"Die Schatzinsel" is a German movie from 2007 that actually consists of 2 episodes. Each of these runs for slightly over 1.5 hours, so you can also consider it a mini series. This is of course the German-language take on the famous work by Robert Louis Stevenson, even if he is not listed as a credit here on IMDb. There are so many versions of "Treasure Island" out there, even animated ones, but this one we have here is among the most entertaining I have come across. It runs for over three hours and still it has surprisingly few moments when it drags. The writer and director here is Hansjörg Thurn and this made me a bit worried as he is also the man behind garbage stuff like "Die Wanderhure". But my concerns were unjustified with this film that has its 10th anniversary this year. The main reason for this is Tobias Moretti. The film is already okay before he comes into play, but when he does then he gives a really commanding performance and I enjoyed him very much. He is so so good right now, no matter what he does. As a consequence, the other character seem a bit pale next to him. French actor François Goeske who plays the main character is not half as memorable as he could have been and the Belgian actress playing his love interest makes very little of the great material she has to work with. this is also why I felt the crucial story line about her father was not as effective as it could have been. But luckily we have Moretti elevating the material all the time.
The first half of this one is about the journey to the island while the second is about the time they spend on the island and a new villain is introduced. In general, it was this film's biggest strength that you never really knew who was good and who was evil and I think they did a good job with the characters' shades. Most of the other reviewers here criticize that the film lacks in comparison to the literary work, but I myself have not read Stevenson's work and maybe this is why I enjoyed this one here quite a bit, possibly more than the book if I had read it. But there is a thing called creative freedom and people need to stop being mad if a filmmaker does not turn a film into a 1:1 adaptation of a novel. There is really no justification for people giving this film a rating under 4. None at all because there are no big weaknesses. It has okay focus, works physically fine in terms of sets, costumes and cinematography and there are no bad performances either, merely forgettable ones, but also one really enjoyable turn and lets be honest Vogel and Hennicke are also nice fun to watch, even if they may be a bit gimmicky at times and more about their scary outfits, makeup and costumes than about very strong performances. As for Moretti, the way he channels a more evil version of Captain Jack Sparrow in here certainly holds the film together and his turn alone is reason enough to check it out. Besides, he is by no means a worse actor than Johnny Depp. As a whole, this is a really good film for everybody who likes gritty adventure and pirate films. There are no moments that feel unauthentic or feel-good for the sake of it and if you manage to free yourself from your possible dedication and praise for the novel, then you will have a pretty great 180 minutes watching this one. Do not miss out.
The first half of this one is about the journey to the island while the second is about the time they spend on the island and a new villain is introduced. In general, it was this film's biggest strength that you never really knew who was good and who was evil and I think they did a good job with the characters' shades. Most of the other reviewers here criticize that the film lacks in comparison to the literary work, but I myself have not read Stevenson's work and maybe this is why I enjoyed this one here quite a bit, possibly more than the book if I had read it. But there is a thing called creative freedom and people need to stop being mad if a filmmaker does not turn a film into a 1:1 adaptation of a novel. There is really no justification for people giving this film a rating under 4. None at all because there are no big weaknesses. It has okay focus, works physically fine in terms of sets, costumes and cinematography and there are no bad performances either, merely forgettable ones, but also one really enjoyable turn and lets be honest Vogel and Hennicke are also nice fun to watch, even if they may be a bit gimmicky at times and more about their scary outfits, makeup and costumes than about very strong performances. As for Moretti, the way he channels a more evil version of Captain Jack Sparrow in here certainly holds the film together and his turn alone is reason enough to check it out. Besides, he is by no means a worse actor than Johnny Depp. As a whole, this is a really good film for everybody who likes gritty adventure and pirate films. There are no moments that feel unauthentic or feel-good for the sake of it and if you manage to free yourself from your possible dedication and praise for the novel, then you will have a pretty great 180 minutes watching this one. Do not miss out.