The second installment in the Famous Five saga was,like the first one, modernized ,with use of computers ,mobiles ,and even a robot dog which puzzles good old Timmy.
The book has undergone some changes : a prologue set in 1587 shows a monastery where the monks are deprived of their precious green gemstone (the green eye),in spite of a local robin Hood ,die Schwarze Katze , (the black cat);this blast from the past has a Deja Vu taste and does not hang well with the rest of the film.totally invented by the screenwriters
From the book: Richard (Hardy) is a rich kid who owns the latest gimmick and whose father leaves to his own devices ;exit mother and aunt.Rookie (present in the movie)was his bodyguard but something happened ;Mick (Dick) is mistaken for Richard and gets kidnapped ,this is the principal element taken from the novel.
This is rather a comedy ,not a thriller aimed at the children ;both villains ,like in the first episode ,are brothers who look like cartoon characters ,Cruella 's henchmen in "101 dalmatians" ;besides one of them farts at night ,which is not Blytonesque at all.
The best moments are to be found at the beginning and in the final sequences: the Richard /Five meeting begins with the obligatory "my,my! George is a girl ?Isn't it odd?" which infuriates our tomboy;true to herself,wimpish Anne is afraid of the noises in the forest(but reveals herself a useful musician);Richard is boastful, vain,and it 'll take time before he gets integrated in the fab five 's alliance.Long- haired Mick is ,like in the first movie,pedantic ,and he has developed a taste for junk food (where are his aunt's good meals of the stories?)
The interest increases in the scenes in the subterranean ,where Richard recalls Tom Thumb's method .But the highlight is definitely the circus show :"it's boring" ,mom,says a young girl in the audience;then after the Fab' s (and particularly George's ) unexpected entrance, she changes her mind! although it's a little too much for that tomboy George ,it's well directed and enthralling.
