The second installment in the Famous Five saga was,like the first one, modernized ,with use of computers ,mobiles ,and even a robot dog which puzzles good old Timmy.

The book has undergone some changes : a prologue set in 1587 shows a monastery where the monks are deprived of their precious green gemstone (the green eye),in spite of a local robin Hood ,die Schwarze Katze , (the black cat);this blast from the past has a Deja Vu taste and does not hang well with the rest of the film.totally invented by the screenwriters

From the book: Richard (Hardy) is a rich kid who owns the latest gimmick and whose father leaves to his own devices ;exit mother and aunt.Rookie (present in the movie)was his bodyguard but something happened ;Mick (Dick) is mistaken for Richard and gets kidnapped ,this is the principal element taken from the novel.

This is rather a comedy ,not a thriller aimed at the children ;both villains ,like in the first episode ,are brothers who look like cartoon characters ,Cruella 's henchmen in "101 dalmatians" ;besides one of them farts at night ,which is not Blytonesque at all.

The best moments are to be found at the beginning and in the final sequences: the Richard /Five meeting begins with the obligatory "my,my! George is a girl ?Isn't it odd?" which infuriates our tomboy;true to herself,wimpish Anne is afraid of the noises in the forest(but reveals herself a useful musician);Richard is boastful, vain,and it 'll take time before he gets integrated in the fab five 's alliance.Long- haired Mick is ,like in the first movie,pedantic ,and he has developed a taste for junk food (where are his aunt's good meals of the stories?)

The interest increases in the scenes in the subterranean ,where Richard recalls Tom Thumb's method .But the highlight is definitely the circus show :"it's boring" ,mom,says a young girl in the audience;then after the Fab' s (and particularly George's ) unexpected entrance, she changes her mind! although it's a little too much for that tomboy George ,it's well directed and enthralling.

This film is the second of so far 4 entries to the "Fünf Freunde" series. As part 4 just hit cinemas, I thought I'd give one of the older ones another watch. As in all the other films, Mike Marzuk is the director and the script comes from Peer Klehmet and Sebastian Wehlings based on Enid Blyton's novel. It's tough to say how much talent the kids have in terms of acting, but I've been a fan of Valeria Eisenbart since her performance in the second Wickie film and I believe she can have a good career. As all kids films these days, the antagonists are played by some of German's most known actors. Oliver Korittke (more funny than scary) and Peter Lohmeyer (pretty scary) are pretty famous here.

The film in general is about the hunt for a green gemstone. As it happens, there is a father-son story included and one of the friends gets mistaken for the son of a rich man and abducted. The actual son now takes his place with the gang and becomes a dear friend. The story is fairly weak, but there are some scenes which save the movie from being a total disaster. The dog is one of the highlights as in the other "Fünf Freunde"- movies. There is lots of circus and clown action involved, so if that is your cup of tea you may enjoy this more than I did. Unfortunately, they went on several occasions for unfunny fart jokes and humor which are really only entertaining for very young audiences. Also, the film struggles with its credibility sometimes. From the way I know Neele-Marie Nickel's character Anne by now, I have no doubt that she could have easily acted as if she had no clue how to play the piano either during one scene.

I personally believe, there are quite a few better children's movies out there in Germany right now, even some of the other "Fünf Freunde" films. Many of these I would also recommend to adults who are still young at heart. But this one not really.