Okay, I’m really not stuck in the 80’s. I just need to write one more post using The Neverending Story as a reference. Mainly because I found two more posts about the movie and I just feel sucked into responding to them.
One is 9 Reasons Why Adults Should Never Watch “The Neverending Story” by Adam B. Vary
The second is 9 Reasons Why You Should Absolutely Watch The Everending Story as an Adult by LEAH SCHNELBACH
I think both make excellent points but I gotta put my two cents in for a third perspective.
On the bus to school yesterday, my 6 year old son asks me, “Mommy, what if there were nothing in the world? What would it look like?” Yes, I had him watch the movie last weekend so its natural for a kid to probe around seeing it makes quite an impression on impressionable minds.
Back to his question. What would “nothing” look like?” My answer is “Nothing. There’s nothing to talk about. Nothing to envision. There’s nothing to imagine.”
“But even nothing is something, Mommy. You can’t have just nothing and there not be something.”
Oh, the young philosopher so early on a Tuesday morning ride to school. Can’t we just let it be? But no. He begins to debate me beyond the lightening, wind and dark clouds that roll in every time the “nothing” approached. I ended up telling him to take it up with his father, the Taoist.
Sure enough, my husband found it a relevant discussion to have and was impressed with his astute mini-him. He pulls out his book, The ZEN doctrine of no mind and reads me a few paragraphs. I love how he gets excited by these opportunities to discuss deep thoughts with me. I admit, I’m not all that astute, nor all that impressed. It usually goes over my head. This time was no exception.
But what I do get is that this movie gives my child something deep and meaningful to chew on. It is probably why it has become a cult classic. There are so many layers in it. So many magical and mysterical (how could this not be a word?) layers. So let’s take Adam’s reasons and respond to each.
1. “It is so slow. So incredibly slow.” But that’s the beauty of it. First of all, kids process things differently. And to be frank, as adults, we move too fast to process anything.
2. “Many characters’ voices do not match their lips, and it is very distracting.” I loved Saturday morning Kung Fu movies as a kid. Talk about out of sync. I guess you could find it distracting but for me, its all the more fun.
3. “Atreyu screams most of his lines.” My son did ask, “Mommy, why is he yelling?” What can I say. Do you remember him as Boxey on Battlestar Galatica? The original show.
4. “Falkor the Luckdragon is shockingly creepy.” I wanted a Luckdragon for years after this movie. Nevermind how old I was when I gave up on finding one under the Christmas tree. Creepy? Not so much. But out of proportion, yes. Although, I could not get over the translucent caviar on his back.
5. “It is unrelentingly depressing.” I’ve got to disagree. I think its making a point. As adults, we give up on our dreams. We’ve got to take responsibility but get stuck in it. We are allergic to kids and can’t wait for them to leave us alone. I thought it was saying adults are the miserable ones because we doubt ourselves. We can’t look at our true selves in the mirror and be confident. We can’t look “beyond the boundaries of Fantasia” which holds the pieces of dreams and hopes of mankind.
6. “Speaking of The Nothing, it actually looks like a bunch of dark, swirling clouds – which, technically, is something.” You, Adam, and my 6 year old son. That was just the process of the Nothing taking over… Okay, I admit. Its something.
7. “The final confrontation between Atreyu and G’mork is super lame.” Okay, like my husband, you need a more gratuitous scene like the one in “300.” But don’t we have enough graffic novel nonsense in film? Its swift, to the point. See, not everything in the movie is slow. I choose to think of it as a Hitchcock moment. We just don’t need to see all of the details. We can use our imagination to make it the scene we need it to be.
8. “The climatic revelation is even lamer.” But he does yell out “Moonchild!” Rewind it. You’ll hear him. And here is where Leah’s response was pure genius. Do a little research just for fun. That suburban mother named Moonchild had wickedly, fantastical parents who had a sense of humor obviously.
9. “The title song will be stuck in your head for days and days.” And we LOVE it! My kids and I sing it all of the time now. Not so much my husband. But I can tell he digs it, too.
I gotta agree with Leah on all points;
It is nostalgic.
The effects are fantastic!
I still need a piece like the Auryn to add to my jewelry collection. I don’t have much, but that’s a must.
Artax… sniff*
I can’t say enough about the lessons the magic mirror teaches us.
If only we all could see life in the way Atreyu saw his. We are the hero of our own stories. We have a quest. If only we were as clear and aware of it despite the distractions and other things that throw us off the path.
I like that, “Rage against the dying light.” I’m gonna have to use that someday. Thanks!
Yup! We do have responsibilities at the end of the day. We win, we lose, we love, we let go, we try-try again. It doesn’t have to be so murky. We still have to continue building, striving, creating and taking care of ourselves, the ones we hold dear and even those we don’t. We have a responsibility to care for our world since we all share it.
So I say thank you to Adam and Leah for caring enough about this movie to even write anything on it. It is highly ranked in our home and maybe one day our kids will share it with theirs, should they have children. My final thought, The Neverending Story is for anyone and everyone who simply enjoys a movie that is slow, thoughtful, a tad bit dark but joyously feeds the kid in you a good dose of sheer enchantment.
I’ve got a video for all of you who stare in the mirror and wonder what you’re going to be when you grow up. peace
Just couldn’t help myself.
Lila as.... Jane Do-It-All 