The Hunt for the Amber Room (TV Movie 2012) Poster

(2012 TV Movie)

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4/10
About time it ended (or did it?)
Horst_In_Translation4 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Die Jagd nach dem Bernsteinzimmer" or "The Hunt for the Amber Room" is a German 110-minute movie from 2012, so this one has its 5th anniversary now in 2017. It is the third and so far most recent entry to the German "Hunt for" film series. These are all small screen releases and like the second, this one here was directed by Oscar nominee Florian Baxmeyer, which shows how mediocre has career become since his early success. He simply cannot make it to the big screen and his small screen works like this one here are also really weak "lots of "Tatort" episodes included). Anyway, it sucks to see how many writers worked on this film here and how bad it has become. The only reason it is probably not (considerably) worse than the two previous films is because how low these were as well. The cast offers a handful known actors still, but really most of them are more about charisma and maybe also looks and not about range. Bettina Zimmermann is the perfect example for this.

The film loses itself in a bizarre story-line about amnesia and it becomes obvious early on right away that the doctors in this film couldn't care less either and I guess this is also true for a big part of the crew. Or they just don't have the talent. The crew I mean obviously. Anyway, I think the Amber Room is such a rich historic reference that with good focus this could have been a pretty nice, tense and atmospheric film with smart plot references. Instead it feels much more about a cat-fight between two women who want the male protagonist for themselves. What else can I say here. Even the Amber Room references felt shoddy and not well-executed at all. Such a shame. Overall, like I already said earlier, this film here is on par quality-wise with the previous installments to the series and looking at this (lack of) quality we should hope for them to stay away from a 4th film. Then again, can you really blame them if enough people watch it on television and the ratings are high enough to greenlight sequels. Maybe you cannot even blame the producers really. And honestly, what is wrong with the Bambis or I should say Bambia audiences that they turn this crappy movie into an award-nominated work even. Embarrassing stuff. Do not watch.
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old recipes, same ingredients
Vincentiu2 January 2015
maybe the spices are different . but not in great measure. adventures, treasures, drops of history in fake frames, love, fights, honest explorer against the bad guys. it is strange to expect more. because the genre is clear, the actors far to be stars, the story predictable and the end defined by the title. so, a strange lesson about Amber Room , few beautiful landscapes and a man between women. the interesting part - the good intentions. but nothing more because it is not a good or bad film but only gift for the fans of Indiana Jones in different clones. its importance - maybe the desire of viewer to discover the truth about facts. that could be the high virtue. and the good point. but a sketch of script could not make miracles.
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7/10
Good and interesting movie
TdSmth525 May 2014
Albert Einstein, yes, Einstein, in the 40s decides to return to Germany to steal the amber room from the Nazis who've found it and are transporting it somewhere. Einstein and friends intercept the train, take it over, and leave some hints behind. Apparently there's something in the amber room that can be used as a weapon.

In our time, some Indy Jones look-alike is searching for something in caves. He solves the riddles and finds the bag he's looking for. On his way out he and a lovely blonde girl are attacked by some villains in a chopper. The guy is shot. The thing he found is Einstein's bag and the girl is his great granddaughter.

When the guy wakes up months later in a hospital he's welcomed by his girlfriend and some sidekick, but he has amnesia and doesn't know who they are, who he is or what's going on. He also meets his pretty daughter later and warms up to the idea that he's a treasure hunter. His girlfriend wants to know what he was up to when he was shot, why there is a receipt for a room for two when she wasn't invited.

Eventually they trace their way back to the blonde who is a botanist looking for the all-curing herb silphium. When they inspect Einstein's bag and discover a compass, the villains re-appear and blow the place up. As it turns out, they work for a pharmaceutical CEO who's also after silphium in order to sell it to the military and create invincible soldiers.

The hints Einstein left take the group to some spectacular places in Germany with the villains always a step behind. Of course eventually the CEO will have to confront out heroes in person just as everyone finds what they're after. There's also some surprise deception.

The Hunt for the Amber Room is an elaborate production for a TV movie. It's got a very attractive female cast in Zimmerman, Blendl, and the terribly underused Gerhardt. It shows some great sights, like the spectacular Völkerschlachtdenkmal and the Eagle's Nest. What I appreciated is that the movie is actually educational. Who knew about Konrad Zuse- the inventor of the computer, or about silphium, or about the amber room. If there is a problem it's the uncharismatic male lead. They were going for a look and not acting chops unfortunately. And as always with German productions, the annoying and whiny recorded male voices drive me nuts. Overall a good entry in what I understand is somewhat of a series of movies.
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not bad
Kirpianuscus23 January 2017
it is a version of Indiana Jones and few drops of Da Vinci Code. the old adventure and solve of mysteries, confrontation against bad guys and terrible truth. nothing surprising. maybe nice. and this does "The Hunt for the Amber Room" as film for a precise target. its virtue - the smart and pleasant use of the old pieces. and this fact does it seductive. good looking actors who has not need to do a convincing performance, family and the temptation, a spoon of amnesia who could save many scenes, humor and historical references, Nazis and the run to the Amber Room secret detail. a show. nice for teenager. useful for the series of memories who evokes to the adults.
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