Customer Reviews

The NeverEnding Story / The NeverEnding Story II

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

This DVD has THE NEVERENDING STORY on one side and the other side of the disc has THE NEVERENDING STORY II.

In THE NEVERENDING STORY, Bastian Bux (Barret Oliver) is an average student who finds himself repeatedly being abused by bullies who like to steal his money and throw him into dumpsters. Bastian's mother is dead and both he and his father are still trying to cope with the loss. However, Bastian's father is a realist and thinks that Bastian spends too much time drawing pictures, reading books, and daydreaming. He wants his son to buckle down and get serious about school and life. He means well, but his advice doesn't do much to improve Bastian's condition. Eventually Bastian ends up meeting a strange bookstore owner that leaves a book, "The Neverending Story", where Bastian is able to borrow it. Bastian sneaks away to the attic of his school, locks himself in, and begins reading. The story is a fascinating tale about a place called Fantasia, a seeming endless world filled with countless creatures of every shape and size. Fantasia is under attack by an unknown force known as the Nothing that destroys everything in its path. The Childlike Empress (Tami Stronach) selects the mighty warrior from the plains people, Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) to go on a journey and find the one person who can save Fantasia from total annihilation. Atreyu sets forth on a long, difficult journey, traveling all over Fantasia, but no one seems capable of helping him. As Atreyu journeys, Bastian secretly accompanies him and shares in all of his adventures. The book reads like none other that Bastian has ever read and it seems that he is a part of the story. As the Nothing grows stronger, Bastian has to decide if he will give into reality of what he sees around him or allow his imagination take control.

In THE NEVERENDING STORY II Bastian (Jonathan Brandis) is once again transported to Fantasia. Bastian is no longer threatened by bullies, but is instead taunted by his classmates when he joins the dive team. His father (John Wesley Shipp) misguidedly prods Bastian into overcoming his fears. Frustrated, Bastian returns to Mr. Koreander's bookstore and though he is warned that the story in "The Neverending Story" doesn't remain the same, Bastian borrows the book and ends up returning to Fantasia. Upon entering Fantasia, Bastian finds that he has the symbol of the childlike Empress, Auryn, around his neck. He is informed by the giant bird Nimbly (Martin Umbach) that anytime he makes a wish, the power in Auryn will make the wish come true. However, there is a dark secret to Auryn. To save Fantasia, Bastian must find out Auryn's secret, defeat the evil witch Xayide, and stop the Emptiness from consuming Fantasia.

Of the two movies, THE NEVERENDING STORY is a far superior film that its sequel.

The DVD doesn't offer many extras. On THE NEVERENDING STORY side of the disc, there are some notes about the book and characters and a trailer for the film. THE NEVERENDING STORY II side has a trailer, cast & crew list, and a word scramble game called "Bastian's Challenge." Also, both movies are shown in full screen and not widescreen.

The original NeverEnding Story movie was a masterpiece. A complete work of art. I remember watching that movie when I was a kid, it amazed me. I watch today, and it amazes me how it still draws me into that story so easily. In my opinion, it is a pure fantasy world with no flaws, in acting, in plot, in direction, in visuals; the characters are all wonderfully original and well played.

*sigh* Now...to the sequel.

Besides the fact that every single character was recast (aside from the bookkeeper?), and besides the fact that every character has a brand new personality which contradicts how they were in the first movie. Besides the fact that Bastian had brown hair in the first movie, and now all of a sudden he has blonde hair. Apart from the fact that Bastian's dad has quite the receding hairline in the first movie, and now, in the sequel, where'd that full head of hair come from? Aside from the fact that Falcor turned stupid for something reason. Apart from the fact that Atreyu, the brave warrior in the first movie, turns into a confused sidekick that can only speak broken english now...

*sigh* aside from all of that...

The thing that gets me the most, throughout the sequel they call the Empress, "The Child-like Empress"... *sigh*

...She is not child-like; she is, in fact, just a child! "Child-Empress"!!!

The magic that was the first movie disappeared in the second. I think the thing that sets the movies apart the most, a thing that hurts the sequel quite a bit, is the fact that we have to views of the story, in the original, Bastian's point of view as he reads the book, and then Atreyu's and the others view from inside the story.

With the NeverEnding Story II, there is no outside view. It's very linear, inside the story only, except of course, near the end, when the father starts reading the book, but the adult point of view doesn't fit in very well with the story.

I just popped in The NeverEnding Story into my VCR. The visuals are stunning, the Fantasia world in the original movie is so well thought-out, and obviously so. But there's something lacking with the sequel, it seems like you're in a different, low-budget version of Fantasia.

*sigh*

So, I think I'm done with my rant.

But if you've lasted with me this long, here's my advice:

The original movie is, no doubt, a must have in anyone's movie collection. If you must see the second one, just to see how bad it is (if you haven't seen it already), borrow it from someone or rent it, but don't buy it. It's not worth the money.

OK, let's admit it. This movie isn't half bad. You should all know that the first movie (The NeverEnding Story) is a ton better, and the third movie (The NeverEnding Story III - Escape From Fantasia) STINKS!!! But on the subject of this movie, I would say I enjoy watching it from time to time, and that in and of itself makes the movie worthwhile. Do I feel it is worthy of the being in league with the NeverEnding Story saga??? In a way. It somewhat follows the book after chapter M (#13), the second half. However, this movie has some obvious faults. For one, the atmosphere of the movie is close to neither the first movie (dark, depressing, but really good) nor the book (intelligent, witty, amazing). I liked Jonathan Brandis (Bastian) but not Kenny Morrison (Atreyu). The chick who played the Childlike Empress, in my mind, was not right for the part at all. On the plus side, I thought Xayide was excelently portrayed: Very sinister and evil but clever. The status of Bastian's relationship to his father was more prevalent, and made more sweet. (Awww...)
This movie was my first NeverEnding Story "experience" and it was good enough to interest me in the first movie and on to the book.
By the way, do not waste your precious time in viewing the piece of crud known as The NeverEnding Story III - Escape From Fantasia. It stinks.
That is all. Thank you and fare well.

now that's a movie i never want to see again in my life.

What's there to say? bad acting, and just about the stupidest plot i ever heard. bastion has to master his fear of hights to get on the swim team because he can't jump off the diving board, poor baby. then he goes into fantasia because the words in the neverending story are disappearing, and gets into the most unlikely adventure that ever played on my tv screen. he meets a really annoying bird named nimbly, whom i wanted to strangle after about five minutes. for some reason, bastion decides nimbly is his best friend. but really, nimbly is working for an evil witch named xayide, who insists on raising her eyebrows seductively every five seconds. the evil witch wants to take over fantasia, so she's imprisoned the childlike empress in the ivory tower (beats me how that's supposed to help). then, in order to stop bastion, she rigs up an evil machine that takes one of his memories every time he wishes on the Auron. the idea is that he'll forget what his mission is.

which is totally ridiculous, because you know how many individual memories we have? just about a few trillion. and bastion is making new memories every second he's awake, and if he forgets why he's in fantasia, atreyu (who has joined him on his quest) can surely remind him. And, bastion never shows any signs of losing his memory, even when the jar that's supposed to hold his memories is almost full. oh, and then bastion's father starts going crazy looking for him, finds the book, and starts reading about his adventure, interjecting stupid little comments like, "my son's riding a horse?" every two seconds, which really disrupts the story, and is also really annoying because he's such a bad actor. god, i can't beleive i wasted an hour and a half of my life on this movie.

This movie was never made. Hollywood has really turned into a sequel machine, and sometimes fans of an original movie who really love it just have to pretend that a sequel was never made.
Case in point.

The Neverending Story has been a childhood staple for many years. To me, it's my favourite movie from my childhood. When the second movie came out, I was curious, but seeing how it is involved with The Neverending Story, I gave it a try. To be honest, the movie is actually quite good. This time around Jonathan Brandis (Ladybugs, Seaquest DSV) puts on the shoes as our hero Bastien. Here, Bastien must return to Fantasia to stop the evil Xayide from taking over the land. In his return he rejoins his friends Rock Biter, Atreyu, and of course Falcor. He even encounters new Fantasianites that either aid/delay Bastien in his journey. The movie is full of adventure, great scenery, strong characters and even a few life-lessons. In terms of the DVD treatment, an excellent transfer has taken place. You are able to get the full-screen or widescreen option on a two-sided disc, along with the movie trailer, and even Bastien's Word Challenge, which is a different, but nice addition to the disc. All in all, The Neverending II is a decent movie that helps to continue the saga of the adventues of Bastien. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a nice adventure flick that's easy to follow, or just wants a watch a movie that can be enjoyed by all ages.

I am a huge Neverending Story fan. I have read the book many times and the movie is pretty good, too. The problem is that the first movie only tells half of the story. So imagine how excited I was to find that there was the second one! And imagine my disappointment to find out it really stunk! It had different characters, different story.. nothing was the same. Stick with the book and the first movie!

The first movie is a great movie that every child and any adult with a love for Tolkien, LeGuin, C.S. Lewis will feel compelled to see. The second movie has no chivalry, no mystery no romance, and I wish my children had not seen it, to interfere and dilute the powerful feelings and lessons of the first. The allegory of the first is far superior to the second. I understand the third is even worse.

I admit I was overjoyed when I heard of a sequel being made because there was more to the book than the first movie, but my enthusiasm took a nosedive when I saw this movie. The child actors could not act, and basically in a nut shell, the whole movie seemed to lack heart and imagination. (Ironically enough) If you're a true fan of the first movie and the book, STAY AWAY. If you're into those cheap Disney sequels that are churned out just to make money, this movie is for you.

Even if you were able to tolerate the first one after reading the (fabulous) book, the fact that you could even make it through this one is beyond amazing. I walked out of the theater when Neverending II was first released, but thought that maybe it might just be my snobbish teenage mind - only to find out while giving this a second shot on DVD that is was as horrid as I remembered. If sequels must be made, at least *try* to find someone who looks like the orginal screen play characters. The acting is poor to say the least, the story patchy. They desperately tried to capture the magic of the book and the parts of the story line that were left out of the first movie. They failed. If you must watch a film version of this otherwise fantastic story, go with the 1st film. In this case, first times a charm. Anything else is a curse.