Mabel Munoz
Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
Tobias Burrows
It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
Edwin
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
MartinusExLullesdorp
As some other previous writer I do not intend to spoil contents but nevertheless it may happen. Therefore I checked the spoiler alert. 1) I slowly but surely learn not to expect a movie being exactly like the book. So I was able to enjoy "Lord of the Rings" which I have read once every year in full for several years There are movies like "The Stand". The novel written by Steven King. I never felt more content in a movie with in-depth knowledge of the bookNow Krabat: They changed the time back to the 30 year war (No sweat) They left out scenes like the sorcerer fight "Meister" vs "Pumphutt" (to bad) They changed a real funny scene when the soldiers come to press the boys into the Prussian army to a real bad Ridley Scottisch (I have stolen this comparison) fight with too fast and bad made fighting scenes. (Very bad) They left out a visit of Krabat and the "Meister" in Dresden, which should show Krabat what power being a sorcerer would give him (unlucky) They missed the new mill wheel, which is not a big deal. There are some other thing they changed, but not to the bad.2) I expected no good, but I was driven by knowing the book and I wanted to see how they would interpret it. The movie feels like the book. Starting somewhat easy it gains a lot of tension up to the end. Although I knew what would have to happen I was gripped by it. 3) They got me with the music which was really good and fitted with a great scenery. What a landscape, what pictures. Just for that I'd go again.4) I'm no good at rating the acting but Christian Redl did an outstanding job. The Meister was just a bit too fatherly. I felt as if the boys where just fallen out of the book. The Kantorka was somewhat too maiden, not cool enough and too bodily. Tonda should have been more chiseled. (They missed him having total white hair within one day.) All in all the acting was quite persuasive.5) Music again. I was deep into the movie and still sat with a racing heart when "Allein, Allein" came up. It's like getting a load of ice cold water on a your fevered body. I never ever have been so disgusted.Conclusion: Well, a movie is a movie and as much people see it as much opinions are available.I do not expect a movie being the book. This one is well done, better than most German movies (Besides for instance you like "Das Boot". This is one VERY good movie sequel) Krabat takes you away if you allow it to. It delivers real nice landscape pictures and mostly good to very good acting and persuasive characters.If you like it philosophical, just look for other comments. There's a lot of deep thinking in this novel of Preussler and I have seldom found movies which really transport the in-depth meaning of their basic story (besides for instance "Schindlers Liste")I say: go and relish it, regardless whether you know the book. (Close your eyes through a certain fight though and your ears during the credits if you don't leave the move when credits start, like most people nowadays do)rgds
Alamarena
(I will keep this as spoiler-free as I can, mostly checked the box to be on the safe side).I loved this book when I was younger (I'm in my mid-20s now) and I played the part of the "Master" in a school play one year, so I have a bit of a connection with the story and was very looking forward to seeing this movie. Overall, I have to say it was decent, but nothing to knock my socks off (7 out of 10). They did have to compress a lot of the action, and a lot of the character development suffers (Krabat's evolving from ambitious prize student to somewhat suspicious to doing his own thing), though this is always a problem with book adaptations and not generally something I blame them for. I do have issues with parts of the story that are outright changed, but not necessarily for the better. While I go back and forth on the showdown scene, the previously mentioned "soldiers" scene is absolutely terrible. As a suggestion, the events that lead to Tonda's having gray hair could have been covered in a brief flashback (they don't actually occur during Krabat's time at the mill, anyway), and made room for something else. The acting is very good, especially on the parts of Brühl and Redl; the main character is a bit annoying (he goes from blank-faced boy to angry rebel, skipping the more insightful aspects of Krabat's character -and one of his lines towards the end of the movie was so cheesy I wanted to punch him for it). Scenery and music were nice if a bit Lord of the Rings-esquire (the "Gevatter" was totally a Ringwraith before he turned into Emperor Palpatine and the Kantorka had some initial backup from Enya it seemed), though I'll have to agree on the cliché medieval fantasy bit (especially the bad teeth looked fake). I would not recommend this movie for people who have not read and enjoyed the book, but for those who have, it's quite worthwhile to see, despite all.
Sven P.
Went to see the movie yesterday.I have been a fan of the krabat-book since i was young and the film ,made by Zeman, made me some kind of fanatic and it seems i am not the only one.I read a lot of critics about this films. Other people like me, being disappointed what they made of the book, but as a real fan you have to see it all, even if it breaks your heart. In fact i cannot share most of the bad reviews about it. It is not a literature film, but i does not intend to be it. When you keep that in mind it was entertaining, more like the "Hollywood"-Version of the book.OK! The behavior in the film of the boys is not affected by fear, as described in the book and they are more like individuals, than a band of lost souls. The acting could have been better of some actors, but Daniel Brühl and some others kept the level very high to the point of his characters death. For the rest the story was very close to the book, so it held itself. I think it is important to show their despair and they did with the suicide scene, which is also in the book. The only thing i really did not like was the fighting scene in the middle of the movie, which is not in the book. I could hardly watch it. Very fast and the picture seemed to be broken. It was very eye- and mind hurting for me. Some funny, important scenes from the book are left out, which might have done the movie good. Why they use Magic is not explained in the movie and the master is more like a father figure, then the all evil in the book. If they did, then movie would have been a mess. The book tells, that they learn Magic to trick other people, to rob them, to betray them, to gain power over them, which is very tempting. It is more like an allegory for the youth in the third Reich. The movie is more like the youth in the 30-years war and their search for a home, a base, at all costs.But they kept the main aspect. Power can lead you on the wrong way and everything has its price. This is important.
patrickgamer
I went to see this last night at the Toronto Film Festival. My wife picked it out, and I had expected it to be a silly kid's flick about magic and I was happily surprised. Krabat turned out to be a very good movie.It is not at all cheesy or goofy. I found the screenplay well written, the acting was impressive, and the plot that keeps you engaged. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a change of pace from American fantasy flicks.The basic story takes place at the end of the 30 years war in Germany. It focuses on a young orphan named Krabat. I won't give any more details, except to say that it's an interesting twist on the idea of magic.I'm not saying it's a 10/10 (I gave it 9) there are a few inconsistencies in the film, but they exist outside the main line of the story, and you don't notice them until after the credits are finished.
