Ein Käfer gibt Vollgas

SUPERBUG--SECRET AGENT is, I believe, the second of five films in this German SUPERBUG series, which is a takeoff on the HERBIE films of Disney, but which foreshadows KNIGHT RIDER in many ways. The English-dubbed version of this film is what I saw, and it is dubbed in a cartoon-like way that is in keeping with the cartoon-like feel of the film. In fact, on the level of being a "spy" film, this plays out a lot like a Scooby-Doo cartoon, but with live actors and real locations (Portugal, quite lovely and well-filmed!). There is much Stooges/Bowery Boys-style slapstick, and even the usually suave Joachim Fuchsberger (star of many fine Edgar Wallace thrillers in the 60s) finds himself mugging as if he's in an Edgar Kennedy comedy short. Superbug's owner, Jimmy Bondi (played by Robert Mark, who also directed and wrote the film under his real name), is a laid-back unshaven fellow with a cowboy hat, making him a relatively "safe" hero for a children's film. As another comment stated, this film is also quite reminiscent of the Terence Hill-Bud Spencer comedies of the 70s and 80s, with sound effects in the fight scenes and quirky semi-lounge music that immediately cries "foreign" to an American audience. Overall, I found this film quite entertaining as an adult...if you like lowbrow comedy and nice Portuguese locations. Think "a live action Scooby-Doo made in Germany, entertainingly dubbed in English" and you should have a good idea what SUPERBUG--SECRET AGENT has to offer.

No pun intended - this is not classical German cinema ... this is not a movie that you can hold up to high standards ... this however is a movie that will or rather might work for (young) kids! Taking the Herbie formula (which funnily enough like the Chucky franchise, did not start off calling itself Herbie, but rather Love Bug - kinda lovely I reckon) and mixing it with a bit of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill movies.

No real danger - from criminals that are so low IQ, you wonder how they are even able to exist. But they are here to make the kids laugh ... and maybe you if you have fond memories of watching this when you were little. Very silly to say the least, but I know the humor worked for me as kid.

Again suspend your disbelief, go on a ride with Dudu, who had quite a few upgrades (I wonder if James Bonds Q had any influence here) ... and you get quite the mixture of so many movies, it is hard to tell them all apart. Add a really good actor (Fuchsberger) and a hot blonde (for the "older" male audience) ... and you have a winning formula ... well at least not a losing one.

This is the second of the series and probably the best - at least it feels like it to me - but suspension of disbelief is quite necessary ...

The second of five movies director Rudolf Zehetgruber made about a yellow Volkswagen beetle with many gadgets. He played the driver Jimmy Bondi himself under the stage name Robert Mark, but the real star of this movie is Joachim Fuchsberger. Fuchsberger plays Plato, a police agent who is investigating in disguise against gangsters, while Jimmy Bondi just happens to be around and decides to support a bit with Dudu's special powers - which have grown enormously since the first movie. Dudu can now kick enemies unconscious with his movable front lights, for example, or let intruders rotate in his seat. Everything is done in a comedy vein with a memorable running joke: one of the gangsters saying "You think I'm stupid, but I'm not!" while regularly falling into the trap, nevertheless. To me it's the funniest of the 5 movies. I voted 4-7-6-5-3 for the series.

The direct sequel of "Ein Käfer geht aufs Ganze", which took place in Africa. "Ein Käfer gibt Vollgas" begins with Dudu's (Jimmy Bondie's computer-bug) arrival at the Algarve having swam from Dar-es-Salaam to south Portugal. There Bondie accidentally meets with Plato, some kind of an secret international cop, fighting some bad guys. Dudu, who's programmed to fight back when he's insulted, beats all the villains.

Bondie is in this film a member of "General Service", an underground foundation which accepts any mission which does not violate the law. Bondie, his team (Maggie and Cyril) and of course Dudu help Plato to fight the Gangster-Boss Senor Marchese de la Sota and his men, who are searching for the missing hallmark stamp to produce fake money.

The film is full of action and cheap but astonishing special effects and has a cool story with many German popular actors of the 70ies. E.g. Joachim Fuchsberger (Plato) who was a famous show-master in Germany and actor of most Edgar Wallace detective movies. Also Heidi Hansen (Tamara)who was known by every German in the 70ies, because she always acted in German 70ies music hit films.

The soundtrack of the movie is groovy and the punch-sound effects are like those from the Bud Spencer and Terence Hill films! I'm surprised that this typical German movie was shown in other countries, too. I recognize that it is considered as trash by not-Germans, because it is trash!!!! But good trash!!!!

In the 1970s, German filmmakers - obviously inspired by the huge success of the Disney movie THE LOVE BUG - made several movies about another Beetle with extraordinary abilities. Though this one was painted yellow instead of white, and was computer-powered instead of having a magical personality. This entry in the series, SUPERBUG: SUPER AGENT, is one of the better entries of the series, though if you have seen all of the movies in this series as I have, you'll know that's not saying much.

The main problem I had with the movie was that for the most part it was boring. You would think that this super car would be prominent throughout the movie, but it's actually less prominent than you'd think. There are actually large chunks of the movie where the car is offscreen. Most of the part is focused on some unfunny gangsters up to stuff that as an adult I found both boring and confusing. I can only imagine that kids - who are the primary audience for this movie - will be in agony watching it.

When the car IS in the movie, it's kind of disappointing. There are a couple of okay slapstick fights where the car beats up some human goons, but as for the rest of the car footage, the movie strangely focuses on the car floating on water over and over and over and over and over and over again.

The movie does showcase Portugal somewhat, something I have never seen in a movie (Hollywood or otherwise) before. But overall the movie is not one I would recommend you seek out, on TV or DVD. Speaking of the (American) DVD for the movie, it uses a crummy-looking print (as they did for the other SUPERBUG movies they also released here) that is bleeped for rough language and is missing some footage I remember seeing when I watched the movie on TV years earlier.