By this point you had better see my obvious fantasy love. And if you want good fantasy films, one good place visit to is the 1980's. Yep, the 1980's: Decade of video tapes, sequels, and more blockbusters. Yes, we love our blockbusters. A lot of the fantasy films that came out at this decade were Legend, and The NeverEnding Story. Both of which were considered creepy for some of its dark characteristics. You could give a ton of reasons why and I'm still one of those people that wasn't obviously creeped out by these things.
The NeverEnding Story, made in 1984, is one of those "creepy" childrens' films. It's also based on the book by Michael Ende; not exactly the best adaptation ever, but still a good movie.
Once upon a time, a little boy by the name of Bastian and his father are still coping with loss of Bastian's mother. One day, Bastian is being chased by bullies and ends up hiding in Koriander's Book Shop. There, he finds Mr. Koriander reading a strange book. The NeverEnding Story. Bastian is interested in the book, but Mr. Koriander insists that it's not safe for him to read. Right then, the phone rings and Mr. Koriander goes to answer it, leaving the book alone. Bastian takes this chance and runs off with the book. (Don't worry, he left a note saying he'll return it.) Bastian sneeks into the school attic instead of going to class. From there, he starts to read. The book takes us into Fantasia, the world of human fantasy. All the people and creatures are flocking to the Ivory Tower to seek help from the Childlike Empress, for a mysterious "Nothing" is destroying their homes. But the Empress is very ill. The people then call on Atreyu, a very young warrior from the plains, to find a cure and stop the Nothing. Will he be able to save Fantasia before it disappears?
One thing I like about this is the whole idea of a world made entirely from the imagination and hopes of man. In the film it's explained that if people should stop dreaming, Fantasia would disappear. Kinda like how your favorite fast food items start to disappear because they're not popular! But it wouldn't be perfect though. There would still be good and evil, since there are probably people in our world who would imagine evil fantasies.
It's a shame Jim Henson wasn't involved with the puppet work. Would that have improved it? From the Rockbiter to the little man and his racing snail (which is WAY faster than the average snail), the creatures in this film are pretty diverse. Not as diverse as the ones in The Dark Crystal of course, but still a few unusual things around the corner. If you've seen this film, which creature did you find the most interesting, or is your favorite? My favorites are the rockbiter and Falkor the Luck dragon. There is always a slight sense of tension in the texture of The NeverEnding Story. You spend most of the movie seeing things that lead up to the main point. Like Atreyu's many obstacles on the way to the Southern Oracle, for example. Also for instance, Bastian continues to read the book as a powerful thunderstorm rises outside. Is something about to happen? Sheesh, that foreshadowing always gets to you!
A word concerning sequels: In the 90's The NeverEnding Story II and III were made. I was sort of OK with the second one, but from reviews I've seen, the third one was AWFUL. Sure, the story may have been valid, but the look was just plain bad. You have different looks to all the original characters. Falkor doesn't look like the Falkor we've come to love. The Rockbiter doesn't look like the Rockbiter we've come to love. Same with some of the other characters. Have you seen The NeverEnding Story III? What is your opinion of it?
Do you agree with this? What other things do we like about The NeverEnding Story? Don't forget to comment a non-rated R Halloween film to see on the blog! Also be sure to like, comment, share, and follow to always come back for more Enchanted Tales of Film!
No comments:
Post a Comment