La gran aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón

Funny flick plenty of offbeat characters , haunting mood-pieces , fun scenes and sense of style but not totally satisfactory , including conventional pitfalls . Entertaining picture, fundamental for lovers of "Comic" and "Tebeos" and it has the highest budget for digital special effects film in the history of Spanish cinema . A dangerous invention has been stolen to professor "Bacterio" (Janfri Topera) , it is a device that ends in the hands of a crazy dictator named "Calimero el Tirano" (Paco Sagárzazu), and ready to use it . The Head of the organization of counterintelligence T. I. A. (it stands for "Técnicos de Investigación Aeroterráquea", Technicians of Aero-ground Investigation. 'TIA' is Spanish for 'aunt', a joke on the U.N.C.L.E. series) : the Súper (Mariano Venancio) wants to recover it but he knows that it should not call Mortadelo and Filemón , so it sends the case to a boaster detective called Freddy Mazas (Dominique Pinon) so that recover the invention , but Freddy is bribed by the dictator Tirano . Two bungler agents decide to investigate the case for their own means , these agents are "Mortadelo" (Benito Pocino), and "Filemón" (Pepe Viyuela) . Along the way they go to 13 Rue Percebe where appears Rompetechos (Emilio Gavira). As the front of the building collapses, the interiors of the different apartments are just like those in "13, Rue del Percebe", another famous comic by Francisco Ibáñez.

This amusing film packs thrills , action , comic situations , tongue-in-cheek , surrealist comedy including conventional pitfalls and many other things . The adaptation to the cinema of the popular characters of Spanish comic of F.Ibáñez got a huge box office hit smash , grossing as one of the biggest successes in the history of Spanish cinema with more than 4,750,000 spectators and almost 22 million Euros . Plot of the film is based on comic stories 'El Sulfato Atómico', 'Safari Callejero', 'Chapeau el Esmirriau' and 'Valor y Al Toro'. After more than four decades entertaining through the comics, the most known couple of detectives are brought to life by means of the big screen . It was clear from the beginning the complexity to transfer a comic book to cinema ; however director Fesser gets a good rendition about our unforgettable memories of childhood. That is the major asset of this film, along with a beloved tribute to other characters of Ibáñez as the inhabitants of "13 Rue del Percebe" or "Rompetechos" . As the 13 Rue Del Percebe scene is based on an Francisco Ibáñez drawing which satirized Spanish society . Javier Fesser, without ostentatious means , gets to mingle some easily recognizable moments about the veterans agents of the "T. I. A. " with others of pure and exclusive comedy along with absurd events . The actors faithfully represent their characters and not to leave out of place the viewer at any time . Exaggerated accidents in a nonsensical world created by the great F. Ibáñez , embarrassing situations , the beating , shaking , falls, highlight sequences as when "Mortadelo" and "Filemón" trying to capture "El Matraca" , "Tirania" scenes..., all of them through some breathtaking special effects.

Magnificent production design by César Macarrón and colorful cinematography by Xavi Giménez . "La Gran Aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón " is undoubtedly a faithful as well as nicely representation of the comics of F. Ibañez in the big screen . Including self-homages : as near the end, at the parade, a poster on the wall says "Ibañez for President" , Francisco Ibáñez is the creator of the Mortadelo and Filemón cartoon characters . The motion picture was well directed by Javier Fesser , though he overdoes the same premise , the craziness and abstract humor carried out by the famous couple created by Francisco Ibañez . The film was the second job of Javier Fesser as director while maintaining the quality of his previous film, "El Milagro de P. Tinto". Fesser shows us that surrealist and absurd humor applied to the characters created by the great cartoonist and creator F. Ibáñez . Fesser has gotten translate the "comics" with all its details and adapt, at the same time, on his own ideas . It's a movie impossible to understand for those outside the comic and veterans readers of the former "Tebeos" in Spain . Writer/Actor/ Director Javier Fesser was born in 1964 in Madrid . He is a writer and actor, and along his brother Guillermo Fesser forms the Radio comical group ¨Gomaespuma¨ , both of them have written and directed some amusing films , such as : The miracle of P. Tinto (1998), Cándida (2006) and this ¨The great adventure of Mortadelo y Filemón¨ (2003)

This movie has surprisingly good visual effects for a low budget Spanish movie, compared to Hollywood productions, but it is a very boring movie. It is a good adaptation from the comic book as most of the elements of the "tebeo" actually are well depicted in the movie, but the characters are lifeless and somehow you do not get attached to them. I just sat back and watched how those readings that I used to like in school came to life visually but I hardly laughed at the jokes and gags, they were too childish and repetitive. Another misconception was that characters, specially Mortadelo, should talk rapidly and with an unvaried tone (actually, acting was kind of poor). During the film, I didn't even understand what they were saying and I guess I should wait to see it in tv to get most of their lines. I prefer P.Tinto, Fesser's first movie, it has the same good visual effects, but, at least, there is some heart in the characters and you get a little more interested in the plot.

"La Gran aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón" or "Clever & Smart", which the comic and movie are called in Austria and Germany had a major flaw for me. The German dubbed version sucked. Unfortunately, Erkan & Stefan, two horrible German "comedians" were allowed to do the voices for Mortadelo and Filemón and they didn't get the humour right at all. Since the DVD didn't include an accurate translation in the subtitles, either, I could not experience this movie the way it was supposed to be.

Of course, this is hardly the fault of the original filmmakers. Visually this movie is stunning and hilarious. The most amazing thing is that the characters really resemble the ones in the comic books, which I wouldn't have thought was possible. The special effects are top notch and help to create that same anarchic atmosphere from Ibanez' work (I loved how they even let weird things happen in the background, just like in the comic books). As a longtime fan I do have a few complaints (The whole thing is a bit too violent at times and the language is unnecessarily rude - if that wasn't just another mistake in translation. The landscapes and locations didn't really look the way they did in the comic books. Also, isn't Filemón supposed to be mostly bald? Isn't he kind of the boss in Filemón and Mortadelo's partnership and isn't he a bit grumpier than in the movie?).

However, most of all I'm really pleasantly surprised about how well the makers translated Ibanez' world into a movie. It's all the more surprising since Mortadelo y Filemón comic books were never really about gripping story lines, so the premise wasn't the most promising one. In fact, the movie does drag on quite a bit, but I blame the German dubbing for that. I'm sure it's a lot funnier in the original version. It's really a pity the people responsible for the dubbing couldn't get the translation right. This way the movie is never going to make it big in German speaking countries and I'm never going to find out how good it really is.

Mortadelo & Filemon's first film (and may be not the last because it's going to be a success) is just great. Transforming the comic into a movie was a really hard job, but Javier Fesser has accomplished it very well; the comic's gags, humour and constant violence is here, helped by convincing and hilarious special effects (there are many!); it's a mix between Fesser's humour (shown in El Milagro de P. Tinto) and Francisco Ibáñez one.

The comics are quite known, specially around Europe, and of course, in Spain. However, whether you know them or not, it doesn't matter because its fun for everyone, all ages! The movie isn't based in any of the comics, but takes several elements from their first long comic, El Sulfato Atomico (1968), but there are many other references. Benito Pocino and Pepe Viyuela are excellent in their parts; Pocino doesn't perform. He IS Mortadelo. And he does his job fairly well. Viyuela isn't as similar as the comic's Filemon but has the exact psycology, and I think he does the best performance in the film. The other supporting actors, like Janfri Topera (as Prof. Bacterio) and Mariano Venacio (as the Superintendent), are almost identic, and you do really believe that it's the comic translated to the screen. Dominique Pinon plays Fredy Mazas, an invented character, hilariously.

There are other funny characters like Rompetechos and the people in 13 Rue del Percebe, that have great cameos in this film. It is, as Francisco Ibáñez (the creator of the comic) said, the comic as a movie. It's really imaginative, with many original ideas and things (like Prof. Bacterio's cool inventions)

Finally, must say that the special effects are simply amazing, and really believale (they don't look cheesy or fake), the best in spanish movies, and there are so many details that it's impossible to see them all if you see it only once; there are lots of gags and funny details that you won't notice at first sight, so look sharp!

Very entertaining movie, you laugh your pants off ***1/2 of ****

This film depicts the exploits of two comic characters highly popular in Spain, Mortadelo and Filemon. They are secret agents able to ruin the most simple mission.

This movie was too childish to me. Though the visual jokes are occasionally amusing, several of them are repeated too frequently. Did the writer run out of ideas after 5 minutes? Expect just the most basic humor.

The special effects effort is commendable. However, you cannot rely in that only. A good movie require other elements such as a script.

Here in Spain it has been heavily publicized, what can explain an initial success but I'm afraid that many will be disappointed.

Anyway, if you liked "El milagro de P. Tinto" you might like this.