Koenig-2

There is no denying that this movie is quite bad in many respects. Some of the actors are not very good, the whole plot is laughable, the characters are predictable and naive, and the whole style is way too glittery and Italian for this to have any taste at all.

But strangely enough, this also works in its favour. The whole thing feels like a naive and glittery pulp cartoon from the 30ies, glamorous, adventurous, and often with little substance - and therefore quite fitting in its own way, regarding that Flash Gordon actually WAS all this.

Still, the whole movie would still not be half as entertaining without the wonderful Queen score. Flashy, shallow, naive, glamorous and hero-worshiping - I bet those guys enjoyed themselves immensely with this!

I did not expect overly much from this movie when I first heard about it, but Helge Schneider's voice acting and Walter Moers' unique way of storytelling convinced me to watch it. On the surface, it is simply an animated feature for kids, but much of the humour and the action is clearly aimed on an adult audience and will probably go right over kids heads. Nevertheless, the somewhat simplified setting with Käptn Blaubär, his three grandchildren and Hein Blöd, his first mate and only crew member on the one side and the both sinister and ridiculous insane scientist-artist-genius Professor Doctor Feinfinger with his countless evil super gadgets and monstrous allies is appealing and is similar to all too well known superhero and Bond settings. But Moers adds his own special twist and the whole affair is completely ridiculous and very funny. The voice acting of all the characters, especially all-round entertaining genius Helge Schneider who also contributed some of the music, is superb and makes the movie even more fun to watch. Some scenes are known to scare the wits out of small children, chiefly when the Sea Shadows attack Blaubärs elderly sailing ship.

Summary: suitable for kids and adults alike, but adults with a strong inner child will get the most out of it. 9/10.

Following the return to the Homeworld Hiigara, the Kushan have set up their dominion over the surrounding space sectors. Each major clan (kiith) provides ships for the defense fleet, while others seek their fortune among the stars in civilian ships. One of the smaller clans traditionally bent on mining, the Kiith Somtaw, has constructed two major mining ships that can set up interstellar mining operations on their own and can construct service and escort vessels themselves. One of these mining ships, the KUUN LAN, is drawn into a developing war against a nameless evil that falls on the galaxy: the BEAST, a bio-mechanical virus able to take over and control any being or technology it encounters, spreads like wildfire throughout the sector. As the KUUN LAN has first discovered it and accidentally activated it, the Somtaw take on the challenge of wiping it out - the mining ship is converted into a military carrier vessel, and the Kiith constructs its own improvised battle fleet. Can they stop the Beast before it spreads too far? Based on the 1999 Strategy Game of the Year, "Homeworld", Homeworld Cataclysm is a convincing sequel with an all-new fleet and strategy. The Somtaw ships are very interesting in their combinations, but somehow lack in streamline, as to be expected in an improvised fleet. The missions are challenging, the story is interesting, the enemy is EVIL.

Rating: 9/10. Not quite as smashing as the original, but still very good.