Going Postal - DVD

Film: With his "Discworld" novels, author Terry Pratchett has created a cult series that has delighted millions of readers around the world. With "Hogfather" and "The Colour of Magic", two of Pratchett's novels have already been successfully adapted for British television. Now, "Going Postal" is set to be the third adaptation.

In this whimsical fantasy adventure, trickster Feucht von Lipwig (Richard Coyle) is doomed to work in the post office of Ankh-Morpok as the new Postmaster General. No easy task, since the "clacken" has been introduced to Ankh-Morpok, no one cares about traditional mail anymore. For years, letters and parcels have been piling up in the run-down building, whose two employees merely ensure that they are not beaten to death by the masses. But the wily Lipwig has a plan: he wants to get the post office up and running again, use it to line his own pockets, and then escape his unloved fate. But not only the rich clack mogul, but also Lipwig's past don't exactly make the execution of the plan easy. And when the crook falls in love with a young woman whose family is broken up by Lipwig's scams, the chaos is finally perfect...

An overly friendly executioner, a golem as a parole officer, a werewolf lady as a policewoman, and a post office where letters and packages have been piling up for years ("We're a little behind schedule"), that's the world of "Going Postal". The offbeat fantasy fun doesn't come close to the clever humor of the novel "Ab in die Post", and in some scenes the film's TV origins are all too apparent in terms of sets and effects. But still, this film has an undeniable entertainment value. Filmed in Budapest in 2009 with many Pratchett fans as extras and a small guest appearance by the author himself, "Going Postal" is particularly convincing thanks to the likeably quirky characters and its lead actor.

Richard Coyle, made famous by the British comedy series "Coupling", embodies the lovable crook Feucht von Lipwig with great charm and comedic talent. Supported by many fine supporting actors including Charles Dance, David Suchet and Claire Foy, and by some very imaginative ideas, Doyle makes "Going Postal" a real pleasure. Whether this is true for the entire running time of over 3 hours, however, cannot be judged at this point, as only the first part was shown on the press screener. However, this was quite promising, which suggests that "Going Postal" is also well worth seeing overall for lovers of slightly weirder fantasy films.

Picture + Sound: Since the final product was not available for testing, no final rating can be given here about the technical realization of the film.

Extras: The bonus material is also missing on the press DVD, which is why a rating must also be omitted in this point. Announced are cut scenes, interviews, outtakes, the trailer and an image gallery.

Conclusion: "Going Postal" is an entertaining, colorful film adaptation of the "Discworld" novel by cult author Terry Pratchett. Although this adaptation does not come close to the ingenious wit of the original and gives away some potential, but thanks to numerous nice ideas and a good leading actor, the third Pratchett adaptation is well worth seeing

Ein Artikel von Frankfurt-Tipp