Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by pandacups
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
4.0
The movie holds a special place in my heart since childhood. I can’t remember how many times my sister and I watched the movie when we were kids. Falkor, the luck dragon, was my favorite character, and I always wished I could ride a dragon.
When I am appreciating a film based on a novel, I try my best to treat the film as a separate work and do not nitpick the details that might not align perfectly with the book. I relived the scenes I remembered from the film as I immersed myself in the world of Fantastica. The plot in the film covers about half of the novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the narrative. It could have ended here like the movie and I would have been happy with the story.
In the beginning, Bastian, a chubby, bullied 8-year old comes across a book called, “The Neverending Story,” inside Mr. Coreander’s store. Bastian can’t resist the book, ends up stealing it, and hides in his school’s attic to begin reading the tale. He learns about the Nothing swallowing up all of the land and creatures of Fantastica where the Childlike Empress rules. The Childlike Empress has fallen ill, and she champions a boy named Atreyu to help find a cure so she can help fight against the Nothing.
There is a second Neverending Story movie, which I only watched once and vaguely remember. The second movie is loosely based on the second half of the novel. The second half of the story has a very different whimsical feel to the fantasy world than the first. One of the things I greatly appreciated in the book was the rollercoaster we see Bastian go through with the changing in his self perception as he journeys through the story of Fantastica and becomes involved in its fate. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but the novel is cleverly crafted and will make you ponder the boundaries between fantasy and reality. You may find the story slow and frustrating in the middle and want to yell at Bastian for some of his choices. But, keep reading.
When I am appreciating a film based on a novel, I try my best to treat the film as a separate work and do not nitpick the details that might not align perfectly with the book. I relived the scenes I remembered from the film as I immersed myself in the world of Fantastica. The plot in the film covers about half of the novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the narrative. It could have ended here like the movie and I would have been happy with the story.
In the beginning, Bastian, a chubby, bullied 8-year old comes across a book called, “The Neverending Story,” inside Mr. Coreander’s store. Bastian can’t resist the book, ends up stealing it, and hides in his school’s attic to begin reading the tale. He learns about the Nothing swallowing up all of the land and creatures of Fantastica where the Childlike Empress rules. The Childlike Empress has fallen ill, and she champions a boy named Atreyu to help find a cure so she can help fight against the Nothing.
There is a second Neverending Story movie, which I only watched once and vaguely remember. The second movie is loosely based on the second half of the novel. The second half of the story has a very different whimsical feel to the fantasy world than the first. One of the things I greatly appreciated in the book was the rollercoaster we see Bastian go through with the changing in his self perception as he journeys through the story of Fantastica and becomes involved in its fate. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but the novel is cleverly crafted and will make you ponder the boundaries between fantasy and reality. You may find the story slow and frustrating in the middle and want to yell at Bastian for some of his choices. But, keep reading.