The NeverEnding Story: Retro Review
There was so much going on in my heart and soul while viewing this movie as an adult. I have always felt such a connection with Bastian. I was that kid that preferred books over people. Getting a book from the library (even though he stole it) and going into a quiet attic where nobody can find me sounds like my kind of evening. Everyone who knows me knows I’m a bit of a recluse, so this type of completely passive protagonist is right on the money.
Speaking of which, is Bastian the protagonist here? I know he has some pretty serious stuff in the end and his reading is the only reason the story is happening in the first place, but… Is is really doing enough to be considered a protagonist? He’s not really “protagging” (No it’s not a real word, I checked) very much. This is one of those anomalies of story structure, where you know a character is important, but is he the central character? I’m pretty sure Atreyu is more important than Bastian, who kind of just reaps all of the benefits for his work (Starting to sound eerily like real life considering their ethnicities. I keed, I keed… kind of…).
There are two major parts for me emotionally. The first is the Swamp of Sadness. When Artax gets pulled under, how could one not get random sand in the eyes? It hit me almost as hard as it hit Atreyu right before he meets that weird, trifling turtle creature that’s clearly allergic to caring about people.
The second is the Rock Biter’s speech. “They look like big, strong hands don’t they…” I get chills every time. He was so happy on his weird rolling pin bike thingy in the beginning and he’s just so down on himself now. His story is a real tear-jerker, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he accidentally murdered Teeny Weeny (Deep Roy! Oompa Loompas anyone?) and the Nighthob while snacking on rocks, or just generally doing anything in their presence.
The rest of the movie is really just magic and adventure. the story is paced very well. Back then they had to focus so much more on story and actual world creation, than explosions and CGI. The childlike empress and that klingon that hangs around her are kind of creepy, but I like most of the rest. Falkor is pretty terrifying, but he was a really cool guy. I could see him coming in handy more than that horse that died that time that Atreyu (and everyone else) forgot all about.
Speaking of which, a lot, I mean a LOT of characters died in this kid’s movie. It definitely reminds me of a time when we showed children how life works instead of trying to protect them from literally everything. Atreyu killed the G’Mork for crying out loud. By stabbing it! He had actual blood on his hands after!
All in all, I think the movie was a really solid story, I don’t remember a lot about the book to be honest, but I don’t recall fans of it being up and arms the way people are today. Then again, this movie was definitely made way before everyone (including myself) was so jaded with everything. “The Nothing” was also an amazing concept. Although it kind of manifests as a thick smoky cloud toward the end (hi Galactus), I get the point. How else could you show an all-consuming nothingness that was destroying a world that’s maintained by the imagination of the human race? Man, that is an awesome concept!
I got reacquainted with my childhood by watching this again. It had its flaws, but maybe it’ll make me a little less judgmental about movies from now on… probably not though.
Jonathan Thomas Jones is a speculative fiction author and founder of geekhavenreviews.com. He has been passionate about all things geek for his entire life. See more about him at jonathanthomasjones.com and follow him on twitter @jtgloryjones.
