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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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The
NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter
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Reviewed
by: |
Clare
Warmke |
| Genre: |
Family |
| Video: |
Widescreenv
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| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
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| Language: |
English,
French, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Subtitle: |
English,
French, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Length: |
89 min. |
| Rating: |
PG |
| Release
Date: |
9-2-01 |
| Studio: |
Warner
Brothers |
| Commentary:
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None |
| Documentaries:
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None |
| Featurettes:
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None |
| Filmography/Biography:
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Cast and Crew listing |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
One theatrical trailer |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
"Bastian's
Challenge" game |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Jonathan
Brandis, Kenny Morrison, Clarissa Burt, John Wesley Shipp, Martin
Umbach |
| Screenplay
by: |
Karin Howard |
| Produced
by: |
Tim Hampton, Dieter Geissler
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| Directed
By: |
George Miller |
| Music: |
Robert Folk |
| The
Review: |
Even Falcor's serene, droopy face
isn't enough to save this sequel. In the first NeverEnding
Story film, children could feel the wind against their faces
and the silky fur between their fingers when Falcor, the wise
and slow-speaking dog-dragon took flight with the human boy,
Bastian, on his back. Unfortunately, the sequel depends entirely
on the momentum of the first film to build intrigue-and it's
just not enough to bring the magical world of Fantasia truly
to life.
In this version, blond, blue-eyed
Bastian (Jonathan Brandis) again reads the pages of the mysterious
NeverEnding Story from old man Koreander's shop and is pulled
into the ever-changing landscape of Fantasia. This time, Bastian
is on a quest to save Fantasia from Xayide (Clarissa Burt),
a spiky sorceress with a penchant for widening her overly
shadowed eyes (that seems to be the only way the actress can
express "evil"). On his quest, Bastian meets with an assemblage
of magical creatures, including Falcor, the Rock Biter and
Biter's baby, and his faithful friend Atreyu (whom he accidentally
kills at one point, but then wishes him back alive … hmm).
Only when Bastian mistakenly falls into the Ship of Secret
Plots does the film briefly tap into the magic of the first
film-diverse and unexpected characters guide Bastian on the
next steps of his journey.
The characters are weak and obvious
…. Bastian isn't immediately likable …. The wispy and incessant
voice of the Child-Like Empress is not compelling …. The fact
that Atreyu, a "boy warrior" modeled after Native American
cultures, is considered a "magical creature" is offensive
to a mature audience …. Nimbly the bird needs to be plucked
…. In short, Falcor is, as always, the best part of the NeverEnding
Story. A child would have to be very young to find this plotline
engaging, because children's imaginations are simply more
imaginative than this film.
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| Image
and Sound |
Abysmal.
This is an inexpensive DVD, and it shows. Images are not crisp,
colors are dulled. Typography appearing in the menu screens
and opening credits is slightly distorted and fuzzy. Screened-in
backgrounds are obviously screened in; skin tones are often
greenish. The elaborate settings in this film, including various
landscapes of Fantasia, have the potential to pop with color
and dazzle the eye, but they fizzle under low-budget effects.
The music and sound never soars with Falcor's flight, never
truly taps into the potential energy of this film. When the
ending credits roll, the catchy tune sung by Joe Milner "The
NeverEnding Story" also rolls. (And the chorus of that song-NeverEnding
Stoooreeee, ah ah ah aah aah aah aaah aaah aaah-will likely
keep rolling in your head until you replace it with the only
other song more unshakeable: Disney's "It's a Small World After
All.") |
| The
Extras |
Don't
get too excited by the promise on the DVD cover of a special
feature called "Bastian's Challenge." It's not an interactive
quest or challenging game. It tries to incite excitement with
its urgent wording: "HELP! Xayide is trying to destroy Fantasia!"
But it's only a disappointing series of words to unscramble.
In the age of PlayStation, kids will need a little more than
a simplistic word puzzle to earn cool points. Other than the
game, the disc is fairly dry: a Cast & Crew section is little
more than souped-up credit list, the theatrical trailer is a
standard minute-and-22-second plot summary, and … um … that's
it. |
| Commentary |
None.
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| Final
Words: |
The only reason to buy this disc
would be if you have a four-to-seven-year-old who worships
this movie and you need an electronic babysitter to remove
the burden of your children from your life. It certainly won't
harm them-the content is harmless and wholesome, but I sincerely
hope children will use this movie solely as a jumping-off
point for their own imaginations. If your kid does want this
DVD, I suggest getting involved with their viewing of it-maybe
draw your own versions of Fantasia after you watch it, or
write your own "never-ending" stories together. Let them get
more out of it than the screenwriter offers.
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