NeverEnding Story: Hybrid Cut, The

This fan edit masterfully blends the best elements of both the German and U.S. versions of *The NeverEnding Story*, resulting in a version that feels true to the original novel while improving the cinematic experience. Paranoid Android decision to start with the German cut’s opening is well thought out, since it adds emotional depth to Bastian’s story and enhances his relationship with his father. The inclusion of both Doldinger's and Moroder's scores also strikes a perfect balance, as Doldinger’s music complements the film's tone, while Moroder’s more iconic elements like Limahl’s song retain their rightful place. While some might debate the removal of the janitor scene, keeping it in as a tribute to the book felt fitting for fans. The video transfer is high quality and it’s impressively well-executed. Highly recommended for fans of the movie and novel alike. There is also a 40th anniversary version out and i don't think ParanoidAndroid is going to wait for long before making another edit :) Thank you again

Paranoid Android was kind enough to send me a preview copy of this last summer. It's everything I already loved about the movie with a few extra nuances. While I do really enjoy the song with the clouds from the US version, it does make less sense to transition from that to Bastian waking up from his nightmare. And we still get to hear the song at the end.

A few deleted scenes make for a fresh coat of paint on a movie I already love. Bravo!

this is a fantastic edit! i love the music choices in particular! thanks for making this!

Strong recommend. I've only watched the German cut once before, but the international cut (or rather, the version of the international cut recorded off the TV onto a VHS tape in the 80s) is pretty much burned into my brain. So while it was interesting to see what was different in the German cut, and I liked the extra bits here and there, my inner child still dreamt of the international cut. This edit is a nice mix between the two and will most likely be my preferred copy for future viewing. Smooth editing, great experience.

So this edit was quite something! You must understand that I am someone who grew up with the international cut of the movie, I've never actually seen the German cut before so quite a few things in this cut were new and a surprise to me.

In terms of audio and video quality, I think this was top tier. The image quality is the clearest I've seen out of other versions of the movie, puts the official releases to shame. The audio quality is also great, you get to hear the painful groans of Gmork clearly in this one along with the actual name Bastian calls out to save the Empress which is heard a lot more clearly and can be made out here than what could ever be heard in the international cut.

In terms of visual editing, I never noticed any cuts or glitches at all. Same goes for the audio editing, it was all seamless and parts that cut abruptly are just how the official releases had it also, so zero issues on that front. With all the extra editing of visual and audio, it didn't alter the narrative or drastically change it one bit, it all flowed nicely and I had no issues in that regard.

My enjoyment is slightly lowered from a 10 to a 9. This is not actually a fault of the editor, it's actually an issue I personally have since I grew up with the international cut. There are certain parts that opted for the German version (namely the opening credits being black instead of the awesome visuals we get in the opening credits of the international cut, and changed audio to the German audio in the Atreyu riding the horse montages). Both of these things always stuck with me throughout my enjoyment of the international cut and seeing these replaced made my heart yearn to have those things back. But granted the purpose of this new cut was to give the international cut a more German flavor so I can't really fault it.

I do recommend this edit, quite a few scenes are longer and they put the international cut to shame for making the scenes shorter than they actually are. I would say that this particular cut is 95% better than the original movie, but this is for me personally. You might watch this cut and find it 100% superior to the original, and I absolutely could not fault you for thinking that.