The Neverending Story
Okay, so after yesterday's installment, this movie is probably not what many of you were expecting. It's not much talked about these days, it's sequels aren't good, and even when it got released on blu-ray, it didn't have as much as a trailer with it. So it must not mean much to anybody, right? Wrong.
Actually, the movie does have a pretty big following and it was critically well received. Also, the theme song hit #7 in the US. (But Dragonland's cover is more awesome.) However, it was not a huge box-office hit here in America. (The director was German, it was filmed in Germany, and it's based on a German book.) Those of us who really love the movie most likely owned it on VHS when we were young. The movie came out in the summer of 1984, and VHS was moving mainstream by the mid-1980s. A lot of parents looked at the VHS cover, which was the original poster art, and were like, "Hey, this looks like a good movie for my kids to watch." Therefore, it was probably one of the most important VHS tapes for kids in the mid-80s along with other pop culture favorites like The Goonies, Time Bandits, and Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. I was one of those kids whose family owned the VHS tape.
I don't remember the first time I watched the movie. I must have been around six or seven. At least that's the first time I remember watching it. I've always been amazed at how great the model-work and puppetry is in this film. From Morla, the giant turtle to Gmork, the wolf servant of the Nothing. To me, they will always be more realistic than some CGI creation. Why? They are actually physically there. There's a realness to them that you don't get from CGI. In fact, Gmork used to scare me, as I'm sure he did other children as well.
But what I really love about this movie is it's message, which is different from the book. The book's message was about imagination through reading. The movie's message is simply about hopes and dreams, and the loss thereof. Now normally, that would seem a bit too cliche for me, but coming at it through the structure of this movie is pretty cool. You have a kid, Bastian, reading a book, and the book is the main story... However, the action in the book is somewhat dependent on the reader. It's a bit Peter Pan in that way, I suppose, but without seeming as annoying about it. (Screw Tinkerbell, I don't feel like clapping my hands! Besides, who likes Julia Roberts anyway!)
Like a lot of 1980s family films that I love, this one is full of feelings that most movies now don't put in their family films. They don't want to frighten or sadden children now, but I feel that those feelings are very important for children to have. Go see a family movie now, and it's probably going to be animated, a comedy, and have lots of stars either in it or doing the voices. It most likely either will have no message, or beat kids over the head with one. Neverending Story doesn't talk down. It's clear with it's message, but it talks about it philosophically without being boring. One thing the movie never is, is boring. For example...
There. That's the crux of the film. Please disregard Noah Hathaway's slight overacting. Remember, this is the same kid that played Boxey in Battlestar Galactica and then went on to be in the movie Troll. Still, he's better than Barrett Oliver, who plays Bastian, who is slightly annoying with his overacting... at least he chose better projects though.
So how did this movie effect my life? Well, besides putting about as many emotions as a kid can take in a 90 minute timeframe, I think it made me realize also that movies based on books don't always have to be bad. (The book is one of my favorites though, and very different.) It also pushed into my head that kids need to experience a range of emotions as they grow up. You can't have them live in a bubble, as so many kids do now. Don't be afraid to let kids emote or be showed emotion. For example:
Oh, and have I mentioned how beautiful the movie is?
This is one of my favorite movies!
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