Back to ‘kids’ movies we go, with a vintage movie from 1984.
It’s actually very easy to see why this is considered a ‘cult classic’. Personally, I managed to completely miss the entire notion of it because I had no idea it even existed for about 20 years. Why? Probably because my parents don’t really watch movies… ever. I mean it. I’ve somehow avoided children’s/animated movies all my life because I only had a select few on VHS as a kid. So why not use the quarantine to catch up a little?!
As I’ve said before, what’s really pivotal to whether or not I enjoy a movie depends on how annoying the child actors are. Spoiler: they weren’t annoying! Wahoo! The children kind of become background noise anyway, considering the amount of insane, poorly costumed monsters that come into play. It’s literally filled with the creepiest bunch of adults-in-costumes characters I’ve ever seen. By the way, the dire effects are not a bad thing: in 1984, this type of thing was the shit. (Although I’m sure so many kids will have had nightmares about some aspects of it). So don’t go into this expecting Marvel levels of visuals, keep the release date in the back of your mind, and you’ll be sure to enjoy The NeverEnding Story.
Don’t make the mistake of trying to force your kids into this one however. When they’re use to Pixar, it’ll probably look ridiculous to them and go straight over their heads. This one is more than likely best kept for your nostalgic feelings, but if you can get your kid to enjoy this one organically, then more power to you!
The story itself isn’t actually NeverEnding, either. Why is it called that?… Anyway, what I’m saying is, the plot is good enough that the movie flies by. I don’t recall it getting boring at any point, which is always a positive.
And the pay off at the end? I’ll just say this: no one likes a bully.
The NeverEnding Story is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
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