The Worst Fantasy Sequel Of All Time Was The Biggest Disappointment Of The 90s
Back before the internet was a twinkle in Al Gore’s eye, it was a lot harder to find out if the movies playing at the local theater were worth watching. Most of the time, especially for kids, we had to go by pre-existing knowledge. For example, did we see a commercial for it? Or, in the case of The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter, it’s the sequel to one of the greatest movies ever made, and that’s how we end up making mistakes that haunt us for the rest of our lives.
Make A Wish
I haven’t watched The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter since I saw it in theaters, and I don’t have to because I can still vividly remember Bastian standing on top of the diving board in his hand-me-down swim trunks and staying there, frozen, too scared to jump. I can also tell you that the Auryn medallion is used to fulfill wishes, but an evil sorceress uses a device to rob Bastian of one of his memories whenever he makes a wish. He’s not aware of this, of course, because if you forget a memory, you never know you had it in the first place.
This One Won’t Traumatize A Generation
Anyways, Bastian, the boy from The Neverending Story who gets his hands on the magic book, is whisked away to Fantasia for the sequel, which, this time, is in danger from “The Emptiness,” which is what you get when you order “The Nothing” from Wish. Teaming up with the hero of the first movie, Atreyu, the pair try to stop “The Emptiness” but are obviously manipulated along the way by the sorceress and her minions. What the journey across Fantasia makes clear is that The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter has none of the sense of wonder and whimsy of the original.
The Only Attentive Parent In A Kids Movie
Instead of meeting interesting and colorful characters like the Rock Giant and his friends, The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter decides to spend time on Bastian’s dad, who discovers his son is missing, tries to find him, and then we get to spend scenes with him reading and reacting to Bastian’s journey described in the book. The one good thing that the movie does is it makes Bastian’s dad aware of Bastian losing memories, and that evokes a truly heartbreaking feeling.
Well, it does, but only because Bastian is away from his father; he can’t see how his son is becoming an insufferable jerk as he loses more memories. Bastian is the only character more easily manipulated and more annoying than Anakin Skywalker.
The Origin Of Yelling At The Screen
Even as a kid, I was disappointed watching The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter, but I became angry for the first time at a movie and wanted to think how stupid the character was when Bastian was climbing the tower. Instead of wishing to, oh, I don’t know, fly, he spent countless wishes and burnt dozens of memories to have spikes stick out from the side so he could scale the wall. When the target audience thinks the plot is stupid, you have a problem.
Not That George Miller
Troll 2 is at least delightfully horrible in its production, but The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter was a major Hollywood production, and it was directed by Mad Max creator George Miller. Oh no, wait, that’s my mistake it was directed by George T. Miller, the man behind Journey to the Center of the Earth. Miller also reportedly admitted that scenes were rehearsed once in a bid to keep production time to a minimum due to child labor laws.
That would explain everything.
You Could Stream It, But Why?
REVIEW SCORE
The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter has not gone through a cultural examination as the decades have gone by and remains, to this day, absolutely detested by everyone who was tricked into watching it. The film barely made $17 million at the box office, which was 17 percent of the $100 million the original made, and those numbers have not been adjusted for inflation, so the difference is even larger than that.
If you want to experience The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter for yourself, you can pay for it through Video on Demand using Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, AppleTV, or Vudu.
