Why "The Neverending Story" film is Great

It's been almost 30 years since the Wolfgang Petersen movie, "The Neverending Story" came out. The film is almost exactly as old as I am. Oh, and they (the movie studio) will release a 30 year anniversary Blu-Ray on October 7th!!! Yes, it has been remastered and includes recent commentary from the director.

Nostalgia has always been a reason to like movies like "The Neverending Story" but the thing that is different this time around -- upon recent viewing, it is STILL good. Amongst a decade of classic movies -- "Ghostbusters", "Gremlins", "48 Hours", "ET", "Amadeus"(if haven't seen, stop everything and watch now), "Die Hard", "Top Gun", and "Princess Bride", "The Neverending Story" stood out in the genre of Sci-Fi/Fantasy.

You see, the audience became the protagonist in the movie. As the reader of a special book, we react when Bastian(our protagonist) reacts. We are, essentially, more invested than usual. Of course, there are fantastical characters -- (see: flying dog, a rock biter, a guy wearing a top-hat whilst riding a speeding snail) and a totally 1980s soundtrack but the story's fate rests with us as we want Fantasia to survive.

Perhaps the most important message about the film is that the power of a book can change your world. It can bring you outside of yourself, it can help you see something within yourself, and it can help you dream. This is what occurred with Bastian and how bullies were after him daily, how he viewed education and how he felt distant from his family. This is not just a kids movie. This film stays with you but not for the reasons you'd come to expect, at least not from the surface. Grade: A+

Seems like I've been giving very positive reviews lately. Well, I'm sure that will change once I see some upcoming movie releases.

Until next time...

~Nitro