La gran aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón

Funny flick plenty of offbeat characters , haunting mood-pieces , fun scenes and sense of style but not totally satisfactory , including conventional pitfalls . Entertaining picture, fundamental for lovers of "Comic" and "Tebeos" and it has the highest budget for digital special effects film in the history of Spanish cinema . A dangerous invention has been stolen to professor "Bacterio" (Janfri Topera) , it is a device that ends in the hands of a crazy dictator named "Calimero el Tirano" (Paco Sagárzazu), and ready to use it . The Head of the organization of counterintelligence T. I. A. (it stands for "Técnicos de Investigación Aeroterráquea", Technicians of Aero-ground Investigation. 'TIA' is Spanish for 'aunt', a joke on the U.N.C.L.E. series) : the Súper (Mariano Venancio) wants to recover it but he knows that it should not call Mortadelo and Filemón , so it sends the case to a boaster detective called Freddy Mazas (Dominique Pinon) so that recover the invention , but Freddy is bribed by the dictator Tirano . Two bungler agents decide to investigate the case for their own means , these agents are "Mortadelo" (Benito Pocino), and "Filemón" (Pepe Viyuela) . Along the way they go to 13 Rue Percebe where appears Rompetechos (Emilio Gavira). As the front of the building collapses, the interiors of the different apartments are just like those in "13, Rue del Percebe", another famous comic by Francisco Ibáñez.

This amusing film packs thrills , action , comic situations , tongue-in-cheek , surrealist comedy including conventional pitfalls and many other things . The adaptation to the cinema of the popular characters of Spanish comic of F.Ibáñez got a huge box office hit smash , grossing as one of the biggest successes in the history of Spanish cinema with more than 4,750,000 spectators and almost 22 million Euros . Plot of the film is based on comic stories 'El Sulfato Atómico', 'Safari Callejero', 'Chapeau el Esmirriau' and 'Valor y Al Toro'. After more than four decades entertaining through the comics, the most known couple of detectives are brought to life by means of the big screen . It was clear from the beginning the complexity to transfer a comic book to cinema ; however director Fesser gets a good rendition about our unforgettable memories of childhood. That is the major asset of this film, along with a beloved tribute to other characters of Ibáñez as the inhabitants of "13 Rue del Percebe" or "Rompetechos" . As the 13 Rue Del Percebe scene is based on an Francisco Ibáñez drawing which satirized Spanish society . Javier Fesser, without ostentatious means , gets to mingle some easily recognizable moments about the veterans agents of the "T. I. A. " with others of pure and exclusive comedy along with absurd events . The actors faithfully represent their characters and not to leave out of place the viewer at any time . Exaggerated accidents in a nonsensical world created by the great F. Ibáñez , embarrassing situations , the beating , shaking , falls, highlight sequences as when "Mortadelo" and "Filemón" trying to capture "El Matraca" , "Tirania" scenes..., all of them through some breathtaking special effects.

Magnificent production design by César Macarrón and colorful cinematography by Xavi Giménez . "La Gran Aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón " is undoubtedly a faithful as well as nicely representation of the comics of F. Ibañez in the big screen . Including self-homages : as near the end, at the parade, a poster on the wall says "Ibañez for President" , Francisco Ibáñez is the creator of the Mortadelo and Filemón cartoon characters . The motion picture was well directed by Javier Fesser , though he overdoes the same premise , the craziness and abstract humor carried out by the famous couple created by Francisco Ibañez . The film was the second job of Javier Fesser as director while maintaining the quality of his previous film, "El Milagro de P. Tinto". Fesser shows us that surrealist and absurd humor applied to the characters created by the great cartoonist and creator F. Ibáñez . Fesser has gotten translate the "comics" with all its details and adapt, at the same time, on his own ideas . It's a movie impossible to understand for those outside the comic and veterans readers of the former "Tebeos" in Spain . Writer/Actor/ Director Javier Fesser was born in 1964 in Madrid . He is a writer and actor, and along his brother Guillermo Fesser forms the Radio comical group ¨Gomaespuma¨ , both of them have written and directed some amusing films , such as : The miracle of P. Tinto (1998), Cándida (2006) and this ¨The great adventure of Mortadelo y Filemón¨ (2003)

Mortadelo & Filemon's first film (and may be not the last because it's going to be a success) is just great. Transforming the comic into a movie was a really hard job, but Javier Fesser has accomplished it very well; the comic's gags, humour and constant violence is here, helped by convincing and hilarious special effects (there are many!); it's a mix between Fesser's humour (shown in El Milagro de P. Tinto) and Francisco Ibáñez one.

The comics are quite known, specially around Europe, and of course, in Spain. However, whether you know them or not, it doesn't matter because its fun for everyone, all ages! The movie isn't based in any of the comics, but takes several elements from their first long comic, El Sulfato Atomico (1968), but there are many other references. Benito Pocino and Pepe Viyuela are excellent in their parts; Pocino doesn't perform. He IS Mortadelo. And he does his job fairly well. Viyuela isn't as similar as the comic's Filemon but has the exact psycology, and I think he does the best performance in the film. The other supporting actors, like Janfri Topera (as Prof. Bacterio) and Mariano Venacio (as the Superintendent), are almost identic, and you do really believe that it's the comic translated to the screen. Dominique Pinon plays Fredy Mazas, an invented character, hilariously.

There are other funny characters like Rompetechos and the people in 13 Rue del Percebe, that have great cameos in this film. It is, as Francisco Ibáñez (the creator of the comic) said, the comic as a movie. It's really imaginative, with many original ideas and things (like Prof. Bacterio's cool inventions)

Finally, must say that the special effects are simply amazing, and really believale (they don't look cheesy or fake), the best in spanish movies, and there are so many details that it's impossible to see them all if you see it only once; there are lots of gags and funny details that you won't notice at first sight, so look sharp!

Very entertaining movie, you laugh your pants off ***1/2 of ****

The Adventures of Mortadello and Filemon is one of those guilty pleasures you never admit seeing (even twice) or enjoying; but surely most of your friends did the same.

Based on a successful Spanish comic, and transformed to the big screen for a J. Fesser, a guy whose previous credit,several years ago, was another mad comedy (with different stile) called `The P Tinto Miracle' . It was a light comedy about two completely innocent people and how the world barely affected them.

This time, Fesser created the funniest movie in years; and I am not talking smiles but gross, uncomfortably, belly laughs. If you are in for sophisticated comedy, look elsewhere. This movie has only one goal, to make you have an excellent time and mostly succeed.

The most amazing thing here, is that this movie relays heavily on special and digital effects which are perfectly used and of excellent quality. Hollywood and George Lucas please take note, this is a Spanish production with a budget about one tenth of any Hollywood project.

The hundreds of special effects are use to create visual gangs, some of the absolutely brilliant. There are so many in the first fifteen minutes, that when the movie tones down you are already addicted.

The story (not really important) is something like this:

A small time crook robs an Army Depressive Gun (applied to soldiers, they get so depressed that they do not want to fight any more) and tries to sell it to a dictator on a country call TYRANNIA. The ultra secret organization TIA (this means aunt in English) assigns a French (or American) secret agent (played by Dominique Pinon from Amelie) to recover it. Jealous, Filemon and Mortadello try to do the same, creating a lot of absurd situations. This is A COMIC, logic is out of the equation. Every situation is a gang (darker, lighter, childish or plain stupid) and most of them really deliver.

As an additional note, the movie, just premiered in his homeland, Spain, classified like PG or General Audiences. The humor is dark sometimes and a few times sexual oriented, but I do not think any kid could understand most of those jokes; so cleverly the creators made, a movie that could be see by kids and adults all of them having a fun time in a different level.

However, probably because European kids seems to be more prepared than American, I wont be surprised if this movie (if ever distributed) gets an `R' rating or several cuts.

I note this, because most good or at least "commercial" foreign movies usually get the worse ratings ("R") or released "UN-RATED" which limit their commercial success. This is done by the MPAA in order to protect Hollywood industry and market, but also limiting culture and knowledge coming from another countries. As an example, a movie like "8 FEMMES "(an important success almost any country) was classified as `R' even when there is no sex, or violence not even dirty talk. However a movie like CHICAGO (a really good movie ) were sex, betrayal and no moral message got a PG-13 (I guess because is musical).

Final advise, release yourself of the crisis and pay a visit to `Mortadello and Filemon' you wont regret it

The adaptation of Francisco Ibañez's comics is, no doubts, impeccable. Perhaps some people won't like it as much as I did, but I had great fun with this film, since there is a very funny gags mixture, where there is something outlandish and nonsensical every 30 seconds, typical of Fesser's movies. I also have to say that things that look normal in the comics, may seem nonsense in the film, that's another component that I liked. As I said before, there might be people who don't like it because it has the humor of "Torrente", but the film is exceptional, especially because of the visual effects. It is important to point out that the DVD is for sale already, where there are 2 discs with the movie and tons of extra content, so if you liked it you shouldn't miss it.

This movie has surprisingly good visual effects for a low budget Spanish movie, compared to Hollywood productions, but it is a very boring movie. It is a good adaptation from the comic book as most of the elements of the "tebeo" actually are well depicted in the movie, but the characters are lifeless and somehow you do not get attached to them. I just sat back and watched how those readings that I used to like in school came to life visually but I hardly laughed at the jokes and gags, they were too childish and repetitive. Another misconception was that characters, specially Mortadelo, should talk rapidly and with an unvaried tone (actually, acting was kind of poor). During the film, I didn't even understand what they were saying and I guess I should wait to see it in tv to get most of their lines. I prefer P.Tinto, Fesser's first movie, it has the same good visual effects, but, at least, there is some heart in the characters and you get a little more interested in the plot.