Review of The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990) by Federico F — 13 Dec 2016

Not a lot of people seem to be aware that this is the adaptation of the second half of Michael Ende's novel. It follows the story arc which was not covered by Petersen's movie from 1984... for a reason! This part of the book is very complex, philosophical and considerably darker and the movie fails terrible at trying to turn it into a fantasy adventure for kids.

The acting is so bad I recommend watching a dubbed version of any foreign language you can get your hands on (turn on the subtitles if needed). I've seen it in french and german and it was by far more enjoyable than the english version only because you didn't have to listen to the forced delivery of the actors lines.

The movie itself is not entirely terrible and I remember enjoying it as a kid however it is not suitable for younger children as it contains some serious nightmare fuel, mild brainwashing scenes and (temporary) character death.