A Academia do Sr. Kleks

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.

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 😉

I'm a big fan of all 'magic academies' in any regards, in both book and film form: Harry Potter, Miss Peregrine, Charlie Bone, amongst others. Unlike the previous three, I went into this without any prior knowledge of the franchise. Imagine Harry Potter mixing in Narnia for this.

It's got spirit, the potential for the series and obvious draw are there. The effects and setting are great too, on par with American production - you could even see what was happening in the darker scenes.

This film falls when it comes to story sadly. It's a mess with little consistency. Sure, I understood the broad strokes of the story and what the characters wished to do, however, that was it. Characters rarely, barring three exceptions, grew or made me fully attached to their progression. Locations and world building came out of nowhere and I got lost trying to remember which characters to care for.

Major potential and a contender to join the magical school success is cut short by odd editing choices and a poorly plotted story. Like others have mentioned, I'd be interested to see the director's cut.

I've watched with sentiments of my childhood.

However despite all that in era of brilliant Fx I expect more. Origigal plot was far from also music terrible.

I believe with opportunity presented and wonderful story with sentimental backgrounds for dozens of people in poland🇵🇱 creater reviled 30% of potential.

If in future they decide to create podroze pana kleksa (Voyage of kleks) im hoping they rethink to use original soundtrack. Nevertheless I truly wish them good luck.

For those wondering what I m talking about you can watching original movies on YouTube but don't think about fx it self. 🤔

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.