Momo

Momo is a fantastic fantasy movie. Written by the legendary writer of the Never-ending Story, Michael Ende, who takes us into the world of a little orphan who is set out to save the world. Love, a big heart, courage are the weapons she needs to save her little Italian village from time. This movie is just magical. This is a must see for my children, there is just way too much wiseness told to miss out on.

Beautiful images of an Italian village, a heart-warming story and great acting by Adorf, Mueller-Stahl, charming little Radost Bokel and the less known actors make this the ideal family movie. The Men in Grey, Master Hora and turtle Cassiopeia add depth to the plot, so you are free to read it as a warning of the neo-liberal episode we're in, with multinational trusts sucking the living soul out of everyone who falls for their false promises. You might even get an advice on how to overcome it -- if you want to.

Had Fassbinder lived long enough and had he not been as kaputt, he might have made this movie. Had Wenders understood a thing, he might have done it. Thanks to little-known director Johannes Schaaf at least one of Michael Ende's novels, Momo, has been adequately transformed into a great movie.

The most positive thing I can say about this movie is that it adheres to the book very faithfully and it is not an unapologetic butchery like The Neverending Story. Apparently Michael Ende oversaw the film himself (he plays a cameo role at the beginning) and made sure it was not tinkered with. However, whether because of his lack of film experience or despite his watchful eye, this film is extremely uncreative. At its best, which is extremely rare, it's how you imagined it. At its worst, if you've already read the book, it is frankly boring to watch and may disrupt the fancies of your imagination: I never imagined Momo with an afro, myself. The special effects don't go that far beyond stage play level and certainly don't live up to Ende's mind-sparking descriptions. This movie has not been released with proper English subtitles, and it's not worth the trouble obtaining illicit versions. Read the book, think for yourself, and enjoy some other movie on the same theme.

The first hour of Momo is an adorable orphan and her adorable turtle are beloved by a small German town. Maybe a little more than an hour, actually.

The last act is high fantasy beyond Terry Gilliam, Kafka, and Dr Seuss. It's just stunningly beautiful with a speculative fiction (as opposed to sci-fi) plot that is wholly original. And so dang cool in every way.

1998's Dark City (which failed badly despite being quite nifty) is very much based on Momo. It's from the author of The Neverending Story, if that means anything to you. It's kinda boring for a while and then it's briefly, at it's end, one of the best things.

(There's a YouTube video titled "momo Ave Maria" if you want to skip the film and just see the tasty candy from it.)

One of the best movies for children and (as others said) adults as well! The story is very interesting as it is true that people have less and less time for the truly important stuff in life. Another good point about this movie is the fact that the evil is displayed without a lot of violence, and it is still thrilling to watch.

Radost Bokel plays Momo very well and I love the turtle

As a kid I enjoyed watching this and as an adult I still do.

Good stuff 9/10