I’m talking about is when Atreyu and Artax are traveling through the perilous Swamps of Sadness and Artax is taken by the swamps. I remember seeing this as a kid and being shocked beyond belief.

The rest of the movie is almost just as dark as Atreyu must also face off against other dangerous characters and foes. This includes the wolf-like creature known as Gmork, the Ancient One known as Morla, and the gates leading to the Southern Oracle.

That is one thing that I would warn parents about. There is stuff in this movie that could genuinely scare kids as the story doesn’t always hold their hands like other family-friendly fare would do these days.

Now, admittedly, the effects in the movie are dated and very noticeable. However, what I found as I rewatched the movie is that the dated effects didn’t take me out of the movie as much as I thought they might. I was sucked into this magical fantasy all over again and enjoyed the ride.

Atreyu encounters Falkor the Luck Dragon in 'The NeverEnding Story'.

I will say that one thing I noticed this time was the pacing of the movie. It does move at a breakneck speed, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I did find myself wishing during this viewing that they had taken a little more time to spend with these characters.

It almost felt like there were some missing scenes that maybe would have fleshed things out more overall. Maybe they didn’t get to them due to budgetary and special-effects constraints, but it did make me wonder if more footage existed out there.

Despite the length of the movie, though, this classic fantasy film is still a triumph. It shows the power one can have should they have a healthy imagination and a way to look at the world outside of conventional thinking. Bastian’s father wants him to get his head out of the clouds, but Bastian’s imagination is what may be the cure for a dying fantasy world where humankind’s dwindling dreams and imagination have led to disastrous results.

Even 40 years later, I can still recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys a good fantasy film, especially the dark fantasies that we were provided with throughout the 1980s.