The NeverEnding Story III (1996)

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Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.

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Movie Info

Young Bastian again seeks refuge from the problems of the real world in the mystical land of Fantasia in this second, inferior sequel to the sleeper 1984 hit The Neverending Story. The set-up is familiar, as Bastian Bux (here played by Jason James Richter), who has moved to a new town, again rediscovers the magical book that serves as the portal to Fantasia and finds solace in the power of imagination. Unfortunately, Bastian is having problems with a group of bullies known as the Nasties, who discover the boy's secret and steal the book. Their meddling wreaks havoc, ultimately releasing Fantasia's bizarre creatures into Earth's dimension. Naturally, it's up to Bastian to retrieve the book and return the Luck Dragon, Rock Eater, talking tree, gnomes, and other assorted creatures to their rightful home. Visually less impressive than its predecessors, and extremely distant from the Michael Ende book that was the series' original inspiration, The Neverending Story 3 made little impression on audiences or critics, who generally agreed that the film was the weakest of the series.

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Cast

Jason James Richter
as Bastian
Melody Kay
as Nicole
Freddie Jones
as Mr. Coreander/Old Man of Wandering Mountain
Jack Black
as Slip
Ryan Bollman
as Dog
Tracey Ellis
as Jane Bux
Carole Finn
as Mookie [The Nasties]
Kevin McNulty
as Barney
Julie Cox
as The Empress [Die Kindliche Kaiserin]
Moya Brady
as Urgl, female gnome
Tony Robinson
as Engywook, male gnome
Nicole N. Parker
as Coil (The Nasties)
P. Adrien Dorval
as Nasty #2
Lynne Carrow
Mike Fenton
Irene Lamb
Kaefan Shaw
as Bark Troll (Borkentroll)
Frederick Warder
as Mr. Rock Chewer (Felsenbeisser)
Mark Acheson
as Janitor
John Bear Curtis
as Lumberjack
Richard Newman
as Photographer
Veena Sood
as Sales Woman
David Longworth
as Log Dispatcher
William Hootkins
as Bark Troll
Marilyn Norry
as Mrs. Crackerby
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Critic Reviews for The NeverEnding Story III

All Critics (3)

Nothing touches the original, but this sequel is still good children's viewing.

Mar 2, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Video-Reviewmaster.com

Okay, I agree since the first one had only half the book a sequel was acceptable, but this wasn't.

Dec 21, 2004 | Rating: 1/5
Greenwich Village Gazette
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Audience Reviews for The NeverEnding Story III

Oh dear God, The Neverending Story III is terrible! It starts out awful and doesn't lets up. Once again the series characters are reworked to be more cartoonish and silly. Nothing works and all continuity with the previous films is forgotten. The Neverending Story started out as a fantasy epic, but this installment is a ridiculous farce.

Dann Michalski
Dann Michalski

Super Reviewer

½

This is ironically the last of the neverending story movies. It has some of the same creatures as the others, but the major actors and characters are extremely different and changed from the original. I wouldn't recommend this movie.

Aj V
Aj V

Super Reviewer

½

So bad. Technically this is the second half of the book, but they really took a budget cut (and cast and crew cut) on this one.

Curtis Lilly
Curtis Lilly

Super Reviewer

This movie was like a terrible Saturday morning Network TV exploitation of the "NeverEnding Story" name. Horrible movie. The point of the "NeverEnding Story" series was to immerse us in fantasy, but the bozos who produced this movie thought they'd bring the Fantasia creatures to our world instead, making it far less interesting.

Lafe Fredbjornson
Lafe Fredbjornson

Super Reviewer

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