Charming and brutal

An Exercise In Nonsense

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Let's start with the second part of that summary first. Considering that 95% of the cast and crew have been replaced, it's hard to look at this as a proper sequel. In some cases, the new actors and actresses are better, but in most cases the acting is inferior to the original. The actor who played Carl Conrad Coreander is back, yet for some reason they spell his name with a K in this one so when Bastian first looks into the book shop, you think it's a Korean restaurant or something until the camera pans over the 'der'. The father seems to play a larger role in this second part, but somehow he has become much younger. Waiting 6 years to do a sequel is usually a mistake especially if the storyline is only supposed to take place a short while after the original. All of your child actors have aged drastically in that time, so they simply couldn't use them which makes the whole film feel like a disjointed story not truly connected to the original. Now for the good parts. Jonathan Brandis was always a very talented actor and always brought a lot of emotion to his roles. Because he's in the realm of Fantasia for almost the whole movie, it does feel a bit more action oriented than the first film. Also, contrary to what many say, the special effects are really well done. Of course it's difficult for anyone to top the creations and sets of the original film, but that doesn't mean this film looks bad. The giants that Xayide controls look especially terrific and quite creepy at times and while some of the sets do feel like 1980's Flash Gordon, they do look appropriate for this fantasy world. Granted the special effects are more like you'd find in a lower budget Cannon film instead of an overblown Warner Brothers flick, but I really enjoy effects like that. If you're a fan of the book, this is also a decent representation of the second part of Ende's novel. While EVERY SINGLE aspect is not perfect, I want a filmmaker to take a little liberty with the property the movie is based on or otherwise why should I see a film that is a word for word, plot for plot copy? Overall, if the original Neverending Story is your favorite film ever, you probably won't like this one. However if you're like most of us who simply are fans of fantasy cinema, then I think you'll really enjoy this one even if it sux as a sequel.

Well, to tell the truth, I did like this sequel when I first saw it. I must have been five or six years old (din't remember it in the movies).When I see it today, there are an assortment of flaws and awkward moments that make it inferior by far with both Ende's novel and it's film predecessor, and overall, inferior to several fantasy movies before it.Some aspects of the novel, including characters like Xayide and events like Bastian's loss of memories are included, but completely altered for the newly conceived story.Bastian's father, only mentioned in the novel, has a bigger part in this movie, giving it a "Spielberg-esque" moralist tone. It's not entirely bad, but it's just not what the original story was about.Half of the movie is Ende's stuff. The rest is made up plots and cheap kiddy fantasy. Don't feel obligated to rent it, but if you do, don't read the novel nor watch Part I first. You may feel disappointed. You also may need to think like a kid to find it amusing.

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 first installment of this trilogy had a beginning, a middle, and a satisfying ending, making this sequel as unnecessary as many other critics have claimed. THIS sequel, however, does mandate the NEXT sequel, in that it left a bit to be explained.This is really a convoluted, contrived, uneven mess; bearing none of the original talent, thereby losing all of the Magick of the original. These actors are capable, but failed to illicit the same feeling of wonder, creativity, and awe.All in all, this is an exercise in utter futility, and was completely unnecessary. But if you watch this one, you need to see the last, in order to clear up the many holes left by this installment.It rates a 4.5/10 from...the Fiend :.