Stemming from one of the very finest books ever written in the 20th century, "The Neverending Story" is an awful movie with terrible storytelling, useless acting and music that seems more appropriate for second-grade German synth videos. The essence of the book is there, somehow, but barely noticeable, buried beneath an avalanche of cheesy, American pop morals and a disregard for the original book that is almost offending. The effects are horrible, but that's not the makers' fault - back in 1984, "Star Wars" was still the benchmark for visual effects. What is truly embarrassing is the storytelling, leaving out so many important parts from Michael Ende's amazing book that it becomes jumpy and inconsequential. The author's enormous capacity for imagining things is almost lost here, rendering the movie quite inane and dull.
The only hope is that some day, someone with a little more faith in the novel will make a new "Neverending Story" that is true to the book and a helluva lot more satisfying to watch. The film gets 2/10 only because it was actually made.
The only hope is that some day, someone with a little more faith in the novel will make a new "Neverending Story" that is true to the book and a helluva lot more satisfying to watch. The film gets 2/10 only because it was actually made.