So after a sweet-ass intro song, the story begins with our protagonist Bastian, who has just awoken after a dream. Bastian's mother unfortunately has passed, and he wishes to speak to his dad about the dream and his mom. His dad on the other hand I guess doesn't give a crap, drinking his raw eggs and telling his son basically "Fuck off about your mom, pay more attention in school." His dad and teachers are both upset with him, and I can't seem to think it's for any more than him grieving his dead mother, which only makes me feel really sorry for him. So after good ol' dad tells him to "Give up your dreams and face your real problems", y'know, sound advice for an eight year old, Bastian is sent off to school.
On his way, Bastian encounters his bullies who try to get his lunch money, and after a small chase, they push him in a dumpster. Y'know...Bastian's gotta be an incredibly depressed child and if they're trying to make the viewer feel incredible amounts of sympathy for him, it's working. Apparently though, Bastian got out of the dumpster too early and is chased again, Bastian hiding in a library. Creepy Librarian Man tells him to GTFO but Bastian stays, telling him his love for books. After being tempted at an "unsafe" book, Bastian takes it to school with him.
Bastian is late for school though and doesn't want to be caught I guess, so he goes to the most reasonable place possible...an old, dusty room with an old, dusty cot to rest on. He starts reading the book, titled "The Neverending Story".
The story-within-a-story begins with some fantasy people camping out. They're then nearly killed by probably one of the most famous things from this movie, the Rock Biter. Rock Biter tells the campers of a wave of "nothing" that took over his home, one of the campers (who I think has a pretty neat voice) recalling the same thing. After Rock Biter eats some "delicious gourmet rock" (hurting innocent animals in the process, shame on him), he and the fantasy peoplez try to seek help from the Empress of Fantasia in the Ivory Tower. When they get there they see many others have also looked for her help in this time of crisis, but she's just a little bit ill (y'know, the deathly kind) and can't speak to them at the moment. The people then learn the Empress has sent out for Atreyu, a mighty warrior...who turns out to be, like, twelve to stop the evil Nothing that has been devastating Fantasia. After some laughs at his expense, Atreyu accepts the mission and is told to not have any company along the way and also must give up his weapons. He does get one thing though, and that would be the AURYN (that's how it's typed up on Wikipedia, I personally think it's silly in all caps but whatever). So Atreyu and his trusty steed Artax (no company, huh?) set out FOR ADVENTAH! Shortly after though, The Nothing sends out a nasty-looking creature to find and kill Atreyu.
Atreyu and Artax have no luck looking throughout Fantasia, and set out to find the wisest being in the land. He just happens to live in the Swamps of Sadness, where if you get too sad, you fucking sink and die. Unfortunately the very same thing happens to Artax (which I thought was going to be a bit later in the film, to be honest), as Atreyu cannot save him from his despair. What a horse (who has all his needs met) feels sad about is a bit beyond me, but whatever. Bastian at this point takes a little bit of a break to cry it out.
When he gets back to the story, Atreyu, now on his own, finds Weird Mountain Turtle Guy, who is the one he's looking for. Too bad for him, as turtle dude here doesn't really give a crap about the fate of the world and also can't help him. Atreyu is directed to go to the Southern Oracle, which is only the incredibly short distance of 10,000 miles away. Bastian hears the school bell, but decides not to leave, a decision that must have his jackass father frantically searching for and worrying about him.
Atreyu tries to journey along but is tired out. Before he can be hunted by that monster from earlier (or possibly drowned, whichever comes first), he's saved. Atreyu wakes up 9,891 (an oddly specific number) miles away in the arms of Falkor, the mystical dragon...dog...thingamajig, and tries to sneak away before Falkor wakes up and tells him how far they've traveled. Atreyu is healed by some married gnomes, the husband of which telling him how exactly to get to the Southern Oracle. There's a gate that guards the oracle (in the form of awkward bare-breasted women sphinx, for some reason) and it blasts a guy who tries to make it through. The key to getting through the gate (get it? :D) is to be pure of heart and to show no doubt. Atreyu is confident at first, but when he begins to doubt himself, the gate charges up it's sooperty-dooperty laser attack, and Atreyu runs through just in time.
Atreyu, on his quest, runs into some sorta mirror-gate-thingy, and sees Bastian on the other side. Bastian, in the real world, is creeped out by this and throws the book across the room. He reconsiders though and continues reading. Atreyu goes through the mirror gate and reaches the Southern Oracle and oh my God. It's the naked freaking ladies again. Oh but they're BLUUUUUUE this time. Really though, for a kids' film it's incredibly awkward and by a production standpoint it's very, very lazy to use the same props/structures/whatever again. ...Anyway, Atreyu finds out through the Oracle that the way to stop the Nothing is to, get this, have a human child rename the Empress. See, her old name Bitchface both doesn't command a lot of respect and is just bad for PR. So that's why she's gotta get something else. Atreyu then hops aboard Airline Falkor and heads off to find the boundaries of Fantasia...
...Only to get whacked by the Nothing, falling into the Sea of Possibilities *que "Endless Possibilities" joke*. Atreyu has lost both Falkor and the AURYN, and while frantically calling out for Falkor, meets up with the Rock Biter from earlier. Rock Biter then tells Atreyu he wasn't able to help his two camper friends, them both getting sucked in by the Nothing. Rock Biter has become just like Artax and just sorta gives up on his life, waiting for the Nothing to get to him. Atreyu then goes in a cave and sees some neat little wall drawings, describing his adventure. The last painting though depicts the evil monster that's been hunting him, who just so happens to be waiting for him in the cave. Here's Gmork, who, besides having an incredibly silly name, is like an evil Falkor I guess. Gmork is looking to kill Atreyu and charges for him, but Atreyu, having grabbed a convenient butcher knife-looking rock stabs him in the chest. Falkor finds the AURYN and Atreyu, and just as the planet explodes or something, they get outta there.
While floating in space and staying alive somehow (using what I'm gonna call the "Jimmy Neutron Rule"), the two use the AURYN to find the Ivory Tower, which is still standing. Atreyu runs to the Empress, apparently cured I think maybe, and tells her he failed since he couldn't find a human child. The Empress however tells him that he has found one, who has been following him all throughout his journey. Atreyu asks where this child is, never once seeing him. Bastian then finds out it was him all along, and he's in quite a bit of disbelief. The Empress also reveals Bastian had her new name in mind, and begs him to shout it. After some doubt, Bastian calls out "AAAAA-GAAAAAA-BLAAAAAAAAH!!!" (translation: "Moonchild") in the thunder.
Bastian and the Empress meet face-to-face and it's revealed the Nothing took all of Fantasia aside from a grain of sand. She then tells him that his imagination and wishes can bring Fantasia back, and Bastian uses his mind power to do just that. He then wishes for a ride on Falkor, whom he uses to terrorize his bullies from earlier, no doubt causing a panic throughout the town. Bastian and Falkor laugh as the movie ends.
As I stated earlier, a lot think that this is one of the definitive children's films. It has imagination, great effects (which still stand the test of time), and wonderful acting. If you ask me though, I don't really think so. I still think that this is a great movie, but one of the best might be stretching it...just a bit. I think had I seen this as a kid I'd probably have thought that this was a much better film. I still love it though, and am glad to have finally sat down and watched it. ...One more thing though. Is it weird that I was in a Sonic-style reproduction of this (viewable here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83kM90xoseU ) and I have no idea where the basis of my characters were in this story? Strange...
SCORE:
7/10.
And because I liked this so much, ...here's a special treat.
