On the trail of the Marsupilami - DVD

Content: The great time of the former star reporter Dan Geraldo (Alain Chabat) is long gone. But now his producer is also slowly bursting at the seams. If Geraldo doesn't land a ratings hit with his next report, he'll be out of the picture. But the chances of success are not bad, he gets the offer to go to Palombia, the place of his first real hit, to search for traces of the Paya tribe. They are said to be able to live up to 200 years, and it would of course be a sensation if Geraldo could figure out how they do it. The somewhat dimwitted Pablito (Jamel Debbouze), who is a con man who takes money out of tourists' pockets, is supposed to guide the reporter through the jungle as a supposed Paya specialist. Too bad that Pablito doesn't know anything about the payas. On top of that, Geraldo also has to contend with a general (Lambert Wilson) obsessed with Celine Dion and a botanist (Fred Testo) who has himself been on the trail of the cure for eternal youth. And all of this under the watchful eye of a creature that is supposed to be watching over the mysterious force in the jungles of Palombia: the Marsupilami!

For over sixty years, the comic book character of the Marsupilami, conceived by André Franquin, with his 8-metre-long tail and his fondness for fruit, ants and piranhas, has enjoyed great popularity all over the world. After several comic books and various animated series, the cult figure has now finally made it into a live-action film. Alain Chabat, who has already successfully brought popular comic characters to life with Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, is responsible for this. Chabat, who in addition to directing has also taken on the lead role, has directed a colorful family comedy with On the Trail of the Marsupilami, which provides 100 minutes of good humor with many amusing ideas and a very well animated title character.

Admittedly, the humor, as with many other French comic book adaptations, is at times overdone. The production overall is very shrill, loud and colorful and the acting of the cast is far from any form of subtlety. There is wild gesticulating and grimaces are cut for all it's worth. If you're easily annoyed by this, you'll be put to a hard test here as well. But if you like movies like the Asterix adaptations, you'll get a lot of very funny ideas here, which often make you laugh heartily.

Lambert Wilson's completely over-the-top performance as General Pochero, whose love for Celine Dion not only culminates in a wonderfully absurd dance performance but is also resolved with a nice surprise in the closing credits, is without question as much a part of these comic elements as the original way in which the Paya people demonstrate an ancient prophecy to Dan and Pablito. A giant with a falsetto voice and gangsters with not-so-scary tattoos - and, of course, the Marsupilami also add to the fun factor of this family adventure. The titular creature could have been given a little more space in the story, as he ultimately only makes relatively brief appearances. But these are successful enough to satisfy old and new fans of the comic character.

On the trail of the Marsupilami is not a masterpiece, this journey into the jungle of Palombia is simply too overdone for that. But Alain Chabat has created a neat mixture of clamour, nice dialogue jokes, slapstick and adventure, which in its own way simply entertains well. In France, the film was then also a full success in the cinema, which suggests that there will certainly be more of the Marsupilami in the future. Worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The clean image of the DVD pleases with a good overall sharpness and its strong coloring. Not only does it show off the bright yellow of the Marsupilami, but it especially brings out the plant life of Palombia. The sound mix transports the dialogue clearly and understandably out of the speakers. This very frontal action is repeatedly broken up by nice sound effects and atmospheric ambient noises, through which pleasant dynamics in the surround area. Good!

Extras: The DVD has a couple of nice extras to offer about the making of the film. The first of four featurettes looks at the digital creation of Marsupilami (approx. 8 mins). This short documentary is followed by further featurettes about the actors (approx. 8 min.), the film locations (approx. 5 min.) and the work of the make-up artists (approx. 1 min.). In addition to the trailer, the DVD also features an extended version of the Houba Dance performed in the film (approx. 6 min.). About the success story of the Marsupilami there is unfortunately no documentation, which is actually the only minus point.

Conclusion: On the trail of the Marsupilami is a somewhat overdone, but overall quite amusing comedy for the whole family. If you like the live-action adaptations of the Asterix comics, you will also enjoy this new take on the popular comic and animated character. The DVD of the French cinema hit is technically well implemented and also has a few nice extras on board. All in all there is for it a: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp