The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter
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Warner Home Video / 1989 / 89 Minutes / Rated PG
Street Date: September 11, 2001 
As filmed, The NeverEnding Story II is literally the second half of Robert Ende's novel, though somehow the author found this despicable sequel more worthy of his name than the very charming first film. Part II is bland and merely a retelling of the first movie. It even starts out with practically identical sequences. Despite the funny if forced "trying-out-for-the-swim-team" happening, it is almost scene for scene the same as opening of the first film. Everything that worked in Part I doesn't in Part II, the most obvious being the miscast replacements for the original lead characters. While this film was made five years later and the original child actors understandably couldn't reprise their roles, aren't there about a million child actors LESS annoying then these obnoxious tykes? As fro the story, it seems Fantasia is once again in trouble and only Bastian can save it. He steals the book from Mr. Koreander again and starts reading, and soon The Childlike Empress sends out a familiar R2-D2-less "you are my only hope" plea for help. He discovers that the world has changed - the evil sorceress, Xayide, has captured the Childlike Empress and has devilish designs on Fantasia. It is up to Bastian and Atreyu to save the day. While the NeverEnding Story retains a meaningfulness for many people, only the diehard fan would contemplate seeing this movie again. I would steer folks away from the NeverEnding Story Part II and III, as they simply detract from the excellent first film. You've been warned. Video: How Does The Disc Look? Once again it looks like the WB is cheapin' out on us with the transfer, which appears to be from the same master as the laserdisc. Again, isn't a bad thing, just not the improvement one usually expects from a new DVD remaster. This anamorphic letterboxed image is also a wee bit cropped tighter than the film's original 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio, appearing to be about 2.2:1. The print is quite clean despite its age, and largely free of blemishes and other artifacts. The film's vibrant colors are right on and fleshtones are natural, with no bleeding or smearing. Blacks are rich and the whites pure, and the amount of detail and shadow delineation above average. The laserdisc transfer was good, and so again is this DVD. A severely cropped pan & scan version is provided on the flipside of the disc. Audio: How Does the Disc Sound? The included Dolby 2.0 surround track also sounds the same as the laserdisc. This mix is a bit more aggressive than the first film, most noticeable in the rear channels which provide quite a bit of envelopment and nice and atmospheric reproductions of thunder or rain. They also come alive with the score, and overall dynamic range and fidelity is even better than Part I. Dialogue is very clear and well-balanced with the music and effects, and anchored firmly in the center channel. This is a very nice surround mix, especially for a twelve-year-old film. 2.0 surround dubs and subtitle tracks are also included in French, Spanish, and Portuguese, along with English subtitles and Closed Captions. Supplements: What Goodies Are There? The only thing that made this movie worth a Laserdisc purchase was the inclusion of a most groovy Bugs Bunny short, which, unfortunately has been removed from this DVD. Instead of Bugs, the WB decided on a very weak interactive game, Bastian's Challenge, which is a few pages of word scrambles on how Bastian saves Fantasia. If you can't figure them out, you are given the answers at the end anyway. Also included is the film's original theatrical trailer in anamorphic widescreen and 2.0 surround. Parting Thoughts These days it is difficult not recommend a DVD reissue over the previous laserdisc version, but this is one of those rare moments. The transfer and soundtrack appear to be the same, but without Bugs, it's not worth it. If you own the LD there is no need to pick up this DVD, and if you have already seen the film, there is no need to pick up this DVD. Recommended only to those who have children, loved the first one and just have to have the sequel, or don't care that this movie stinks. |
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