Noah Hathaway

Barret Oliver

Tami Stronach

Alan Oppenheimer

Sydney Bromley

Patricia Hayes

Moses Gunn

Frank Lenart

Robert Jadah

Gerald McRaney

Tilo Prückner

Deep Roy

Chris Eastman

Darryl Cooksey

Nicholas Gilbert

Thomas Hill

Donald Arthur

Bernd Eichinger

Wolfgang Petersen

Brian Wheeler

Silvia Seidel

Beth Andersen

Johann Kott

Bernd Schaefers

Colin Arthur

Dieter Geissler

Count Ul De Rico

Diemut Remy

Robert Easton

Jane Seitz

Brian Johnson

Brigitta Ansary

Herbert Strabel

Mark Damon

Edwin Erfmann

Michael Ende

John W. Hyde

Limahl

Klaus Kähler

Günter Rohrbach

Klaus Doldinger

Götz Weidner

Herman Weigel

Giorgio Moroder

Gordon Mark

Sharron Gold

Jürgen Bieske

Don French

David W. Rose

Rolf Zehetbauer

William W. Wilson III

Michael Waldleitner

Risa Kes

Kristina Brandner

Hannes Nikel

Michael Boyadjiew

Paula Swauger

Marcia Gay

Jean Bereziuk

Carlo Rambaldi

Penny Perry

Jost Vacano

Richard Eglseder

Milan Bor

Karola Storr

Elfriede Eitermoser

Heiner Niehues

Mario Behr

Annie Nap-Oleon

Jimmy Stepanoff

Anette Haellmigk

Juan Japl

Trevor Pyke

Tony Smart

Werner Runge

Peter Maiwald

Duncan Stewart

Katharina Litzinger

Robert Gavin

Hedy Pollack

Bobby Porter

Peter Kahle

Horst Kirchberger

Gaby Bzdega

Peter Classey

Sigi Steiner

Josip Trupinovic

Mel Kutbay

Robert Hathaway

Anton Egerer

Ilse Schwarzwald

Werner Böhm

Renate Berger

Hans-Walter Kramski

Heinz Schürer

Eddy Saller

Karl-Heinz Vogelmann

The NeverEnding Story Collection

Adventure

Fantasy

Family

Drama

Die unendliche Geschichte

Constantin Film

Bavaria Film

Germany

English

The NeverEnding Story

based on novel or book

wolf

magic

fairy tale

horse

mythology

child hero

anthropomorphism

bully

school

creature

reading

book store

fantasy world

giant

gnome

quest

child protagonist

father son relationship

based on young adult novel

magical necklace

CinemaSerf

I remember seeing this film when I was young - spurred on by the Limahl theme song that was in the charts at the time, and rather enjoying it. Based on just the first half of Michael Ende's original novel, it's a gentle fantasy tale of a young boy - "Bastian" (Barret Oliver) - who is being bullied by three classmates. When one day he seeks refuge in a bookshop, the owner shows him a mysterious book that he "borrows" and reads - introducing him to the magical, and dangerous, kingdom of "Fantastica" where he learns that it's benign, kindly young "Childlike Empress" is dying and that only he can help "Atreyu" (Noah Hathaway) save her and everyone from disaster at the hands of "The Nothing". The youngsters are strong with their performances, and Wolfgang Petersen's adaption of his own screenplay remains reasonably faithful to the delicate story with clever, engaging animation - a combination of intricate puppetry and blue-screen effects that is both charming and fun: the luck dragon ("Falkor") and the "Gmork" greatly add to the story of wishes and secrets as "Bastian" races against time to accomplish his task. Time has been quite kind to this film (apart from, maybe, the haircuts!) and it still holds up well.

A fantasy flick of real quality!

I got to watch this at the cinema thanks to its release as part of its 40th anniversary, the second movie I've seen re-released on the big screen after 'Trainspotting' back in May. That Danny Boyle flick from 1996 is great, as is this Wolfgang Petersen feature from 1984. I wasn't sure what to expect, I only knew of its genre and that famous theme song.

One of the first things to note about 'The NeverEnding Story' is how well it has aged, it looks awesome. The practical effects still look top quality and are super effective, I watched 'Big Trouble in Little China' yesterday and that has aged rather poorly in the effects department - and was released two years after this!

I really loved seeing the world come to life. The effects are a big reason for that, though this shows the importance of getting strong voice actors. Alan Oppenheimer is fantastic in the roles of Falkor, Gmork and Rockbiter, credit to Robert Easton as Morla too. As for the 'normal' actors, Sydney Bromley, Moses Gunn and Tilo Prückner are excellent in their respective roles.

Younger actors Barret Oliver, Noah Hathaway and Tami Stronach all do good work. I could've done without, and this my only thing close to a criticism (which it even isn't), the constant leaps back to the reader (Oliver's Bastian), it's not bad but sometimes doesn't feel necessary; less is more, sorta thing.

A brilliant film, one with an edge to it as well... 🕊️🐎

The NeverEnding Story( 1984)

A boy who needs a friend finds a world that needs a hero in a land beyond imagination!

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A review by CinemaSerf

Written by CinemaSerf on Thu Jun 08 2023

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