The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter

While the original NeverEnding Story only covered about half of the Michael Ende book on which is was based, this sequel doesn’t pick up the rest of the book’s story but instead is a completely new adventure concerning some of the same characters. Young Bastian (Brandis) returns to the storybook world of Fantasia, finding it in an even worse state than it was before, so he joins forces with Atreyu (Morrison) to find the Childlike Empress (Alexandra Johnes). Unfortunately, our young hero falls under the spell of the evil Xayide (Clarissa Burt) along the way, and his actions could actually be making things worse.
Filled with splashy special effects (including some beetle-like giant creatures that could disturb younger viewers – or anyone with a dislike for creepy-crawlies, for that matter), this looks impressive but doesn’t have the interesting storyline of the first movie (in this one Bastian just drops into the book, whereas in Part I there was the more menacing feeling he was being drawn in and merged with it). A further sequel, The NeverEnding Story III, was made in 1994 but even fans of the series thought it was dreadful and it is only notable now for an early performance from School of Rock star Jack Black.