Movie of the week: “(T)Raumschiff Surprise: Periode 1″.
SPOILERS!
I’m kind of aware not many people outside German speaking countries will ever get to see this movie, and it’s probably best that way – j/k, if you get the chance, watch it (if only to see that Germans do have a sense of humor :P ). However I’m not sure how well the German puns translate into your language…

The plot is short and not overly complicated: in 2304, the colonists from Mars come back to invade the Earth, and in order to prevent that from happening, the Earth’s council sends the Surprise’s crew (Spucky and Kork) back in time and by chance, Princess Metapha and a taxi driver called Rock join them. Since the sofa / time machine doesn’t work properly, they land in 1304 instead and have to fight knights and some very dimwitted royalty before they can make a run again. The sofa / time machine spits them out in the Wild West this time, no step further to the solution of their mission than before. Plus they are being followed by Jens Maul, their nemesis asthmatic first hand on a moped / time machine. Will Spucky and Kork ever be able to enjoy a piece of cheese cream cake on the bridge of their ship? And will Rock win Princess Metapha’s heart and save the Earth on the way?

Oh yes, they are and yes, he will but with a little help from his new friends. I know I should be frowning upon the depiction of gays in such a stereotypical way but I can’t – they are just too funny :P ! The “Miss Wakiki” pageant thing was maybe a bit much but that’s more a sign of the increased use of musical numbers for no specific reason – I could have lived without Santa Maria’s rheumatism blanket commercial song :roll: . Effeminate as the Surprise’s crew may be depicted, they are also very sympathetic and have the audience on their side. The gay men I know didn’t feel insulted by their counterparts on the screen because they don’t see themselves that way, and I can only agree. I still see the danger of many straight people, who don’t know any gay persons, believing that all gays are like that… but then again, that’s not really Bully’s fault, he’s just enforcing the stereotype. If fairy behavior is becoming en vogue because of it, I won’t complain ;) .

The script has some flaws but is overall surprisingly coherent, with just enough respect for its characters to gently make fun of them. The scenes in space look great and certainly can compete with almost any other recent Hollywood space adventure. The rest of the sets is a bit simpler, though the Wild West town is also nicely done. Costumes are good though whoever thought mud brown is a color to be used for body suits was seriously misguided… I was especially impressed by the black knight’s armor, but Spucky’s and Kork’s Wild West garment looked very um, tight in the wrong places ;) , and William the Last’s blouse (or whatever he was wearing) reminded me of candy paper. The director’s use of music was obviously very well thought through, and though (see above) some musical numbers were a bit tedious, on the whole the score pleases the ear. Rick Kavanian does a wonderful job of playing three roles – that is, one whole and two ½ because Schrotty and Pulle get little to do, especially in the second half of the movie. His Jens Maul however is really a great character, driveling like a ferret and thoroughly unsympathetic. Till Schweiger and Anja Kling are doing good work, but whenever they are in a scene together with either Spucky or Kork, they just fade behind these effusive personalities. That doesn’t stop Anja Kling from looking gorgeous, and I’m sure Till Schweiger is also eye candy for the inclined viewer ;) . One last word about the humor: this isn’t Loriot – it’s not intelligent, low satire but right-in-your-face blatant jokes that sometimes work and sometimes don’t (I for one couldn’t find the idea of shoving a thermometer up one’s ass for storage (!) very amusing :huh:). I suppose either you’re loving the daffy humor or you’re loathing it, no middle way. I like it! 4 out of 6 Meeps – good