Magyar vándor

But, this is my opinion. To tell a truth, this film strongly based on Hungarian history, and without deep studies in this, it can't be understandable. Thats why the story start at the beginning of the Hungarian era, have screen-shots with most important historical events and persons, and finished at nowadays Budapest. an average people even not known where Hungary lies, not who was e. g. King Mathias, and who plays him in the film. So if you didn't known anything about Hungarian history I recommended you, that don't watch this film. You will be boring, and then you will say, that this is a wrong film. It will be similar, that you would see the Monthy Python's Life Of Brien without known anything from, Jesus, Bible, Christmas, or Easter. Try to imagine.

This film is one of the post-communist era. The seven Hungarian tribe chiefs are about to start the conquest of the new homeland - just realizing that they not only have a hangover from last night's farewell party, but the tribes - the Hungarians - have already left. Looking for them becomes a quest in the hectic times of history... I loved the film, the music, the clips, the plots, the sophisticated self humour, the freshness, the originality, the easiness. Based on what all Hungarians learn in history lessons, imprinted in them, this is a new approach, a show, spiced with tiny bits that maybe you get for second watching only. First time that Hungarian filmmakers show that we don't always have to take ourselves so seriously. For Hungarians living abroad, this film is a drop of water in the desert, sunshine in the dark, cozy fireplace on the north pole, yes, somewhat nostalgic. For foreigners, probably impossible to explain everything, but the best way to get something about this nation. I warmly recommend to everyone.

The film fails to deliver the creativity and humor that its inspiration, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, achieved so well. The jokes feel forced, often missing the mark, and the storytelling is chaotic, as if the creators themselves weren't sure what they wanted to accomplish. The characters are clichéd, and the dialogues are overly predictable. This kind of humor simply doesn't work without genuine talent, sharp wit, and a clear creative vision. While the idea of humorously interpreting Hungarian history is promising, the execution lacks the originality, energy, and finesse needed to make it truly memorable or entertaining. The humor feels hollow, more like a shallow mimicry of better comedies than a sincere attempt to create something unique.

This is an example of sometimes how unreliable online rating can be. Magyar Vándor (Hungarian Walker) is a fine movie of refined humour and is an homage to Hungarian history. Most of the jokes are only understandable for Hungarians or those who really know the language and culture of this nation. Magyar Vándor is gentle, funny and peaceful. The movie honours the great achievements of the Hungarian people and respects other cultures. Even the title is humorous, it refers to the gymnastic discipline invented by Zoltán Magyar, but it also refers to the story of the movie. I highly recommend it to educated Hungarians or those who live in a country with Hungarian minorities.

I went to see this one with little expectations. The director's previous movie was quite innovative, but lacked everything to make it good. It was slow, clumsy with needless and bad lines and of course (Hungarian movie!), not too good acting. After seeing a trailer and reading about this movie, I thought that it too would suffer from the same problems.

But I was quite pleased. The movie indeed is too long and slow, with some of the dialogues pointless and badly written, but at least the storyline is enjoyable, and there are some realy good jokes (for Hungarians, don't expect to understand anything in this movie, if you're not Hungarian). Some of the characters are realy good (It seems that to have big actors for small roles can really help). It appears that the director got the hang of it during the making of the movie, because it starts out very awkward but gets better about the third way through.

Although full of bits that are annoying because they could have been done better, this movie was worth the prise of the ticket. Nothing like Monty Python and the Holy Grail (although clearly influenced by it), but good for an otherwise pointless night.