Today on TV: Turbulent start to the fantasy trilogy, which was marketed as the “German ‘Twilight'”.

“Rubin Red” by director Felix Fuchssteiner is – just like the sequels “Sapphire Blue” and “Emerald Green” – based on the novels by bestselling author Kerstin Gier. The fantasy series arrived in theaters in the mid-2010s as part of the young adult wave and marked the big break for young stars Maria Ehrich (“Ku’damm 56”), Jannis Niewöhner (“The Collini Case”) and Laura Berlin. (“Vikings: Valhalla”).

“Ruby red“runs today, February 10, 2024 at 8:15 PM on Tele 5. A repeat will follow on February 11 at 5:50 PM. Alternatively, the FSK 12 title is available as paid video-on-demand from providers such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, GooglePlay or MagentaTV. Blu-ray and DVD are of course also available – also as part of the currently pleasantly affordable “Gemstone Trilogy” in a complete package with both sequels:

If you’re an Amazon Prime customer, you can also watch all three films there free streaming*. All you have to do is register for the seven-day free trial of the channel “Cinema Of Hearts”, specialized in romantic content. If you do not want to cancel again, you will pay 3.99 euros per month after the trial period.

“Rubinrot” on Tele 5: that is the story

Gwen Shepherd (Maria Ehrich) actually has enough on her plate with school and the usual problems of a young person in their teens. Then she suddenly discovers that a time travel gene has been passed down in her family (including Veronica Ferres and Katharina Thalbach) for centuries. However, not every member of their clan suffers from this.

The Shepherds are convinced that Gwen’s cousin Charlotte (Laura Berlin) is the true one of their generation – and that’s why everything has been about the young woman who behaves suitably pompous and condescending for a while. But then, from one moment to the next, Gwen finds herself in London at the turn of the century. Then she realizes that she is the one who can travel through time, and not Charlotte.

The whole thing initially overwhelms Gwen as she has no control over her new ability at all. That’s why an ominous waiting box appears to her. She provides her with another time traveler, the arrogant Gideon (Jannis Niewöhner), who, to make matters worse, is also Charlotte’s lover. As the duo undertake a dangerous mission in the past on which the future of the Shepherd family depends, Gwen begins to develop romantic feelings for Gideon…

The German “Twilight”? Not really …

Just a few months before “Ruby Red” hit theaters, the globally successful “Twilight” saga ended with “Breaking Dawn – Until the End of the Night (Part 2).” The people responsible for marketing Kerstin Gier’s film adaptations naturally wanted to participate and presented their film as a kind of German answer to the vampire love story with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. After all, ‘Rubin Red’ was mainly made for young people, anchored in the fantasy genre and a romantic love triangle.

However, the parallels stop at the points mentioned. Stage-wise, the parts of the ‘Gemstone Trilogy’, which were made on a fraction of the budget of their supposed American counterparts, are designed completely differently, namely with considerably more humor. Moreover – at least in the case of “Rubinrot” playing tonight – the romance segment is not nearly as central. The much more important time travel aspect is not always coherent, but is implemented with a lot of love and effort in terms of costumes and sets. In terms of content, the whole thing is more reminiscent of the TV series ‘Outlander’, which had not yet started, while the school scenario is easily reminiscent of ‘Harry Potter’. However, there is no trace of leeches anywhere.

The attempted comparison with “Twilight” is far-fetched and doesn’t actually do justice to “Ruby Red” and its sequels. Speaking of which: “Sapphire Blue” and “Emerald Green” will also be shown afterwards (February 17) and the following Saturday (February 24) at 8:15 PM on Tele 5.

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