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The Neverending Story (1984)
A great 'coming of age' adventure for boys
I remember loving this film as a boy, and decided to watch it again recently. I was still impressed with the beautiful visuals, great score, excellent creature effects and slightly dark tone. But what I had not appreciated as a kid is what a great 'coming of age' film this is for boys. Something we don't see a lot of these days.
The content would be considered heavy at times by today's standards, but this is what I grew up on and I think it would benefit young boys of today to see the morals and wisdom such as this film shares.
Through the character of Bastian and his alter-ego in Fantasia, Atreyu, boys explore various themes, such as coping with loss; for Bastian his mother and Atreyu his beloved horse Artax. They must also find courage in the face of seemingly impossible obstacles and both are asked to prove themselves to older men; Bastian to his stern father and Atreyu to Cairon.
As often with hero's journey's the central character will undergo a transformation by the end. Bastian is seen riding the Luck Dragon at the end, when we were told he was afraid of horses at the beginning and he returns to the real world to face the bullies he had been so scared of.
The scene with Atreyu losing his horse to the swamp is sometimes cited as one of the most powerful in the film and it certainly is, but the scene which gets me most, is in fact one with neither of the lead characters. It comes near the climax, with the stone giant Rock Biter as he sits in shock on the verge of tears as The Nothing closes in on him, struggling to cope with his failure to protect his little friends who had been sucked from his hands. He resigns himself to death, reflecting the way many men can become depressed, even suicidal over letting down those closest to them. He stares at his hands and repeats, "they look like good strong hands, don't they" and starts to cry. Incredibly powerful stuff.
The reason I say this is a good film for boys, and not as much for girls, is there are very few female characters. The main one being the Child-Like Empress, who only appears at the end of the film and is a classic damsel in distress, desperately pleading to a male to save her life and her 'empire' as she oddly refers to it.
She has of course been manipulating the course of events for the entire adventure and has knowledge of everything that has gone on. In fact all the female characters are portrayed as possessing great wisdom, from the feminine Southern Oracles, to the ancient Giant Turtle Morla down to the tiny Ergl with her many potions and medicines.
The female characters are also pretty difficult to reach; getting to each requires some great effort by the male leads.
Unfortunately all of these deeper thought-provoking layers as well as the character development of Bastian are lost in the 2nd and 3rd films, with the 3rd being the very worst of the three and the second being a more generic rehash of elements of the first.
The first NeverEnding Story shines however and clearly has more depth beneath the surface than the fun fantasy elements would indicate. Well worth a watch at any age.
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? (1999)
An adequate sequel, but packing less punch (pardon the pun!)
I remember seeing this film when it aired on TV in New Zealand. I was staying in a backpackers lodge and to my horror Jake the Muss drove his car down my street! I had to pinch myself, before I realised that I was in fact staying in one of the locations used in the film. For a moment I thought it was a security camera I was viewing outside! From what I remember the film doesn't carry the impact of Once Were Warriors, which people still mention here in London when I tell them I'm from New Zealand. None of them however have even heard of this sequel, which I think says it all. It wasn't a bad film, but definitely requires seeing the original for it to have any meaning.
(Some people have been confused by the film's title. It is in fact a lyric from a song which was very popular in New Zealand when I was a kid in the 80's. As the film picks up from the characters shattered lives in the first feature, it is quite appropriate. So just what become of the broken hearted? Watch the film and find out).