The NeverEnding Story 1984 123movies

Watch: Die unendliche Geschichte 1984 123movies, Full Movie Online – Bastian is a young boy who lives a dreary life being tormented by school bullies. On one such occasion he escapes into a book shop where the old proprieter reveals an ancient story-book to him, which he is warned can be dangerous. Shortly after, he “borrows” the book and begins to read it in the school attic where he is drawn into the mythical land of Fantasia, which desperately needs a hero to save it from destruction..
Plot: While hiding from bullies in his school’s attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a young warrior who, with the help of a luck dragon named Falkor, must save Fantasia from the destruction of The Nothing.
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Ratings:

	7.3/10 Votes: 145,958
	83% | RottenTomatoes
	46/100 | MetaCritic
	N/A Votes: 3449 Popularity: 34.675 | TMDB

Reviews:

A classic with flaws
This film was a favorite of mine as a kid, but even back then I recognized that the book by Michael Ende was superior. Overall, it’s a wonderful children’s film marred by an inconsistent tone and an unsatisfying ending.

No fantasy film I’ve seen has tapped more successfully into the kinds of philosophical thoughts that kids have. Think of Rockbiter’s speech describing the Nothing: “A hole would be something. Nah, this was nothing. And it got bigger, and bigger, and bigger….” This is the type of film that greatly appeals to introspective kids who think about things like infinity and the end of the universe. Do children really think about such things? I did. People who find that surprising have forgotten how profound children can sometimes be.

The whole of Fantasia, indeed, seems to be built out of children’s dreams and fears. Some of it is about exhilaration, as when Atreyu rides Falkor. Others reflect anxiety, as in Atreyu’s trek through the Swamps of Sadness. What appealed to me most as a kid was how an imaginative but passive child, sort of a young Walter Mitty, opens up a book in which an older, braver version of himself goes on adventures. But “Neverending Story” isn’t so much escapism as it is about escapism. It’s essentially a fable about the destruction of a child’s fantasy world as he grows older and adapts to the modern world.

The special effects are good for their day. Although they look phony at a few points, the film’s distinct visual look, from the shimmering Ivory Tower to the assortment of weird creatures, holds up well today. What makes the film work especially well is that the two child stars–Barret Oliver and Noah Hathaway–prove themselves capable actors. I use the word “capable” because almost everyone in the film overacts in an annoying way, which I blame primarily on the director. But there’s a wonderful cameo by Gerald McRaney as Bastian’s father. He has the perfect tone for the scene, appearing loving but distant, unable to fathom Bastian’s mind. I wish the film had followed through by returning to their relationship at the end and exploring how Bastian changes as a result of his experiences in Fantasia.

The reason the ending doesn’t work is obvious to anyone who’s read the book. Simply put, the movie shows only the first half of the book! While this isn’t the movie’s fault entirely–there was no way the entire story could have fit into one movie–this could have been handled better. “The Wizard of Oz” faced the same problem yet managed not only to become one of the greatest fantasy movies of all time but to surpass its source material in some ways. “The Neverending Story” doesn’t accomplish that feat. The story feels unresolved at the end while at the same time failing to clearly set up for a sequel. It attempts to wrap everything up with a sequence in which Bastian takes revenge on his old bullies. I enjoyed this scene when I was a kid, but in retrospect it creates a clash between the real world and the fantasy world. Bastian never grows as a character, he never learns to put his feet on the ground, something the early scenes suggest will happen.

There’s one other problem, and that’s that Wolfgang Petersen never really figured out the proper tone for a children’s movie. He must not have had a clear idea what age he was shooting for. Some of the scenes are quite scary and violent, making this film inappropriate for younger children. Yet the muppet-like characters are presented in an annoyingly condescending way that I doubt older kids (not to mention teens and adults) would appreciate. For example, the first scene in Fantasia plays like a revival of Sesame Street, with Rockbiter filling the Cookie Monster role. By the time I was old enough to appreciate the deeper aspects of the story, I cringed at the film’s cutesy moments. Petersen didn’t have to direct the film this way. Had he shot for a wider age group, the result would have been fresher and more authentic for everyone.

If you lose your imagination, ‘nothing’ is left
This might be one of the very few… if only, ‘Children’s movies for adults’ and it is very underrated. Sure, this movie is a story that is compelling to children (I know it was to me). It is still one of the best fantasy movies out there. But it is an even more significant movie for adults, if you want to see what is underneath.

There is a very serious undertone to this movie. Bastian is a boy who recently lost his mother, and his father is coping… in his own way. “Stay the course, be stong, don’t get distracted by daydreaming” he implies. Very harmful words to say to a boy, who uses his imagination to dream of better days. In fact, this is all he has.

Thankfully, there was the man in the bookstore. Yes. Thankfully. I thought he was just a grumpy old man too when I was young. But he isn’t, quite the opposite. He warns Bastian about the book being ‘not for children’. An understatement, but the book does not harm children… When he gazes out the window to see Bastian running off with the book, he smurks. He wasn’t thinking ‘You’re gonna pay’… He was smiling because he knew, that after reading the book, Bastian will never take his imagination for granted again. And he will forever flourish as a creative and happy man.

There are a lot of metaphores in this story… some are obvious and clear, some are mysterious and cloudy. Maybe it doesn’t even matter 🙂 But from the dark and scary attic where Bastian reads the book, to the ‘racing snail’, to the giant Tortoise Morla… these are important representations of other phenomena. To me, it is no coincidence that the ‘indifferent’ Moira lives in the ‘Swamp of Sadness’. Moira is the result of it.

The big question that followed me in the back of my mind, all the way to adulthood was: what is ‘The Nothing’? Even Phantasians struggle with it, and it’s beyond both Bastian’s and Atreyu’s grasp. It is oderless, invisible, inaudible, untouchable and colourless. Yet.. it is none of these things… because this means that ‘The Nothing’ would at least be ‘something’. Even the movie itself is struggling with the concept visually. All we know is that ‘The Nothing’ is all-consuming. And it is killing Phantasia, and its nameless Child-Empress. In the end, Sebastian realises that he is not only part of the story, he IS the story. A neverending one, if you could only imagine. Sebastian riding on Falkor’s back to chase his bullies, is a tribute to the power of imagination. Every child has it, but not every adult does. Sometimes adults lose their imagination.

I would advise all adults to watch this film again. This time, watch it as an adult movie with an child’s state of mind. YOU are part of a Neverending story of imagination… are you still in touch with it? If you’ve totally forgotten about this ability… to imagine, dream and create, then you have ‘Nothing’ (i.e. lack of imagination) left.

Other Information:

Original Language en
Runtime 1 hr 42 min (102 min), 1 hr 34 min (94 min) (international)
Budget 27000000
Revenue 20158808
Status Released
Rated PG
Genre Adventure, Drama, Family
Director Wolfgang Petersen
Writer Wolfgang Petersen, Herman Weigel, Michael Ende
Actors Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach
Country West Germany, United States
Awards 5 wins & 7 nominations
Production Company N/A
Website N/A

Technical Information:

Sound Mix Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints), 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)
Aspect Ratio 2.35 : 1
Camera Arriflex 35 BL3, Technovision Lenses, Arriflex 35-III, Technovision Lenses, VistaVision Cameras, Nikkor Lenses
Laboratory Bavaria Kopierwerk GmbH, München, West Germany, Technicolor, Hollywood (CA), USA (prints)
Film Length (6 reels), 2,571 m (Sweden)
Negative Format 35 mm (also horizontal) (Eastman 125T 5247, 250T 5293)
Cinematographic Process Digital Intermediate (4K) (2021 remaster), Technovision (anamorphic), VistaVision (visual effects)
Printed Film Format 70 mm (blow-up), 35 mm (Eastman 5384)