Excellent but underrated film

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I have been a fan of Michael Ende since childhood and, although this interpretation of the Neverending Story strays from the plot of the book, I still found it delightful to watch. It is beautifully shot with colourful costumes and cinematography. The cast, although young, give wonderfully natural and committed performances. There are some additional characters who add humour and romantic tension where it may have been lacking in Ende's original story. There is more of an exploration of the character of Bastian and his place in the real world, which provides a contrast with the characters in Fantastica. I believe the changes in plot are in keeping with the spirit of the world Ende created. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good fairy tale, regardless of age.

It is important when watching this series that it is not meant to be a remake of the book. And I will point out that the makers of this show definitely read the book. I was reading through the book and caught mention of a character named Quana (I cannot remember the context) and thought, "flygirl." The one annoying thing is that there seem to be plot jumps. How did Fallin become employed at Coreander's? I prefer the Bastian of the show over the movies, because now he gets to be a boy. I also think the addition of a love interest was a good idea despite its inaccuracy to the book, because that wasn't the goal of the show. Overall, I liked the show although I wouldn't recommend paying money for it. If you can get it for free though, go ahead and watch it.

This is a really great twist on the story. My family and I (3 girls, 4 boys and myself) find it a nice overlapping of values and virtues for families. The characters are well rounded and interesting. Atreyu and Bastian are really good "copies" of each other in their own worlds. It is nice to see the tie-ins from world to world and the storyline stays very straight- there's no confusion as to what is going on.The child-like empress was a very good choice for this story. Her sister, Xayide, is all that the child-like empress is not: hateful, greedy, vain, evil, etc. This is a great adventure!

I got this movie on DVD as a present on December 5, and had a chance to watch it today. I'ts in one word: YEACH! All the charm of Michael Ende's beautiful book, and of the original movie is completely lost. This movie is never exciting, the acting is very very poor, and the effects are of the quality of your own home-video's. Bastian Bux is not the shy introvert boy he is supposed to be, and Atreyu is some sort of malformed Indian from a bad western movie from the seventies. And do not get me started on the dragon..Michael Ende's story is hardly recognized, only the characters have a slight resemblance with the book.Its a pure waste of money and time. If you love Michael Ende's "Die Unendliche Geschichte": do not watch this movie, and especially: don't buy it. You can get my copy for free.