Er ist wieder da / Look Who's Back, movie (2015) - Watch the trailer on YouTube
video © Mythos Film Produktions (Constantin Film) & Constantin Film & Claussen & Wöbke & Putz Filmproduktion
The Look Who's Back (2015) is a contemporary fantasy comedy film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: Er ist wieder da / Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
Original title: Er ist wieder da (He's here again), English title: Look Who's Back
Series: -
Other adaptations of the story: Sono tornato / I'm Back (2018)
Setting: alternate Earth
Product type: Film, Genre: contemporary fantasy comedy, Style: fantasy, comedy, time travel
Release: 2015.10.08
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2021.11), first time
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
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This is my review of Look Who's Back, a contemporary fantasy comedy movie from 2015. It's about Adolf Hitler accidentally transported to contemporary Germany. The Look Who's Back film is interesting, I recommend it.
Er ist wieder da / Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
image © Mythos Film Produktions (Constantin Film) & Constantin Film & Claussen & Wöbke & Putz Filmproduktion
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Review (spoiler-free) - Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
I've heard about this movie a couple of years back, when it was released. The premise didn't sound very interesting to me, so I gave it a pass. Now, when I've run into this, I've read the synopsis, seen that it's a comedy, and I thought I'll give it a try. I didn't watch the trailer, nor did I read any reviews.
The Look Who's Back movie is about Adolf Hitler accidentally transported to contemporary Germany, to continue his work.
The story was good, interesting. The consistency was a little off, especially in the second half of the movie. There are no character arcs. There were no major logical problems.
The cinematography is good.
The characters are mostly okay. While not deeply developed, but they are believable stereotypes. They are portrayed fine by the actors. The work of Oliver Masucci, playing Adolf Hitler is especially convincing.
The music (by Enis Rotthoff) is okay.
Look Who's Back is an interesting contemporary fantasy comedy, I think fans of the genre will enjoy it.
My experience
I was satisfied with Look Who's Back (2015).
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points). Look Who's Back is a well-made film.
Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points). Look Who's Back is interesting, I liked it.
Rewatchability: Good question. It's the message of the story that makes you feel interested, so you might feel that it's worth watching the movie multiple times.
Chance of watching it again: There's a chance. Now that I know the story, there's probably no need to watch it again, but I liked it enough that I might watch it in the right circumstances.
Chance of watching a sequel: High. I'd sure watch it.
Er ist wieder da / Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
image © Mythos Film Produktions (Constantin Film) & Constantin Film & Claussen & Wöbke & Putz Filmproduktion
Will you enjoy this?
If you love stories about Adolf Hitler, this movie is definitely for you.
If you like comedy movies, you might like Look Who's Back.
If you get through the first 20 minutes of the Look Who's Back film, and you like that, it will be mostly similar until the end.
If you hate subtitles, you'll need to wait, as there's currently no English dub for the movie as far as I know.
If you prefer visuals over story, this might be a little boring for you, as it doesn't focus on great visuals.
If you hate comedy movies, this film is probably not for you.
If you hate anything related to Hitler, you probably won't like this movie.
Do you need to read the original novel / see the original film / play to enjoy this?
I didn't read the original Look Who's Back novel from Timur Vermes, but I think the movie is enjoyable without reading it.
Watching for plot points
If you are interested in sociology / human relations stories, I think it's worth watching the Look Who's Back movie for the plot points.
Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?
I think it gives a similar experience whether you watch it on a TV screen or in cinema.
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Er ist wieder da / Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
image © Mythos Film Produktions (Constantin Film) & Constantin Film & Claussen & Wöbke & Putz Filmproduktion
Review with spoilers - Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
I liked the Look Who's Back movie.
I have to admit that I preferred the improvised parts better, but I understand they needed more scripted parts to create a proper story.
Cover
The cover of the movie is good, the whole premise is there, but doesn't spoil the movie.
The trailer
The trailer gives a good indication of what the movie will be.
Promise of the first scene
We see a conversation between Hitler and a guy. I assume we'll see something like this for the rest of the movie.
Execution: There was even some story we've got.
Plot summary / Synopsis
We see Hitler (Oliver Masucci as Adolf Hitler) complaining to a guy that people don't greet him appropriately with a salute.
Then there's a switch, and we see Hitler arriving into modern Germany, on a playground. He tries to get information about the place, but people either take selfies with him, or don't take him seriously. He finds a news stand, and reads the newspapers.
In a parallel storyline, we see a freelance TV reporter (Fabian Busch as Fabian Sawatzki). His boss (Christoph Maria Herbst as Christoph Sensenbrink) gets demoted at the TV station (MyTV), so he gets fired. While trying to find a good story, he finds Hitler, and makes a report about him. This get his boss interested, and he asks more like that.
Together, the reporter and Hitler travel around Germany, and talk to people. Hitler wants to get to know them, so he'll be able to help them find his way. They try to get a dog for Hitler, to make him look more caring, but the dog attacks Hitler, making him shoot the dog.
They get back with the videos, and his boss shows this to the the chairman (Katja Riemann as Katja Bellini), who thinks it's going to make a great show. Hitler gets a personal assistant (Franziska Wulf as Franziska Krömeier) to help him. They start broadcasting the videos, then they organise talk shows and other programmes with Hitler. The popularity of these make the boss regret his involvement, and tries to sabotage it, so the chairman would get the blame, hoping that he'll be put in the position. His tricks backfire, and Hitler gets so popular, they publish an autobiography of him, and also start to make a movie out of his story.
The reporter realises that Hitler is the real one, arriving from the past, and not some look-alike, and tries to warn others, but he is put into a mental ward.
The movie ends with Hitler pleased with the current state of events, and thinks that he can work with this people.
The setting
It is set on contemporary Earth.
Er ist wieder da / Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
image © Mythos Film Produktions (Constantin Film) & Constantin Film & Claussen & Wöbke & Putz Filmproduktion
The message of the story
Don't trust politicians. Don't trust the media. Don't trust democracy, because people are stupid, and easily deceived.
The structure of the story
The scenes of the Look Who's Back film are mostly played in sequence, following the same storyline. The movie starts with a flash-forward, and then we get back to the beginning of the story. There are two parallel stories at first, one with Hitler, and another with the reporter, but they converge when they meet.
There is no single viewpoint character.
It has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, resolution.
Fan-service
While fan-service was not the main focus of the Look Who's Back movie, there are some references to previous films:
Back to the Future (1985)
- The reporter guy is dressed like Marty McFly
Der Untergang / Downfall (2004)
- a parody of Hitler's breakdown is in the movie
The Great Dictator (1940)
- a scene is shown
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Things I liked
- I liked the whole contept.
- I laughed out loud when Hitler shot the dog.
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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
I haven't seen anything from the script writer and director (David Wnendt).
I also haven't seen any works from the other script writer (Mizzi Meyer), the screenplay adapter (Marco Kreuzpaintner), the screenplay contributor (Johannes Boss), or the writer of the screenplay test version (Stefan Stuckmann).
How does it compare to other adaptations of the same story?
While I haven't seen Sono tornato / I'm Back (2018) yet, reading the synopsys made me think that it has a better ending than Look Who's Back does.
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Er ist wieder da / Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
image © Mythos Film Produktions (Constantin Film) & Constantin Film & Claussen & Wöbke & Putz Filmproduktion
Analysis of the story - Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
I mostly liked the story, I didn't find major problems that would have prevented me from enjoying Look Who's Back.
Problematic elements
The masks: It's not believable that the studio had lifelike masks as seen in the movie. I get it that they need them so the audience would be confused at the shooting scene, but it still takes away from the story.
The parody of Der Untergang: It breaks the immersion, and gets the viewer out of the movie.
The ending: It's a little confusing when the shooting of Hitler takes place. I didn't really like it that the creators wanted to mislead the audience.
Unanswered questions
- How did Hitler travel into the future?
- Did he travel into a parallel dimension? So, there was still a dead body of the real Hitler in the bunker?
- Did he travel into the future of his own timeline? So, did Hitler disappear in that timeline, leaving no body?
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Possibilities of improvement
- Cut the Hitler's breakdown parody
How it could have been better?
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Er ist wieder da / Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
image © Mythos Film Produktions (Constantin Film) & Constantin Film & Claussen & Wöbke & Putz Filmproduktion
Uses for the film - Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
Plot
- An important man from the past arrives mysteriously in the present.
- A man from the past, awakening in the present, want to continue his work, using contemporary methods.
Scenes
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
- There are negotiations with the enemy leaders. A radical fraction tries to kill the enemy leaders. The defender sets up the playing area, deploys the enemy leaders in the middle, in a fortified place, and deploys their own troops anywhere on the playing area. Then the radical player, using the same type of troops can enter from any edges of the playing area. The enemy leaders will only move if they are escorted by defender models. If the defender models are ordered to shoot the radical models, they will only do that with a roll of 1-3 on a d6. If they are in a close combat, after the defender would achieve a hit, roll a d6, and only on a roll of 1-3 will that really hit the radical model, otherwise they will just push them back. The defender wins if all of the enemy leaders are still alive when the radicals are defeated, or left the playing area. The radicals win if they kill more than half of the enemy leaders, while more than half of the radicals are alive at the end of the game.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Hitler: Human-sized WW2 soldier, in the likeness of Hitler.
Civilians: Human-sized modern civilians.
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Similar stories - Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
Novels
Timur Vermes: Look Who's Back (2012): The book the movie was based on.
Movies
Sono tornato / I'm Back (2018): The remake of Look Who's Back (2012), with Benito Mussolini in Italy, instead of Hitler in Germany,
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Frequently asked questions - Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
Will the Look Who's Back movie be available with English audio dub?
Currently (2021.11.24) Look Who's Back is not available with English audio dub, just English subtitles.
Is the Look Who's Back film based on a book or comics?
Yes, Look Who's Back is based on the Look Who's Back novel.
Is the Look Who's Back film a remake or reboot?
No, the Look Who's Back film is neither a remake nor a reboot.
Is there a post credit scene in Look Who's Back? Does Look Who's Back have end credit scenes?
No, there's no post credit scene in Look Who's Back.
Where can I see Look Who's Back? Where can I watch Look Who's Back online? Is Look Who's Back available on Netflix? Is Look Who's Back on Amazon?
As of 2021.11.24, Look Who's Back is not available for online view. It was on Netflix, but it's been taken off.
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Resources - Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
Official
Constantin Film: Er ist wieder da: Official article.
Information
IMDB: Er ist wieder da (2015): Database article.
WikiPedia: Look Who's Back (film): Database article.
Letterboxd: Look Who's Back 2015: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: Look Who's Back 2015: Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - Look Who's Back film (2015)
: Review video about the Look Who's Back film with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - Look Who's Back film (2015)
: Review article of the Look Who's Back movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤
Analysis - Look Who's Back movie (2015)
: Analysis video, explaining the finale of Look Who's Back.¤
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Buying the product - Look Who's Back, movie (2015)
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Have you seen the Look Who's Back film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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