Michael Ende, the author of The Neverending Story, wasn’t happy with the film adaptation. The film was only adapts half the book, and in his view was made for commercial rather than artistic reasons. He called it ‘a humongous melodrama of kitsch, commerce, plush and plastic’, and even went to the extent of removing his name from the production. Although I’m a fan of the film, it’s not hard to see why. The book carries with it a sobering message of not losing yourself in fantasy, which the film not only ignores but puts across the exact opposite message instead. It’s a shame, because there’s a lot of ideas in the latter half that would be interesting to see in a film.
The story follows Bastian, a young boy who discovers a strange book that tells of a magical land called Fantastica (the film changed this to Fantasia). Fantastica is threatened by a mysterious force called the Nothing, and a warrior named Atreyu must go on a quest to stop it. As Bastian reads the book, playing truant in the attic of his school, he comes to realise that the book is actually real, and he has a vital part to play in saving Fantastica.
Ende’s novel has a timeless quality that no doubt is one of the reasons it’s now seen as a classic. It recalls the best of children’s fantasy, like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Phantom Tollbooth, and A Wizard of Earthsea. The genius of the idea is that the portal to a world of magic and adventure is a book. This enables Ende to provide a meta-commentary on fantasy as a whole, and show why we love being transported to imaginary worlds, as well as what happens when we go too far.
The first half is by and large the same as the film, although obviously in a novel there’s room for more detail and no budget constraints. This was a pleasure to read, and I loved joining Bastian and Atreyu on their journey. Ende has a brilliant imagination, and populates the world of Fantastica with many memorable characters.
The second half is unfortunately not quite as good. The main reason for this is that there’s no clear destination for the plot, unlike the first half, where Atreyu was pursuing a specific goal. This makes it feel somewhat disconnected and meandering. The scenes by and large work by themselves, but lacking a coherent through-line, it struggles to maintain the momentum it previously had. That said, it was still highly imaginative, and how Bastian’s character develops is done well and suits the book’s themes.
Overall I’d say that The Neverending Story is definitely worth reading, whether you’ve seen the film or not. It has something to say about the need for imagination and its limitations, while being a great story that readers of all ages can enjoy. As I said before, it would be interesting to see a film that includes the second half of the book, done in a way that Ende might have been happy with. Either way, though, The Neverending Story deserves its classic status, and is a testament to its author’s abilities.
Review by Charlie Alcock
Ende’s novel has a timeless quality that no doubt is one of the reasons it’s now seen as a classic. It recalls the best of children’s fantasy, like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Phantom Tollbooth, and A Wizard of Earthsea. The genius of the idea is that the portal to a world of magic and adventure is a book. This enables Ende to provide a meta-commentary on fantasy as a whole, and show why we love being transported to imaginary worlds, as well as what happens when we go too far.
The first half is by and large the same as the film, although obviously in a novel there’s room for more detail and no budget constraints. This was a pleasure to read, and I loved joining Bastian and Atreyu on their journey. Ende has a brilliant imagination, and populates the world of Fantastica with many memorable characters.
The second half is unfortunately not quite as good. The main reason for this is that there’s no clear destination for the plot, unlike the first half, where Atreyu was pursuing a specific goal. This makes it feel somewhat disconnected and meandering. The scenes by and large work by themselves, but lacking a coherent through-line, it struggles to maintain the momentum it previously had. That said, it was still highly imaginative, and how Bastian’s character develops is done well and suits the book’s themes.
Overall I’d say that The Neverending Story is definitely worth reading, whether you’ve seen the film or not. It has something to say about the need for imagination and its limitations, while being a great story that readers of all ages can enjoy. As I said before, it would be interesting to see a film that includes the second half of the book, done in a way that Ende might have been happy with. Either way, though, The Neverending Story deserves its classic status, and is a testament to its author’s abilities.
Review by Charlie Alcock
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