"Rettet Raffi!" is a German 90-minute film from 2015, so still a relatively new and fresh film and I also remember it being in cinemas not that long ago. Writer and director Arend Agthe has been in the movie-making business for a long time, since the 1970s. The cast here is pretty unknown, which is a bit surprising as kids films usually attract big names in German cinema too. But well, that is not a negative criticism. What is a negative criticism though is that I believe the child actor in the lead was pretty wooden and not too talented and as he is really in the majority of scenes, this is a crucial issue. This film is also called a Hamsterkrimi by the way, a hamster crime movie, as this one is about a boy trying to get back his hamster, but a small-time criminal freshly released from jail wants the hamster too for his own illegal activities. Sop yeah the fact that wants to make use of the hamster's strong smelling sense already shows you that it is a genuinely absurd movie and that you cannot take it seriously at any point. The problem is that the lack of comedy (quality and quantity) results in the impression that they indeed wanted to be the crime, drama and adventure moments were designed to be taken seriously and that's another aspect that hurts the film. Near the end was maybe when the film was at its weakest: the parents getting together, the hamster babies, the visit by the boy in the prion and his constant rambling about how he loves happy endings wee really way too much to stomach to be honest. On one of the few positive notes, I would say that the comments I have read about animal torture are exaggerated. There's nothing too bad in here. But that's of course not a crucial aspect in judging a film. It's something that should be taken for granted in the 21st century. However, in terms of all the different production values I cannot come up with one single major reason why you should watch these 1.5 hours. Not the acting, not the script, no other components. They are never a failure really, but they are always way below what I would consider even decent quality entertainment. Not really a film you or your kids need to see. I suggest you skip it.
Review of Rettet Raffi!
