Why did “Manta, Manta” actually become a cult movie? Very simple: he not only laughed off the Ruhrpott mentality at times self-deprecatingly, but was also able to show up with many charismatic, fresh stars. Don’t forget: “Manta, Manta” was responsible for making Til Schweiger a superstar. The role of lead foot chav Bertie marked his breakthrough.
In addition to Schweiger, not only Tina Ruland impressed as Uschi, but also Michael Kessler as Klausi. Basically, this character is a classic sidekick who is easily allowed to cross the line into comic relief time and time again. Not only is Klausi allowed to pee in his boots to make them more pliable, but he ends up being Manta’s hero, Manta when he enters and wins the race that Bertie was unable to complete.
Klaus didn’t deserve that
In “Manta, Manta 2” Michael Kessler is now one of the returnees from the first part. Visually, little has changed in his character, except, of course, you can see that 30 years have not passed him without a trace. But the problem is that Til Schweiger and his authors have finally stripped Klausi of any dignity. Where in “Manta, Manta” Klausi was still the faithful dumb fool with the good heart, here he is the complete idiot who is only part of the party for the sake of unchanging, almost unlivable stupidity.
The jokes made at Klausi’s expense are not only old-fashioned, they even go so far as to suggest that the man is mentally retarded. Klausi appears in pretty much every scene, just having to make a fool of himself, without an ounce of real personality or momentum. That’s too bad, kind of unfair and just plain brutal, because at the end of “Manta, Manta,” Klausi finally won the race that brought in the money, so that Bertie and Uschi could finally afford their first apartment.
It seems not only awkward, but almost spiteful and unworldly, when Klausi finally wins Siri’s (Nilam Farooq) heart. The love affair between the unequal (!), completely implausible (!!) couple probably even has the biggest (!!!) shame factor, because there is no naturalness between the two characters. They didn’t find each other, they have nothing in common, they just met because Bertie wanted to steal a motorbike from Siri’s father. In the end it remains unclear where the feelings come from. Instead, it seems rather uncomfortably patronizing that Til Schweiger grants Klausi a fake victory moment as well.
The official FILMSTARTS review, awarding 2 stars out of a possible 5, also confirms that dealing with Klausi isn’t the only problem with “Manta, Manta – Zwoter Teil”, but it’s a good example of what’s wrong with the delayed follow-up. Finally, our editor-in-chief Christoph Petersen writes: “Manta Manta: Part Two feels much more like Kokowääh 3 than a sequel to the cult comedy Manta Manta. It’s funny in a strange way, but ultimately it lacks speed, humor and, above all, a good portion of Ruhrpott charm.