Bastian, Atreyu and Falkor return 6 years later in a rare example of a film I hated as a kid that somehow holds up better than my memory of it. A lot of that is nostalgia for the era in which it was made, with all of its low-budget practical effects and faults on full display. It's not a perfect film, but I don't think it was ever striving to be. It's a cash grab for sure, but there is heart to be found in it. While it doesn't hold a candle to the original, it's dopey kid fun. It diverges from the novel quite a bit, in a treatment that owes more than a little to The Wizard of Oz, but it's still more faithful than the inevitable third entry.
2½ Auryn amulets out of 5
I gave this one the same score as you, for largely the same reasons you mentioned. :fistbump: (Or should that be :nutbump:?)
ReplyDeleteBut I scored the third one less. Maybe in isolation it would seem better, or I'd be more forgiving, but I know I watched all three in succession over three nights, so the comparative mindset was probably in effect.
I saw your labels and thought, 'I didn't know George Miller directed it!' I was wrong. Different Miller. Both from Australia, according to Wiki. *_*
Yeah! For the longest time, I thought it was the same George Miller. It's only when collecting data for this nut that I finally realized there's two of them. I think the only other significant thing he directed was The Man from Snowy River, and an adaptation of Robinson Crusoe starring Bond. Maybe I'll get around to it some day.
ReplyDeleteI could have easily seen myself giving the third movie a 1 or 1½, but it's mostly the music and songs that elevated it for me. That's one thing they got right throughout the whole series; some great tunes.
NES1: Limahl - Never Ending Story (Bonus: Klaus Doldinger - Bastian's Happy Flight)
NES2: Joe Milner - Dreams We Dream (with Giorgio Moroder)
NES3: Nemorin - Dream On
(I had originally wanted to include these within the body of text, but my nuts were already sagging)