Hababam Sinifi: Askerde

One of the modern reboots of a classic series, based on the novel by Rıfat Ilgaz, that first appeared in the late Seventies. The material will seem extremely familiar to non-Turkish viewers, with strong echoes of chaotic classroom comedies such as the ST. TRINIANS saga, and British black-and-white National Service satires such as ORDERS ARE ORDERS (1954) and most notably CARRY ON SERGEANT (1958).

The comedy opens with Bedri the Lunatic (Mehmet Ali Erbil) being outwitted once again by his anarchic group of mature learners. He has acid placed on his head teacher's chair that burns through his pants and leaves his bottom bare. He walks out of school to a chorus of laughter. In revenge he decides to send the whole class on National Service, even though technically they should have left school before they are eligible for this.

There follows a series of gags based on the familiar theme of the incompetent squaddies bossed about by their sergeant (Erbil again). The chief comic conceit is that the learners think the sergeant is actually Bedri the Lunatic in disguise, and cannot take him seriously. They only learn to do so when Bedri unexpectedly turns up at the barracks, claiming that he has missed his class too much.

The comedy is quite old-fashioned, with several gags based around the squaddies ogling their female counterparts in a fashion reminiscent of Benny Hill. There is also a battle-of-the-sexes theme, as the sergeant resents the presence of female squaddies in the barracks under the command of Major Zehra (Hülya Avşar). His antediluvian prejudices are soon put to shame, however, as the girls outwit the boys in a night exercise.

HABABAM SINIFI: ASKERLİK is nonetheless interesting, if only for its underlying nationalist preoccupations. We see several shots of the Turkish flag in the background, as well as the portrait of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Right at the end a soldier is seen in medium close- up giving the kind of cheer-leading speech that would encourage soldiers to fight in their country's cause, and thereby fulfill Atatürk's vision of a great nation.

The film ends with a surprise twist, but this does not undermine its underlying emphasis on the importance of everyone forming a community so as to ensure their future irrespective of gender differences.

First i want to explain what is the "HABABAM SINIFI" for people who have never watch any of "HABABAM SINIFI" films.It is a story about a class of students in high school who are call themselves "HABABAM SINIFI".They have been in this class for years.They making bad jokes to their teachers and other students.In fact they are very good persons when they are alone. But if they are together you rather find a place to hide.Each character has different properties that can make laugh you.In Turkey every young student knows the story of "HABABAM SINIFI" and they try to be like them.

Older films are the best comedy films i have ever watch.But i can not say it for these new editions.If you watched older films about "HABABAM SINIFI" then you think this is the worst "HABABAM SINIFI" ever. I think this film has made for money only. You can only laugh in two or three scene.The scenario is very bad.It is no sense.If you watch this film i guarantee that you will have a lot of questions in your mind that nobody can answer. I think the worst performance is belong to "Mehmet Ali Alabora".Don't loose your time to watch this film. The only good thing for the film is the performance of Peker Acikalin (Sayko). Maybe we can never watch a good "HABABAM SINIFI" again without "KEMAL SUNAL".

Ferdi Egilmez, the son of the legendary director Ertem Egilmez, has proved in his debut as director, that he is capable of producing a first class comedy, where the audience gets tears in their eyes while laughing.

Hillariously funny... Full of surprises.

The film will definitely overrun the success of "Hababam Sinifi Merhaba (2004)".

It is very encouraging to see that the new episodes of the Hababam movies follow the path of the first one, which is already a cult in Turkish cinema.

A must see.

Ahmet Sen Hamburg/ Germany

Represents all that fails about the Turkish Cinema of the 2000s. Cheap sexploitation, a cast of randomly assembled semi-talented and semi- famous actors (and non-actors), a series of randomly scattered simplistic pop references, a non-realistic plot which could be written by a 10 year old as summer homework, appeals perhaps only to the kidults who long for their wasted high school years in search of a daydreaming flashback moment.

Lacks the charm, ingenuity and authentic warmth of the original series as well as the chemistry of the original cast which made it work as well as it did. Wasting the memory of a franchise for a quick buck isn't something I'd put past Turkish producers but one expects at least a modicum of care for a piece of work that you put your name on. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Just that horrible, don't waste your time watching it if you're over 12 years old and even if you are there are much better flicks worthy of your time.

Hababam Sinifi Askerde is the second remake/sequel of the 1970s hit films adapted from the great Turkish satire writer Rifat Ilgaz' novel. The original series, with its good and bad moments, was a bunch of heart-warming stories in the memories of many. This, on the other hand, is nothing but an abomination attempting to capitalize on that old, naive memory.

Nothing about this movie is worth the slightest amount of praise except occasional moments when individual actors do something right to get a slight smile from the audience. There is almost no sophisticated comic effort or clever twist, just blatant swearing and fart-jokes targeting the lowest-level intelligence. The cast list is one full of inexplicably popular but painfully talentless names, and Kemal Kenan Ergen fails to produce a script worthy of the late grand master Rifat Ilgaz.