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Will Hutchins (as Sugarcoat Tom Brewster) is not one's idea of a leading man, action hero or western star, but maybe that doesn't matter. His boyish charm is no different from Peter Falk's charade as Columbo or Peter Seller's nonsense as The Pink Panther. What makes the show fun is its humor (often passed off as naivety), the on-location scenery, and the appearance of many of the well-known character actors of the time, along with guest stars long before they reached their prime.

The story lines are unusual. Some are touching, some violent, and many offer a message in morality and justice (the lead character is an extremely moral and just person). Some nice bits of history are thrown in, too, with references to the prejudices of the time, including toward Indians (Native Americans) and Blacks. And the treatment of women; many of the episodes feature strong women.

All in all, justice prevails--as you would expect--but the stories leave the viewer feeling good.

I speak only a little German, so there was a lot in "Wunderland" that I didn't understand. But having been to "Miniatur Wunderland" (Miniature Wonderland) in Hamburg, Germany, I had a clear idea of what they were talking about. It helps that I love the place and consider it one of the top man-made wonders in the world. The film, expertly directed, beautifully photographed and superbly edited, does it proud in showing off some of the extraordinary creations within this miniature land, one in which they are continually adding continents and countries; The Guinness Book of Records lists it as the largest miniature railway in the world. The opening sequence in the film is in itself spectacular.

But the story is fascinating as well. How two twin-brothers who grew up as best friends imagined and created such a fantastical world is a precious story. And can serve as an inspiration. The details are incredible--in Miniature Wunderland's actual layouts as in the film--and there are lots of special moments shared with the viewers: regrets voiced by the brothers' father, the reason behind the graves being shown in one of the church scenes, the collaboration with an Argentinian group of artisans, to name a few.

Miniatur Wunderland has always been a place not to miss. Now there is a film about it that counts also as a must-see. The film is in German (with some Spanish with German voice-over), but, curiously, the end credits were in English, suggesting that maybe the film exists somewhere with English subtitles. If not, it should!

Maybe years from now in the updated biographies of the two superb actors, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman, someone will explain how these two stars could have allowed this production to be released with their names as executive producers. I love the work of these two men, so it pains me to say the movie showcases the worst performance I have ever seen from either of them. Maybe it's not all their fault, since they had an awful script to work with, and the jagged direction of Stephen Hopkins was uninspired in its missed attempts at being artsy. Nothing felt real about this film--to such an extent that I wondered at one point if they were doing a parody--and viewers were not drawn to, or otherwise interested in, any of the characters. Sorry, but the film is just unwatchable.