FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

Bastian Bux gets teased a lot at school. Bullies tend to chase him down and throw him into dumpsters. In order to escape the pressures of daily life, he runs and hides up in the school’s attic. One day before doing so, he wanders inside an old bookstore. There he encounters an old man that tells young Bastian about a book unlike any other. This book will immerse you in ways previously thought impossible. Intrigued, Bastian borrows the book and runs up into the school attic and begins to read away. What he finds is fantasy world on the verge of being destroyed by the abominable creature known as The Nothing. The only hope the land has to survive is for Bastian to read on and root for the story’s boy warrior, Atreyu.

I gotta tell ya, maybe if/when I was younger, I’d have a little more sympathy for Bastian. But watching it as a twenty-something makes me see that kid was a huge geek and he really didn’t do himself any favors with the way he acted. I’m not saying he was asking for it, necessarily, but come on – the kid plays hooky by going to a bookstore and hiding IN SCHOOL. Try to have a little common sense by not going down that alley or wearing that backpack, or at least change your name, Bastian Bux (no one will think to rhyme that). Alright, now that I have that out of the way, I should probably mention that having a non-relatable hero isn’t the only problem the movie has. So, the school has an attic that looks like something you’d find at your grandmother’s place? And Bastian is the only one who has the key or knows about it? If you’re a kid that likes to read, wouldn’t you also like going to class? I’m glad your father isn’t looking for you when he finds out you don’t come home thanks to your reading extravaganza. The Nothing is a black wolf? And the biggest disappointment of all, Falkor doesn’t exist in real life. Sigh.

But despite all that, the movie is still fun. We follow a legitimate hero in Atreyu as he accepts his quest to save the world of Fantasia. We see him trek through various landscapes, each presenting their own unique challenges, obstacles, puzzles and creative characters. The imagination and scale of the different regions are vast and quite impressive. Sure the acting isn’t the best and the back and forth between the real and book worlds may not be the most effective, but at least the story is engaging and should easily inspire awe and wonder in the children that see it. Plus, the movie has a furry flying dog-like dragon named Falkor (voiced by Alan Oppenhemier, a prolific voice actor who gave life to Mighty Mouse and He-Man’s nemesis Skeletor) that every kid wants as a pet/guardian. Tell me, how can you beat that? This movie is fun for all ages, but certainly enjoyed a lot more by the younger crowd.

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