Simply Perfect

Absolutely the worst movie.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This movie I watched when I was very young and shed some tears and still get emotional now but it is a legendary movie and is well worth it

I used to find the theme song to be annoying. The film is about a lonely boy who escapes into a fantasy world through a fantasy novel after being bullied by some boys. The movie is satisfactory and light entertaining. The movie is ideal for children even with the outdated special effects. If you want a film to make you feel good about yourself on a rainy day, this movie will do it.

Although admittedly not quite as dense or thoughtful as Michael Ende's classic novel, Wolfgang Petersen's The Neverending Story is a stunning film full of imagery that has stuck with me for years. Petersen usually guns for sprawling adult oriented fare (Troy, Air Force One, Das Boot, The Perfect Storm, Enemy Mine), so this stands out as the one children's story he's done that still has that same epic magic he puts elsewhere, on a more whimsical scale. In a land called Fantasia, a threatening dark force called The Nothing is swallowing up real estate faster than Chinese investors, and many peaceful creatures are losing their homes to it. It lives up to it's name in the sense that it is quite literally nothing, replacing tangible vistas with eerie black void, a spooky enough antagonist for any fable. It's up to young prince Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) to journey across Fantasia, find the princess who is the origin of the land's life force and restore balance in the universe. This is all in a dusty old storybook of course, eagerly read by a lonely kid (Barrett Oliver) holed up in some attic. I'll admit I haven't seen the film in a while, so I'm not up to speed on every little twist and crook in the story, but this one is kind of more about images and impressions than analytical narrative anyways, especially once Atreyu finds the Princess (Tami Stronach) and things get beautifully, cosmically surreal, then fairly meta as the world of Fantasia leaks out of the book's pages into our own realm, and Oliver is treated to a flying escapade over the Vancouver skyline atop adorable dragon-doggo Falkor, a lovingly creaky reminder of the wonders of animatronic effects. I'll always remember the council meeting between the rock biting giants, pint sized Willy Wonka looking dude and a sentient snail, all debating what course of action to take against The Nothing. The one primal element that stands out in my subconscious is the ongoing chase Atreyu finds himself in with a terrifying, ghostly direwolf that just won't quit. For pure eerie suspense you can't beat the seat grabbing moment where it ruthlessly pursues him through a haunted looking forest towards an escape so narrowly made that breathing isn't an option while viewing it. Dark, scary stuff for a kids movie, but that should be the idea anyway. A wee bit dated on today's terms, but all is forgiven considering the lasting impact it's had on my generation, and the imprint on our dreams. I'd be wary of the two sequels, as I remember not a thing from the second, and only recall that the third is an abysmal thing that should have been left to the Nothing. Stick with this beauty instead.

This fantasy film opens in the real world with a young boy named Bastian, who is having difficulty coming to terms with the death of his mother. It isn't helped by the fact that he is bullied by other children. One day as he flees from three of these bullies he hides in a bookshop. The owner initially tells him to leave but when he says that he enjoys reading and has read many books he lets him stay and they get talking. The shopkeeper is reading a book but he tells Bastian it is too dangerous for him as it draws the reader into the story in a very real way. As the man answers the phone Bastian 'borrows' the book. He gets to school late and sneaks into the attic where he starts to read.The book is set in the world of Fantasia; a land populated with mythical creatures but also one facing an ominous threat; areas are disappearing to 'The Nothing'. The characters we are introduced to head to the Ivory Tower, where the princess who rules Fantasia lives. It emerges that she is ill and the only one who can save her is a great warrior named Atreyu… who much to everybody's surprise is actually a young boy. His quest is to find a cure for the princess; it will take him a great distance and before it is over he will have to overcome a many dangers as well as meeting new friends. Ultimately however it is only Bastian who can save Fantasia.This is a classic '80s fantasy. It has dated pretty well as like most fantasy stories the central ideas are timeless. The special effects still look pretty good for the most part even if some of the dragon-flying scenes are a little cheesy… something heightened by Atreyu whooping and punching the air at the time. For a U Certificate film it is quite dark at times; we see Atreyu's horse drown in the Swamp of Despair and some of the obstacles he faces may be a little scary for younger children. The central characters are okay although I confess to being a little disappointed that the characters we first meet in Fantasia are only really there to introduce us to their world and are barely seen after Atreyu begins his quest. The cast are decent enough with Barret Oliver appearing as Bastian and Noah Hathaway as Atreyu. Overall this is a decent fantasy for children and those wanting to be reminded of their own childhoods… especially those who grew up in the '80s.