Die Akademie des Meisters Klex

Let me start by saying that the original movie (starring Fronczewski) was the wacky movie of my childhood. It was aired on public TV quite frequently. It has to be said that the movie was not a perfect 10-far from it-but I remember it very fondly.

I will not compare it to either the original written work nor the original movie.

I went into this movie with high hopes; I really wanted it to be good.

Now, most of the high-star reviews here are written by Poles who either do not know how basic storytelling should work or who really want this to become the Polish "Harry Potter." And, oh boy, this movie stinks.

1. Setting the premise.

There is none. All the scenes feel deeply disconnected, either by design or due to budget cuts. There is no character development-just a whole lot of disconnected scenes showing the somewhat beautifully written world (according to the book).

2. Production value.

It seems to me it's also quite absent. The practical effects are there, and I do believe they are top-notch, given the CGI era we live in.

All the enclosed environments feel cramped and claustrophobic. While watching the movie, I felt the money leaking into the CGI, and in turn, it seems there was not enough left to make the enclosed spaces grand. The US part of the movie was one of the worst things that happened. Even the cops that the main villain runs across in the "real world" had a strong "I'm not from the US" accent, which is just sad, in my opinion. Surely they could afford a voiceover and/or a consultant.

3. Character development.

Now, this is what I feel strongly about, as I have read reviews online suggesting this might be the aforementioned "Polish Harry Potter" franchise. In a single word: NONE. While watching, you are introduced to the main character, her dreams, and her hopes... aaaand that's it. She just keeps being annoying throughout the whole movie. The rest of the student roster is briefly introduced in somewhat unimportant scenes, and after that... nothing. Not much happens between the characters. No friendships are shown on screen, and no relationships between the characters are ever developed.

4. Acting.

Not there for the teenage roster. Okish for the rest.

5. Music.

Great! Not a single complaint there. The opening scene had me giggling and cheering. Did anyone else get Witcher (CDPR one) vibes from the opening score?

In general, the film lacks direction, forethought, and character development. I would like to say I hope it will get better on the second try (oh yes, the sequel is in the works), but I do not have any high hopes for this franchise.

Title says it all. It's win-win for both parents and children, assuming you, as a parent took something beforehand to relax. This movie is WILD. What is even happening? Does anyone know? I sure don't. My kids seem to like it though, and that's all that matters, right? I'm also enjoying it kind of, even though it's terrible.

There was one scene I didn't love, where the owl man was talking to the main girl in her window and asked if he could use her toilet. I immediately turned to my kids and said, "HEY. If a strange person appears at your window, don't open it under any circumstances, even if they look like an owl. I don't care if it's a unicorn, a princess, a horseman, or whatever--just don't open it, okay?"

All this to say, this movie is objectively terrible. HOWEVER, it's still kind of entertaining. So that's why it still gets a 6. It entertained me and that's all a movie is supposed to do.

Guys, if you watched the film in the Netflix translation, you haven't seen it!

I watched this film several times.

First in Ukrainian, because I expected a more correct translation. Then in English and was very upset. And I agree with the critics' reviews in many ways. I really love the fairy tales of Brzechwa. And the films of Gradowski. And I didn't like this show very much.

BUT, not long ago I saw this film in un official Russian translation and was very surprised.

So I watched the Polish original. Yes, I barely understand Polish.

Guys, this is a completely different feeling from the film!!!

It seems to me that Netflix first made a bad translation into English, and then into other languages.

The film is wonderful, it has a lot of symbolism and meaning.

Yes, I still don't like how Tomasz Kot plays here, but his role is not simple.

But I still want to see a continuation.

Despite my great desire to whitewash this film with the argument that it is a children's production, unfortunately it is difficult for me to say anything positive about it. I wonder who the target audience of this film is, because it is scary at times, and the "wolves" use a fictitious language with subtitles as a translation, which may be a problem for children up to 8 years old. The film's production is very poor: the dialogues are artificial and quite awkward to listen to for older viewers - people don't talk like that, the magical land looks very cheesy and doesn't seem extraordinary. Moreover, the photos from the movie were better in moments when the action takes place in the "normal world" (my personal opinion). Mr. Kleks himself, as well as most of the characters, are created to be funny, but it doesn't work here either. However, the biggest complaint I have against "Mr. Klesek's Academy" is the length of the film and, at the same time, its incredible chaotic nature and lack of consistency in the continuation of threads or events. Personally, I got lost in space-time a few times and couldn't understand many situations, let alone a viewer aged 6-10. There were many small children in the cinema hall, and I also had an ambitious task to explain to my 6-year-old sister what, where and how. The songs were definitely a big plus as they enlivened the children during the show and most of the room sang along. Additionally, the messages woven into this chaotic projection were very valuable, but I am not sure whether they were catchable for a young viewer. I am not able to rate this film and I am still not sure who it is intended for. However, after leaving the room, my younger sister said that she liked the film, so it seems that the film is popular among children 😉

This would have been so much better as a limited series. It felt like so much of the plot was missing, left on the cutting room floor, in a bid to fit the film into the two and a bit hour run time. Nice cinematography but what little story there was jumped about so made little sense. There was no real character development, no flow & no reason to invest in any of the characters. Virtually no story telling, unless perhaps you're familiar with the book and can fill in the gaps? (I'm not) It doesn't make a lot of sense. Very disappointing as this had so much potential. What an unfortunate waste..