Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

annevejb For me, it is important to consider 'Tales' as a television series for kids rather than as a set of feature films. It is a matter of expectations and at that level I consider it to be successful. This is way above the level of many series for kids, in some ways near the level of the best series.Wiki, November 2012, mentioned it as a set of four two hours episodes, USA television and DVD, and 13 one hour episodes, UK television. This is based on a quoted internet reference that no longer exists. My region 2 DVDs are around 90 minutes each, so the 2 hours might have included a lot of advertising time. UK as likely to be approx 30 minute episodes of kids television.The titles of the set of four as Tales From The Neverending Story, 1 The Beginning, 2 The Gift Of The Name, 3 Badge Of Courage and 4 Resurrection. The DVDs are available in regions 1 and 2. I do not know about other regions.Several of the reviews at IMDb appeared to be from people who had come at this from the book, Michael Ende's The Neverending Story (1979), or from a cinema grade feature film, The Neverending Story (1984). As such there tends to be a predictable disappointment, but a lot of positive response despite that.I purchased the disks because of Mona The Vampire. A cartoon series with Emma (Taylor-) Isherwood as the voice of the main part. Those were 1999 and 2001, who is this Emma-Mona? This is another television series for kids, made around the same time, Emma has one of the many supporting roles and is more than just the voice for cartoons.Emma Mona plays Olano and her slightly younger sister, Sally, plays Yonie. Two of the nice guys of the woodland village. Their pictures are on the back cover of my DVDs for episodes 1 and 4. Little sister Sally-Yonie has the red face paint around her eyes and Emma-Mona-Olano has a red line under her eyes that crosses her nose and goes down her nose as well.In episode 4 I only notice Yonie, which is strange. This is a story where history and such can change, reality is not fixed. At the end of episode 3 the remnant of the village was under attack by Big Bad, but appeared to face that successfully, no losses. At the start of episode 4 Big Bad had a new recruit, young and female, mind blank, played by Alexina Cowan, and she was given the name of Gemma. As she is a captive of big bad, Gemma has to go to Bastian's world to do some bad guy stuff. Emma-Mona-Olano now Alexina-Gemma?, with all the appearances of being a really bad guy for most of her part of the story. Emma and Alexina both appear in the end credits of 3 and 4, but the end credits are the biggest imperfection in this series.So I go to this series for the sake of fan stuff re Mona The Vampire, I should expect unreality. But I experience this as very okay in its own right. Ditto, Blake Holsey High, but that is not on DVD.I have not read the book yet, must do that. Meantime I now have a DVD of the 1984 feature and I personally find the storyline to be weak in comparison to this series. Surprise, surprise, I did see the series first. So, the effects are amazing quality for 1984, a big year for this sort of story to appear on the screen.

trainor-a This film adaptation was depressing. I am not sure what the screenwriters were thinking--did they even read Michael Ende's fabulous story? If you watch "Behind the Scenes" on the first installment of this painfully cheesy and uninspired series, you'll hear the writers and actors waxing philosophical about how this movie is all about imagination, the struggle of good vs. evil, and how we can use the power of great stories to help us work through our own real life difficulties. And yes, that is what the book was about. But the book told a story that was truly creative without heavy handed moralizing. Watching this film was like being battered with the heavy club of self-righteous anti-modernity: Smash that game boy and read a book! I like computer games too, but come on. We *get* it--reading is good; OK, stop shouting at us through your filmaking. Oh, lest I forget--the most frightening thing about the book and the old movie-- The Nothing: a powerful, disintigrating force that dissolves all life and matter, that grows in virility as lies and disinterest spread-- is recreated as this weird green stuff that comes out of a jar and sucks all the color out of your face. Michael Ende found a cool, truly scary was of talking about apathy and dishonesty; this movie goes and twists that into some lousy B-movie green goop.Even if you've never read Ende's book or seen the iconic 1984 version, this new film adaptation is just stupid. The effects suck, the acting is awful, and the plot is beleaguered with confusing side stories that make no sense, even if you have read the book.I could go on and on... I guess the most important thing to say is that I bought this disk for $2.50 at Kmart. I should have known better.Be forewarned! See the 1984 version, or better yet, read the book.

tiffany First of all, Bastian is portrayed as a scrawny 12 year old boy... Not a fat, dorky 10 year old as in Ende's book.Second, Not only does the book have no non-flashback scenes prior to mother's death, the mother CERTAINLY didn't drive a VW neo-bug... and for god's sake! "MoonChild" on the mother's license plate? Where else do we go? Bastian gets "The Neverending Story" not by stealing it, but as a replacement for Mr. Coreander breaking his game boy. Wow. Bastian doesn't make up stories in this film, rather, his mother was an illustrator and THAT is how he got all into reading.The werewolf from the book has become a creepy looking shape shifter who is Bastian's new substitute teacher, Mr. Blank. Come on! What about the importance of Atreyu meeting the werewolf so that he can understand that for Fantasticans, Fantastica has NO borders? I don't believe the people who wrote this film ever even looked at the book...But beyond that, Atreyu is a 17 or so year old boy and they give him not only a best friend, but a LOVE INTEREST! Now both you and I know that NOTHING about Ende's book is sexual... especially the Childlike Empress, who in this film is just begging for it...And since when is Xayide MoonChild's sister!>?!?!? Anyway, to summate, this film should not have the right to claim that it is based on Michael Ende's fantasy triumph, it is merely another bad B movie in the clearance bin at WalMart...

kszonew Despite the awful writing and storylines, the show is worth a look for the very attractive Victoria Sanchez, who wonderfully portrays the evil Xayide. Despite being given awful lines many times, Sanchez looks very alluring in the villianess-like outfits her character wears, and gives her best. Even young Bastian Bux admits Xayide is "hot" in an episode when explaining her character to someone else. Also, though the storylines and writing are awful, the special effects are actually quite good.