The NeverEnding Story (1984): 40th Anniversary Imprint Films Limited Edition 4K UHD (Australian Import)

Maybe everyone is a little nostalgic about the era they grew up in and the films that came out. As a man in his forties, I will challenge that there was truly something special about fantasy films and kids' films. The craftsmanship in making these films was unique to the period. You had this generation of filmmakers with unique visions with a team of special effects artisans who could quite literally bring the imaginary to life. There wasn’t any digital trickery to fake the existence of a giant rock-biter, a man flying on a bat, riding a speeding snail, or a giant snotty turtle. They were created as tangible, real creatures. And that’s what makes a film like The Neverending Story transcend simple nostalgia into the realm of being a genuine classic piece of fantasy cinema. 

Our story is of the hyperlexitive boy Bastian (Barret Oliver). As a voracious reader mourning the death of his mother, he finds solace and comfort in his books than he does in the earnest words of his father or at school. After being bullied by some kids from school, he takes refuge in an old bookstore where he encounters “The Neverending Story.” Running away with it from the proprietor, he hides out in the school’s attic. Reading the story of the brave child warrior Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) and the mystical land of Fantasia, he’s caught into the gripping story of these characters and their quest to stop The Nothing. But as each page turns, Bastian soon realizes this book is more than just paper and ink and he is playing an integral part in how the story unfolds. 

As a kid, this was a film that I watched all the time. My dad recorded it from a rental and my sister and I would watch it over and over again. It was one of those films that enchanted and terrified me, but no matter how scared I got I couldn’t look away. No matter how sad I got in the appropriately named Swamp of Sadness, I knew that the hilarious giant sneezing turtle was coming up soon. As threatening as Gmork the servant of the Nothing was, I knew the friendly dog-dragon Falcor was soon on the horizon.

Why I think “kid’s films” of this generation were so effective and memorable is because there was this tangible relationship between that sense of danger and excitement. On the one hand, Gmork felt like a real threat because it was actually fur and teeth with penetrating green eyes and it terrified you. On the other hand, Falcor was crystalline white with shiny scales, soft fluffy fur, with a nice smile, a friendly voice and big brown eyes. Films of this era weren’t afraid of scaring kids because they could also make them feel safe. 

As an adult, I feel like I better understand the film’s themes in relation to depression or addiction. Even life itself. The Swamp of Sadness is still gutting because you can relate to Atreyu losing his best friend. You inevitably lose the ones you love even if there isn’t a diagnosable reason or an outside force acting on that relationship. People can simply grow old, or grow apart. Kids in the room might not catch that, but Mom and Dad should if they have any sense of emotional intelligence. 

While The Neverending Story was a childhood favorite, it’s a film I have rarely revisited over the last three decades. I’ve owned it through various formats, I was never without it, but I rarely simply sat down and watched it. Part of it was my deep personal fear that I wouldn’t love it the same way I did as a kid. Nostalgic love can only get you so far when you’re an adult and you start seeing flaws in the film or pieces you remember working one way as a kid but don’t translate as an adult. So sitting down for this review, I estimate it had been the better side of 20 years since I last truly and honestly sat down to watch it from beginning to end. I was grateful that not only were my memories left intact but I picked up a new feeling of respect and understanding of what Wolfgang Peterson brought to the screen - even if it was only half of the book. 

Not only did I get to watch the version I always knew, but I also dove right into the German Extended Cut, which I’d never seen before. At about ten minutes longer, it doesn’t feel like a new experience but a slightly different one. With some scene extensions, longer takes, alternate takes, different music cuts, Deep Roy’s actual voice, it’s still the same movie, but it has a little bit darker flavor. It’s odd not getting hit right away with that earworm from Limahl right from the jump, but the film still works even for different sensibilities. I think as an adult I like the Extended better, it fits what I look for in a film more now than what I was going for as a kid. Regardless of which cut you go for, The Neverending Story is a damned special piece of moviemaking that the sequels just couldn’t reach. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 

Australian label Imprint Films delivers what is quite possibly one of the best box sets ever assembled of any film let alone for Wolfgang Petersen’s The Neverending Story on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. This limited edition set offers the Theatrical and Extended cuts in 4K UHD and Blu-ray. A BD100 disc and a BD50 disc for the Theatrical Cut. A BD100 and BD50 disc for the Extended Cut. And another BD50 disc for the feature documentary Life After the Neverending Story. All discs appear to be Region Free, had no issue playing them on multiple setups. The discs are housed in a standard multi-disc case with individual trays so no stacking. The main case comes with a lenticular hard case that sits in a velvety recessed tray in the beautiful faux-leather recreation book of The Neverending Story. Included is a folder with reproduction marketing materials including a full-size theatrical poster and lobby cards. Another file contains a reproduction press kit with press photos and printed production materials. The book-style box is soundly constructed and sturdy with magnetic flaps in the corners to hold the cover closed and to keep the printed materials together. This set was also delivered with a plastic protective cover case (Imagine a gigantic plastic steelbook case) to house the whole set and keep it safe from damage.

As I mentioned in my main review, I’ve always had a copy of The Neverending Story on various formats in my collection, but I rarely sat down to truly watch it. If I put it on, it was background. So in many ways watching Imprint’s Theatrical and Extended 4K discs was like a first-time watch in about two decades. And I have to say I am impressed! I did have my Blu-ray on hand for a quick look through and there’s really no comparison. The fresh restoration effort is a true beauty considering all of the amazing visual effects work, from scale miniatures to forced perspective to early blue screen compositing. I was really excited to see that all of these great visuals still hold up. Especially the creature effects, all of the wild designs brought to life look terrific even under 2160p scrutiny. Creature effects, make-up work, costuming, and facial features, all are on display with a nice stable veneer of cinematic film grain. No intrusive signs of smoothing or egregious sharpening. You can still see when mat work was done and some of the early compositing can look a tad flattened, but its still true to a film released forty years ago. The Dolby Vision grade is equally lovely allowing bright colors to flourish while the creeping shadows and darkness of the Nothing are deep and ominous without being crushed out. Whites are brilliantly crisp. No serious damage or issues to spot there. 

As for the HDR10 2160p transfer of the Extended Edition, most of the visuals are largely the same as the Theatrical, details are just as sharp. Colors are about on par between transfers, but I felt the tone of this edition was a tad brighter. Not in a way that’s detrimental to the experience, but I felt like the shadows and black places of the Theatrical Edition were stronger, and more pronounced for a little better sense of depth. I don’t know the release history of this version as to why this one wasn’t also given a Dolby Vision grade as well, but even in HDR10, it’s still a fantastic transfer. The extended sequences and alternate takes blend nicely to the point I had to double-check any of the differences. Each version has a great encode, bitrates for both transfers maintain a healthy 90mbps+ average with healthy spikes into the 120 range so there’s no modulation or skimping to squeeze either version down into a smaller container. To score these separately I'd do Theatrical 4.75/5 with a 4.25/5 Extended. One does look better than the other, but that really comes down to splitting a lot of small hairs. 

On the audio side, both cuts of the film enjoy robust DTS-HD MA 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 audio tracks. For reviewing I mainly kept with the 5.1 and would resample scenes in 2.0 and truthfully you can’t go wrong with either track. I think I preferred the DTS-HD MA 5.1 over the 2.0, but that’s more because of how big and expansive it sounded as we got to travel the world of Fantasia. 

With that in mind, there are still some differences between the two versions worth noting. The Extended Cut has some alternate music cues, the opening credits are completely different music, not the theme song we got here in the States. So it sets the mood of the film differently. You’re not immediately drawn into a world of fantasy and wonder like you are with that earworm from Limahl. Also, some of the voices are different. As an example, in the Extended Cut, we hear Deep Roy’s actual voice as Teeny Weeny and that was the first real “huh, that’s… new” moment that I had while watching the film. There are other little differences like that with alternate music and the occasionally slightly different voice that offers the same story, but gives it an alternate flavor. 

Regardless of which version of the film and which audio format you choose, you’re in for a good time. Dialog for all tracks is clean and clear without issue. The channel spread for the 5.1 tracks is nice and active letting surround channels have an active play in the soundscape without tinning the mix. The 2.0 keeps things tighter and more intimate, and some of the slightly longer scenes, the passing of the Sphinxs, or the big grand finale offered plenty of sonic weight and impact. I just enjoyed the bigger expansive soundscape better. Again, it’s dealer’s choice.

If two cuts with great audio and video transfers weren’t enough. Imprint once again knocks it out with the bonus features. On top of two terrific and informative audio commentaries, we get hours of amazing content to dig through. We get new interviews, new extensive featurettes, some archival content, and then best of all we get the excellent Life After The Neverending Story documentary that is an essential must-see for any fan of the film. It’s amazing and heartbreaking how two of the key actors in the film had such different lives after shooting wrapped. But the documentary does an excellent job of balancing behind-the-scenes drama and making-of material with the extensive fan communities of convention goers and prop collectors who’ve found personal meaning and connection with the film.

Disc One - Theatrical Cut 4K 

• Audio Commentary featuring Wolfgang Petersen
• Audio Commentary featuring  Future Noir writer Paul M. Sammon
• Theatrical Trailer

Disc Two - Extended Cut 4K 

• Storyboard Comparison (HD 4:39)

Disc Three - Theatrical Cut 1080p

• Audio Commentary featuring Wolfgang Petersen
• Audio Commentary featuring  Future Noir writer Paul M. Sammon
• Finding Fantasia: Adapting The Neverending Story - Interview with Lisa Downs (HD 13:28)
• Flights of Fantasy: Inside the Scores of The Neverending Story - Interview with Daniel Schweiger (HD 16:29)
• Reimagining The Neverending Story (HD 25:14)
• The Making of The Neverending Story (HD 17:23)
• A World of Fantasies (SD 56:57)
• Never Ending Story - Limahl Music Video (SD 3:44)
• Theatrical Trailer 

Disc Four - Extended Cut 1080p

• Storyboard Comparison (HD 4:39)

Disc Five - Documentary

• Life After The Neverending Story (HD 1:30:42)
• Official Trailer (HD 1:42)
• Director Interview (HD13:46)
• Alan “The Ham” Oppenheimer (HD3:58)
• Alan Oppenheimer’s Early Years (HD 4:04)
• Bobby Porter: That’s Filmmaking (HD 2:03)
• Colin Arthurs Mould Process (HD 2:14)
• Colin Arthur and his Lucky Scissors (HD 1:30)
• Fairy Queen (HD 1:32)
• Film History with Jason James Richter (HD 2:27)
• Gmork (HD 1:05)
• Herman Weigel’s Deleted Character (HD 1:09)
• Je M’apelle Limahl (HD 1:23) 
• Keith Coogan on the Googan Law (HD 4:47)
• Liverpool Comic Con: Extended Scene (HD 8:45)
• Munich: Alternative Edit (HD 15:51)
• Tami’s Makeup Challenge (HD 1:47)
• That80sdude: The Neverending Yoda (HD 00:45)
• The Screenplay Saga (HD 10:09)
• The Sphinx Folklore (HD 00:37)
• Tammy Gibson: Backtothe1980z (HD 2:01)
• Wesley’s Movie Props Extended (HD 12:59)
• Once Upon A Time in… Treviso (HD 7:50)
• Life After Flash: Trailer (HD 2:17)
• Life After The Navigator: Trailer (HD 2:50)

The Neverending Story meant a lot of things for a lot of people. Whether as a part of the making of the film or as a fan, Wolfgang Petersen’s large scale cinematic adaptation was a fantastic marvel of its time. Forty years later the film is still a highly regarded piece of filmmaking with generations of fans returning to it again and again. For this writer, it was a childhood favorite and I feared rose-colored nostalgic memories wouldn’t be able to support those memories after so many decades. After avoiding an earnest and true rewatch, this incredible set from Imprint Films forced me to face it and discover that not only were my childhood memories sound, but as an adult and a parent, the film is actually better than I remembered. It’s an intricately crafted, beautiful piece of fantasy come to life.

With Imprint’s excellent work, we can enjoy both versions in 4K! The Dolby Vision transfer of the Theatrical Cut is gorgeous and the HDR10 transfer of the Extended Cut is beautiful as well. Both offer terrific audio options. Then there are the hours of brilliantly compiled and exhaustive extra features to dig through. All of that is before getting to the incredible mind-blowing packaging! The book replica is a gorgeous and well-made piece complete with a stockpile of printed content including a full-size replica theatrical poster, press kit reproduction, and theatrical lobby cards. This massive set isn’t for everyone, I’m not prone to oversized box sets and printed swag but I can’t help but be amazed at what Imprint delivered here. This is a true showstopper piece for any collector. While Imprint has been clear they will not print any more of this big massive Limited Edition set once it sells through, I do hope that at the very least they repackage the 5-discs again with the lenticluar slipcase for a smaller more affordable release so all fans can appreciate that incredible content. But if you’ve got the bread to spread, this set is very Highly Recommended