The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990)

A forgettable follow-up. Given that <em>'The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter'</em> released six years after the original, has no cast carryovers aside from Thomas Hill and is missing prior director Wolfgang Petersen, it isn't exactly a surprise to see it fall far adrift of the great 1984 movie. The effects for the likes of Falkor aren't that different to before, though with voice actor Alan Oppenheimer missing the character doesn't stand out at all really - I did mention in my review of the first film that I felt Oppenheimer was a major reason for its success, his absence here only proves that. Donald Arthur doesn't quite do as well. For those onscreen, Jonathan Brandis' performance is actually solid enough - but what lets things down is his dialogue, a lot of which feels unnatural. Kenny Morrison, as Atreyu, is probably the only performer that puts in a showing that is on similar level to their counterpart from the preceding feature. With all that the case, I can't quite class this as good. I will say that I wasn't begging for the credits to come at any point, I just wasn't all that invested either. A standard 6/10 flick, for me.