Wickie on a great ride 3D

Michael Bully Herbig's live-action adaptation of the popular animated series Wickie und die starken Männer was a complete success. In German-speaking countries, the adventure comedy was able to lure almost six million viewers into the cinemas. So of course a sequel was quickly decided. However, the second cinema adventure of the clever Viking boy has to do without Bully both in front of and behind the camera. Instead, Christian Ditter, director of the first two Suburban Crocodiles films, has taken the helm and steers Wickie safely through adventurous waters on a grand voyage - and even in 3D!

Even though Wickie (Jonas Hämmerle) was instrumental in defeating the Terrible Sven (Günther Kaufmann), his father Halvar (Waldemar Kobus) still doesn't really take him seriously. The fact that the raid on a knight's camp goes wrong due to a mistake made by Wickie and that the strong men can only bring home little Svenja (Valeria Eisenbart) as a slave and a small book instead of rich booty doesn't make things any better. What Wickie doesn't suspect yet: the book could take them to the Palace of the Eternal Ice, where the legendary treasure of the gods is said to lie. And of all things, the amulet that Halvar wears around his neck is the key to the treasure. Too bad that Halvar is kidnapped one night by Sven, who is also after the treasure. For according to an old tradition, the chief's son is now the new boss: and so it is now up to Wickie to command his father's loyal men and rescue Halvar. But even faced with this difficult task, Wickie has no idea just how dangerous this adventure will actually be.

For Wickie auf großer Fahrt, almost the entire crew of the first part could be reunited in front of the camera. With a loving set and charming references to the popular animated series, part 2 has once again become entertaining fun for the whole family. However, there are some differences from the first film. For example, Ditter has lowered the humor level a bit. Sure, especially the strong men and Christoph Maria Herbst as Sven's lackey Pokka provide a lot of laughs, whereby the gags are served very child-friendly. Only the scenes on the island of the Valkyries, where top model Eva Padberg also makes a small guest appearance, make use of a joke that is a bit more tailored to adults. But overall, Wickie auf großer Fahrt is more of an adventure film than a comedy, and this is very beneficial to the final result.

With neat special effects that transport the viewer into a mystical world and well-staged action, Ditter succeeds very well in establishing suspense that can spellbind little Wickie fans and also offer older viewers a pleasant entertainment value. Of course, among the positive aspects, the cast cannot go unmentioned. While Jonas Hämmerle seems to have settled into his role as Wickie, the adult actors in particular are once again a lot of fun to watch. Waldemar Kobus once again proves to be perfectly cast as Halvar, and the same can be said for the rest of his crew. The chemistry between the actors, who were once cast by Bully Herbig in a TV show, is coherent, which is definitely noticeable in the film.

Nice gags, an exciting story, good effects and a loving decor make Wickie auf großer Fahrt a great pleasure for children and all who already enjoyed the first Wickie film. As far as the 3D effects are concerned, the same applies here as with most other 3D films: the use of three-dimensional technology is a nice gimmick, but it doesn't really make the film any better. Because even in the completely normal 2D version, small and big Wickie fans will get their money's worth a second time and will definitely be delighted!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp