The NeverEnding Story (1984) ~ Barret Oliver

I remember watching this when I was, oh, 7 or 8, and having a huge crush on Atreyu. (rewatching it now, I was startled to see how familiar he is, and searched the net to find out what else I’d seen him in…go figure, he was in Battlestar Galactica, too;)

Watching the trailer in the special features section (which, BTW, is rather light, like most movies made before DVDs) sent me into delighted giggles. I still found myself crying over the loss of Artax, even though I knew it was coming, and started laughing at myself as I wiped my eyes. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion; even though the soundtrack is obviously 80s synth, I like it. Being trained in cinema, I know that there are many weaknesses in the film, but because I have happy memories of watching it as a child, I simply don’t care. I did notice things I missed as a child (Bastian’s father drinks raw eggs for breakfast??? ick!) but I still couldn’t make out what name Bastian screams into the storm. (somebody else said it was “Moonchild,” but I never could tell) I’ve never read the book, so I can’t compare them, but I like this movie because it was child-like fun. (you’re never too old to have fun!)

The DVD offers full or widescreen depending which side of the DVD you want to play, and a handful of extras about the creature models and actors and the trailer. If you liked it as a child, you’ll like the nostalgia. Children may or may not like it, depending how jaded they’ve become from our modern, special-effects-laden extravaganzas.