User reviews

THE NEVERENDING STORY II is a wonderful and breathtaking familiar film with adventures and imagination but inferior to excellent original. A lonely and grieving little boy named Bastian(the sadly deceased Jonathan Brandis substituting to Barret Oliver) is only living with his father( John Wesley Shipp in similar role to Gerard McRaney)but his mother has deceased.He seeks refugee in the library where meets a bookkeeper and is taken a fantastic book .Thus, again he enters the storybook world of Fantasia through the ¨Neverending story¨ tale . This time Batian is really in the flick the complete time instead of outside of the pages but happens that with each wish he lost records. There, he goes to Silver City and he meets the young valiant warrior named Atreyu( Kenny Morrison replacing Noah Hathaway)as he must save the magic world of Fantasia threatened for the destruction by the advance of Nothing that will eventually wipe out all the things and rescue the imprisoned childlike Empress . She is detained by evil sorceress Xayide (Clarissa) supported by his large mechanical beetles. Xayide has a dark scheme for Fantasy world and the Childlike Empress. They'll have to fight a magical army of giant bugs on two legs that threaten our friends.

The story is an enjoyable fairy tale with great charm from the original novel by Michael Ende,trying to incorporate too much dreamland with fantastic beings like a giant bird named Nimbly, the large flying pink poodle dragon named Falcor ,among others weird and bizarre creatures .They have been made by big puppets and no by means of computer generator effects but at the time had not been invented. The visual beauty of the impressive scenarios give the movie a real sense of wonder.The production design and sets are visually rousing and appealing.The film contains an agreeable moral message about reading books.It's followed by a new sequel, the third part titled: ¨Escape from fantasia¨(directed by Peter McDonald)with Jason James Ritcher. Besides followed by a Television cartoon movies. The movie contains spectacular musical score by Robert Folk and colorful cinematography by David Connell. The motion picture filled with imaginative moments is professionally directed by George Miller though with no originality because takes too many elements from previous film. Miller is an Australian director usually working for television (Tidal wave, Journey to the center of the earth,Attack of the Sabretooth) and occasionally for cinema ( The man from Snowy river Zeus and Roxanne,Robinson Crusoe ). Rating : Passable, acceptable, 5,5.

The original is one of my all time favourite movies, beautifully designed, well acted and had the sense of wonder that enthralled me when I was a child. I saw Neverending Story 3 recently, and thought it was absolute garbage with next to no redeeming qualities. NeverEnding Story 2: The Next Chapter wasn't terrible, but I will admit I was disappointed.

The film does look spectacular, with lovely costumes and sets- the image of the silver boats on the river was a beautiful image. The music by Robert Folk was gorgeous, very lyrical and atmospheric. And I did think Xayide was a pretty good villainess and Clarissa Burt was superb playing her, and that Ken Morrison did a worthy job replacing Noah Hathaway as Atreyu. I do admit Hathaway was better, he was born to play the part. Falcor wasn't too bad either, if not as wise as he was in the original movie.

There are flaws however. The plot is disjointed, and there are a lot of unfocused moments in the screenplay. Also that big bird was really irritating. Not to mention some contradictions in comparison to the original, then again NeverEnding Story 3 had a lot more contradictions, and did do an even worse job than this film. Barrett Oliver as Bastian was great in the original, and I do appreciate that they made him older and wiser here, but I did think as the hero Jonathan Brandis was rather feeble, but he did try his best with superficial material.

Overall, disappointing, but it wasn't that bad. If anything I think it is average, so I will give it a 5/10. Bethany Cox

Michael Ende's lovely book is in two parts; Petersen's 1984 film is really just the story of Part I. It's very good all the same. Admittedly it would have been nicer if Petersen had made a four-hour film covering the entire book, but Part I's story is complete enough and works on the screen. Besides, there's always the possibility of a sequel.

Which makes it all the odder that the sequel, when it came, did NOT continue the story in the way that Ende had. Oh, Miller and his writers mine what's left of the novel for ideas; what emerges is a gross caricature of Ende's work, a hideous, twisted, traducement. Making the witch Xayide into too big a villain is the central mistake. In the book Bastian's problem is a deep one: wishes take away his memories not because of the contrived plotting of some super-villain, but because of the very nature of the world Bastian finds himself in; because of the nature of wishing, really. Xayide EXPLOITS this fact; she does not create it. (Note that in Petersen's film the central villain also exploits rather than creates strife.) Quite apart from this Xayide is much more chilling in the book. In the film she's a cackling, cretinous vamp who wears ludicrous bird-of-paradise gowns. She's a stage villain of the flattest kind.

One small change is more damaging than you might at first think: in Ende's book, Bastian doesn't leave Fantasia ("Fantastica" in the translation I read) until the very end. This makes more credible his chances of being trapped there. Bringing him back to our world for the start of the next film is enough to make the entire subsequent story silly and enervating. It feels as if we have entered a sitcom: at the start of the next episode, everything is as it was before. In today's episode Bastian must learn a Valuable Lesson About Life - coincidentally, the same one he learned yesterday (and will probably have to learn again in the next sequel, the dullard). The first scenes of Part II are almost unbelievably bad. I almost admire Miller's willingness to ADVERTISE how bad his film will be. We open with one of the cheesiest sequence of allegedly humorous pratfalls I think I've ever seen; in a matter of MINUTES, I lost faith in the film, as had everyone I was watching it with.

And so much of the original talent is missing as to make the whole exercise pointless. The crew is almost entirely different; the cast - apart from Thomas Hill as Cornelius, who puts in an appearance even though he now has no role to play in the story - is different and vastly inferior, and all the beauty and fantasy that infused Petersen's production design is missing. It's not that the special effects are TECHNICALLY deficient, although they may be. It's just that there's no vision to give them life. When I see the turrets and drawbridges I find myself think of garage roll-a-doors and hydraulic lifts, for that is what they look like here. The script is full of such clunkers you'll be unable to avoid wincing ... unless you treat it all as a joke, which, luckily, is my siblings and I decided to do. Treat it as a kind of "Plan 9" experience and it may be worth watching.

Just take a look at my summary and you'll get a great idea about what I think of this movie. I wasn't originally planning to watch this, but I decided to because it was in a day I had not much to do and so I did, if only to see how weak this would be. I wasn't really expecting much from it, but it turned out to be even weaker than I imagined.

But let's go by parts. "The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter" is a sequel to the original and much beloved 1984 film. Unlike the original, this wasn't directed by Wolfgang Petersen, but by George T. Miller. About the cast, with the exception of Thomas Hill as Mr. Koreander, the whole cast is completely different. This already says a lot. The original one has a cast you just gotta appreciate, but I can't say the same about this one.

Bastian is now played by Jonathan Brandis, Atreyu by Kenny Morrison and the Childlike Empress by Alexandra Johnes. Jonathan Brandis had a tragic ending in real life. In the role of Bastian, he wasn't all that bad, but we cannot compare him to Barret Oliver, the one and only Bastian. Kenny Morrison is good as a Atreyu, but naturally not as much as "the real Atreyu" - Noah Hathaway. Nevertheless, Kenny Morrison looks a bit like Noah Hathaway, but with a stronger Indian-like appearance. Alexandra Johnes really doesn't fit at all as the Childlike Empress, unlike Tami Stronach.

The characters from the first movie we all love so much are not as appealing here. Bastian has nothing to do with the loving Bastian from the original and here he proves not to be very smart - including whenever Atreyu warns him to be careful about what he's doing. Atreyu is cool here, but not as much as the Atreyu from the earlier film. As for the Childlike Empress, they really managed to ruin her image. Here, she's just an ordinary-looking girl with freezy hair - she has nothing to do with the angelical and innocent-looking Childlike Empress of the original.

Falkor is not the same here. He looks quite artificial and ugly here, while in the first movie he looks so real and perfect. Besides, is it just me or did he become smaller in this film? Another equally bad thing is his voice here. Golly, his voice here sounds awful! It's as if he was talking with his mouth full all the time. And the same can be said about the Rockbiter's voice here. Speaking of Rockbiter, now he has a son? That Junior is a little annoying, isn't he? Mr. Koreander is nowhere near as amusing here as he is in the first movie, despite being portrayed by the same actor. Bastian's father is now younger? And how come Bastian has a mother now, considering she's not alive in the original film?

As for the visuals, only a few are still good, but aside that Fantasia is simply not the same Fantasia I love so much from the 1st movie. The gorgeous and fantastic landscapes seem to be gone. The magic and special effects that give the 1st movie a feeling of something out-of-this-world are missing. Besides, Fantasia is now a silver city, which just doesn't please me.

The soundtrack is nothing special. Nothing to do with the wonderful and inspiring soundtrack of the original movie.

Very little in this movie resembles "The Neverending Story". In fact, this seems more like a mix of "The Lord of the Rings", "Star Wars" and a Power Rangers episode, with its extreme darkness and mostly because of all those horrible mechanical giants. I hate creatures like those. I also hate the new villain, the sorceress Xayide. And that ridiculous big bird...

As for the humor, nothing worthy to mention. Aside one or two very small things, there's nothing to laugh in this movie. The original has classic and funny humor.

So many things just don't fit in this sequel. Conclusion: this is a shadow of the original and a mockery on the original. It is an easily forgettable movie. Maybe kids will enjoy this, so I'd only recommend this for them.

Just to finish, did anyone else notice that some scenes with Atreyu riding Artax during the quest were literally taken from the first film? I noticed that.

The Never Ending Story 2 did not seem to be as good as its predecessor, however this movie wasn't all that bad. Sure it would of been nice if it had ALL of the original actors from the first one in it and that could be a reason why this film didn't do as well. I bet we would of all enjoyed this movie much better if it did have the original actors in it. I am a big fan of the novel (greatest novel I have ever read) and that could be why I happen to like this movie. This is actually the last half of the book when Bastian visits "Fantastica" and meets Atreyu and all the others. However one downfall was this film seemed a bit distant to the original making it seem like they are two totally different stories when in fact they are one. It just didn't seem to capture all the magic of the book. But all in all this was a pretty good movie and it wouldn't hurt to get an idea of what the second half of the story is all about. But the first film is the greatest and will put its spell over your entire family!!!!!!! I give The Never Ending Story 2; 7.5/10.

I'm a bit surprised at the heavy criticism this film received. It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that this sequel didn't live up to its predecessor. However, it's not nearly as bad as it's made out to be.

Before I continue, I should note that I have not yet read Micheal Ende's novel, so I can only judge this film as just that, a film. Not as an adaptation.

Many have complained that the personality of the characters from the original movie were contradicted and the film had little continuity. I disagree. In this film, Bastian is older and wiser, yet still has a lot to learn. That is not a flaw. He is *supposed* to be this way. As for his father, we didn't get to know him well enough in the first film to understand his personality, so the audience needs to give him the benefit of the doubt as well. Kenny Morrison was a fine Atreyu replacement for Noah Hathaway and Xayade is a villain that you'll love to hate.

This film goes the "Temple of Doom" route by offering a darker tale than before. In fact, some of the scenes might be a bit frightening for anyone at pre-school age or younger. I know that those giants used to scare me when I first saw this film at the age of eight. There are some humorous moments regarding the clash of cultures as Bastian and Atreyu often find it difficult to understand each other's vocabulary. A few thrilling moments, a dramatic twist mid-way through, and some nice visual effects round out a solid film.

On the negative side, some of the humor seemed a bit forced at times. *Cough* Spray can. *Cough* And while the dialogue was passable, it often sounded too plain without any real motivation behind it.

On a final note, and this is overlooked by the earlier reviews, Robert Folk's musical score is spectacular. It's a shame that it'll probably never be released in the mainstream ever again. The score alone makes the film worth watching.

All in all, this is an underrated film that needs to be viewed with an open mind instead of a quest to find as many flaws as possible. It's no fun using the latter way. It may not be the best sequel one could hope for, but it certainly could have been a lot worse. Just watch Neverending Story III to find out how.

The 1st "Neverending Story" was one of my favorite movies as a child so naturally, I couldn't wait for the sequel. I was completely horrified at the transformation of my favorite characters!! Although this one was made in English and the first one German, at the very least they could have done was get actors that resembled the original ones. I thought Bastien in both movies was very annoying, but I was heartbroken that characters were changed significantly. The magic and the fantasy of the first film was ruined because the 2nd looked like a "Power Rangers" episode. It was completely awful and I was disappointed in so many ways. LONG LIVE THE ORIGINAL!! Do not waste your time with the sequels, they don't have the emotion, fantasy or anything compared to the original.

So the original is a classic and people really love it (deservedly so) - but with almost everything that is succesful, you will get at least one sequel. And it should have stayed at one sequel to tell you the truth, but more about part 3 elsewhere. This one takes the story where we left off, but has different actors in the same roles - which makes sense because many years had passed but they wanted to still have kids in the main roles.

So while this does not hold up to the first one, this is a decent effort overall. As an adult you can see where this is going, but for some kids this may still work. So it is the audience that matters a bit when watching this. There are character traits and downfalls and the puppet work is exceptional again. There are worse movies out there for sure

Bastian has a fear of diving and goes back to the bookstore to ask Koreander for help. When he sees 'The Neverending Story', the Childlike Empress asks him for help and he takes the book again. This time he goes right into Fantasia to rescue the Childlike Empress. The evil sorceress Xayide has a plan to steal a memory from Bastian for every wish he makes until his mind is empty of all memories. Atreyu and Falkor return to help Bastian in his quest.

It's six years after the production of the first movie. So most of the actors are different as well as the director. Jonathan Brandis is a lovely boy actor. He's capable but he's a very effeminate boy. I'm not sure what I dislike about him. I think mostly it's the annoying stupidity of the character, the dialog, and his speaking style.

The story is one straight quest. There isn't any originality anymore. It's relying on the goodwill of the original. The action isn't exciting. The acting is weak. The dialog is clunky. The production got bigger but not better.

When I first rented this sequel I knew for sure it want going to be as good as the first (ex. reviews on this site) and I definitly turned out right. First things first the special EFX were used a little too much and weren't as good as the first. Also this one got a little bit too kiddyish with jokes. I also didn't like how the Rockbiter had a new voice that really didn't match him. Oh and I absolutley hated the Rockbiter jr.

6/10

There are so many parts and scenes that are not in the book. Plus there isn't much of the book in this movie. The First one captured the book perfectly and the sequel destroyed the second half of the book. If I were to guess the second movie put in maybe 5% of the book in the movie and about 95% of the book in the first movie. Now there was no 2 or 3rd book so why make a 3rd movie. Finally I think they should remake the second movie. The neverending story is my all time favorite book it destroyed me when they distroyed it. So I propose a redo. Also bad acting and very bad role choices. I think they should have kept the same actors and same directors. I know I am not the only one who feels this way. It seems the director of the second movie skimmed the book and the director of the first movie read the book was able to capture the book in every detail. So they should try again with the second one and capture every detail who cares how long it takes or how long takes to find the right cast to do the movie just do it right.

I am a fan of The Neverending Story the book. This movie did not live up to my expectations at all (when I saw it again recently)

The movie covers part of the book's story, with Bastian meeting Xayide. Although part of it is followed closely, Nimbly did NOT work for Xayide, there was no Memory ball thing (AURYN made Bastian lose his memories on its own) and the end was a cheesy replacement for the Fountain of Life.

In the original story, there was much more substance.

And the thing that annoys me most: If Bastian met the Childlike Empress in the last movie, why did she appear to him in this one? If they had only researched the story better, they would have discovered that you can only meet the Empress ONCE. No matter how many times you meet her, she wil have no memory of you ever meeting her previously.

I'll be brief: you are in for a real stinker when you've noticed the sequel has recycled stock footage from the first film because the original imagination and production value was so high (think Atreyu riding on his white horse, which has magically came back to life in part II). Yes, cutaways and transitions from the first movie were dropped into the second film and that's about ALL the second movie had to do with the first. Even Falcor's eyeballs in the second movie were the wrong color - a weird blood red color. None of the original voice over actors or cast returned and barely any of the same crew returned for part II. As a child, I was really excited for the sequel and remember that I went to see it opening weekend at the theater with friends. As an adult, I went back to re-watch part II and now recall why I forgot so much - it sucked so bad that I purposefully removed it from my brain bank. The script to part II, a film's blueprint, was an epic fail from the first page to the last. No special effects or superb acting could save this thing. I gave it two stars instead of one because, for a brief moment in the closing credits, the production included a short clip of the original Neverending Story theme song.

I have to admit I was actually looking forward to seeing this film, especially since I had seen the first Neverending Story when I was a little kid. It was undoubtedly one of my favorites; it was filled with fantastic characters and a storyline that didn't talk down to me.

Then I saw this movie.

I have never been a big fan of sequels in the first place, especially if the first story didn't have an ending. This sequel was one of the worst I have seen by far. It is overly simplistic, and I felt no sympathy at all for this new and older Bastian, who seemed dumber than rocks before the evil witch/queen/woman-with-weird-eyes started stealing his memory away. It wasn't even the same Bastian. Come to think of it, not one of the characters was played by the same actor. I get the feeling that they, even if they were out of work, wanted absolutely nothing to do with this hack-job of a film.

From what I heard, this movie was actually an adaptation of the second half of the book the original film was based on. Wow, imagine who meta it would be if I read the original book? Anyway, this sequel features Bastian going back to Fantasia and defeating an enemy known as the Emptiness. I found this movie mostly boring and the original is so much better. I think it's because Bastian was kind of a jerk in this one. It's said that he literally killed Atreyu! I mean, I get it that he was losing his memories, but wow was that mean! The best thing is probably how good the effects are.

The sets are quite nice looking and the character designs are quite creative. It was weird how there were scenes where he was losing his memories which were represented by balls coming out of a machine. That was later used in "Inside Out"! Forget "Osmosis Jones". THIS is the movie that it stole from! Most of the actors from the original film are gone and they can't represent the story nearly as well. Still, I do like the idea of sequels for something called "The Neverending Story". *1/2

This is certainly a flawed movie that definitely has some cheesy acting and dialog, but despite these flaws it is still enjoyable. It is not as good as it's predecessor but I think it deserves a positive rating. The NeverEnding Story 2 still has the imagination of the original and some wonderful visuals that make up for it's lack of good writing or acting. I know that that may sound like an odd thing to say because writing and acting are important parts in a movie, but sometimes those things can be made up for with cinematography and set design. Movies are a visual medium and if a movie has strong enough visuals then everything else seems unimportant. This is a movie with fantastical, dream like visuals that give it an other worldly atmosphere which I think, in a strange way, is aided by the weird dialog. Everything in this movie is weird and so the dialog and acting fit and make it seem even more like a dream. I particularly like the way clouds and foaming waterfalls look in this movie. They're kind of an off color that I guess makes them look mysterious, I don't know what else to call it. If you enjoy being transported to other worlds that are so offbeat they are like nothing you've ever imagined then you'll like this movie. If you prefer going to a fantasy world that's more conventional then this may be a weird experience for you. This not the Wizard Of Oz. This is Fantasia and it looks so beautiful that nothing else matters.

I can't believe people like this movie, but that is okay. They have a right to like what they want. For me though I watched this movie with the realization that this sequel looks a lot worse than the original. The story is basically the same except this time the kid gets sucked into the fantasyland and his father is reading the book. Now something called `the empty' is affecting everything. Now, I don't know, but what rule said they had to have another one word nemesis to combat. Well that is not fair this time there is an evil queen too. This does not help the story, nor does the fact that a children's movie sequel should not come six years or so after the first, because you are unable to use any of the original cast. That and the fact after six years most kids who had seen the first have probably forgotten about the movie. All in this entire movie, to me, is just inferior in every way to the original.

This movie is one of my favorites, right after its original. An excellent story of the fantasy world with intriguing characters and story elements. As much as I liked it, I must say that it is not as good as the original. There were also some minor changes that I didn't like too much (Falkore's eyes were RED instead of brown) but they didn't interfere with the plot at all. I also wish that the original actor for Atreyu could have reprised his role. Otherwise, I loved it!

I first saw the original 1984 film in movie theaters during its year of release and witnessed a triumphant film that has continued to impact audiences today.

The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990) is a downgrade from its predecessor. It lacks the magic and excitement that made us fall in love with Fantasia and root for its good characters battling to stop The Nothing.

Sure, there are many cheesy scenes and dialogue, as well as the acting of Jonathan Brandis, although he is a suitable replacement for the role of Bastian. Clarissa Burt, John Wesley Shipp, and Martin Umbach shine in their acting abilities.

However, this sequel has qualities that give it a heart of its own filled with important messages. "We are all part of a NeverEnding Story...even after we die"...this is the most important life lesson Bastian learns as he heals the strained relationship with his father, makes peace with the death of his mother, reflects on the poor choices he has made, and attempts to face his fear of diving. This is essential to facing "The Emptiness" that not only plagues Fantasia but also plagues him as well. We are all responsible for doing our part in ensuring a better world, and by doing so, we love and we heal "both our worlds".

"Courage comes from the heart, not from symbols"...as Bastian faces the Fantasia monsters and Xayide, he risks his last wish, knowing he may never go home, and risking all of his memories. As the emptiness is filled with love and Fantasia restored, he is able to go home by facing his biggest fear of diving and healing his strained relationship with his father.

The ending of this film is the best and the most beautiful part. It summarizes the message of the entire film.

On a side note, I dare say that the Joe Milner song, "Dreams We Dream" is an upgrade from the Limahl theme song from the original song. It makes you feel good every time you hear it.

Well wasn't this just a waste of time. Never ending Story no.2 offers nothing new to us at all. The Original already did that and it certainly didn't need this waste of time.

After the first 20 minutes or so of this film, I felt the fantasy was taken out of this film and that really disappointed me as it was classified to be a Fantasy film. In terms of magical elements, it doesn't have them.

All the actors have change and that's OK because they did a pretty good job, but.... it's the story and all the concepts that I hated. I'll go through the one that really irritated me and for some reason this became a huge distraction of the film.

Bastian now gets to wish for anything he wants cause he's got the oracle. But the kid's character is a total idiot, why doesn't he wish for the entire world of fantasia to just go back to normal.... Instead he does a bunch of other things in which that results in him loosing his memories. The whole wishing concept is just over the top along with other things that they would of worked on. I really tried to like this... 4.7/10