Mortadelo & Filemon: Mission Implausible (2014)

Mortadelo & Filemon: Mission Implausible (Spanish: Mortadelo y Filemón contra Jimmy el Cachondo, "Mortadelo and Filemon versus Jimmy the Freak") is a 2014 Spanish animated action comedy film co-written, directed and edited by Javier Fesser based on the characters from the Mort & Phil comic book series. It achieved six nominations for the 29th Goya Awards, winning in the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Animated Film categories, and two for the second edition of Premios Feroz.

Plot

After installing his 301st vault, Superintendent Vincent, the head of the spy agency known as the T.I.A. (a parody of CIA) receives a message from Jimmy the Freak (Jimmy el Cachondo), the agency's main enemy. After he successfully steals the vault, The Super calls the unlucky Phil (Filemón) and his sidekick Mort (Mortadelo) (after the former had a dream where he was respected and admired by everyone), when he discovers that a thug he held in jail named Mulecruncher (Tronchamulas) has escaped, and thirsty with rage to apply the technique known as "the Ding-Dong" (El Aquello) (turn the victim inside out).

At the agency, a furious Mulecruncher ends up being sedated by Professor Bacterium's invention, called Reversulin, which completely changes his angry and intimidating appearance to a kind and polite person. The Super orders that Phil and Mort take Mulecruncher to a witness protection program, but after a chase across town for a Mulecruncher in a runaway baby stroller, the trio stop at a reality show named Gran Fulano (a parody of Big Brother)), where a Reversulined Mulecruncher accidentally leaks the Super's whole plan in front of 200 million viewers.

Jimmy, outraged by his cousin saying he knows where his hiding place is, destroys the roof of the T.I.A. building, which prompts the Super to order Mort and Phil to again take Mulecruncher to their apartment. Taking advantage of the fact that Mulecruncher is disoriented by the Reversulin, they force him to do housework, such as darning, ironing, washing and cooking. Phil provokes Mulecruncher by joking about the fact that his father didn't want him, so Mulecruncher threatens Phil who, despite being Reversulined, can still perform the "Ding-Dong" on him. Above them, an angry Jimmy and his henchmen attempt to destroy the building his cousin was in, failing miserably. On the ground floor of the apartment where they were staying, Mulecruncher finds a little old man, half blind, who thinks that Mulecruncher is a child and decides to take him to the police station, but when the effects of the Reversulin wear off, Mulecruncher takes the wheel and goes to his cousin Jimmy's hideout to alert him that he is wanted.

Convinced that Mulecruncher was kidnapped by Jimmy, Phil and Mort decide to go rescue him. Jimmy intends to destroy the T.I.A. once and for all with a missile, after seeing that the duo "destroyed" his hiding place. Mulecruncher, using a crane, catches the duo on a "homemade plane", very similar to Phil's dream, and launches both towards Jimmy, who was heading towards the T.I.A. with the missile. An intense aerial battle takes place to prevent the destruction of the building, however, in an act of distraction, Phil unintentionally releases the missile he was holding, hitting the T.I.A. building and launching it, the Super and Professor Bacterium into space.

Mulecruncher appears again with a dog catcher car, following Jimmy's helicopter in search of the little old man. When Phil teases him that he forgot his shoes with him, growling and huffing, he finally does the "Ding-Dong" technique. When he finally prevents the little old man from having a bad fall, Mulecruncher assumes he wants to change his life and they head off into the sun. Jimmy, annoyed at having his plan go down the drain, decides to blow them both up after pressing a button that transforms his helicopter, but seeing that the duo was still mocking him, Jimmy threatens to throw a bomb towards the duo. They try to buy time making small talk with Jimmy, which doesn't work and causes Jimmy to press the button, but before the bomb can hit the duo, the T.I.A building falls on him, brutally crushing him.

After retrieving the envelope for the Super, who was in the hospital, Phil and Mort are outraged to learn that what was inside was just a simple sweet potato puree recipe. After Mort and Phil force the Super to swallow his vault, the Super is searching for the both of them with a fishing spear in Antarctica, while both are in disguise, waiting for the problems get "cold".

In a post-opening-credits scene, it is seen that Phil used the last dose of Reversulin to make a woman named Irma from the T.I.A. fall in love with him, although both of them are offscreen beaten up by the goalkeeper.

Characters

The portrayal of the characters is rather faithful to the comics except for Mortadelo and Filemon: Mortadelo has far more common sense and Filemon is actually quite dumb while in the comics, it was the opposite.

The T.I.A. Staff

Mortadelo: The Subordinate of Filemon and the Super. Despite being a bit clumsy, he's rather cunning, resourceful and has invented several gadgets on his own to protect his apartment. He has incredible skill in disguising himself as virtually anything ranging from animals to professionals outfits, machinery etc...Like everyone else, he cares very little about his boss and has often proved that he might be actually more competent than Filemon.

Filemón: The Boss of Mortadelo. Initially presentend as the "Straight-Man" to Mortadelo's "Ditz" in the comics, his portrayal into this film is different: extremely stupid, arrogant, cowardly, bossy and incompetent. The only trait of Filemón's personality from the comics that remains in the film is that he's incredibly accident-prone, capable of being injured in comical and painful ways.

He spent most of his time dreaming that he's a great hero but is despised by everyone and tries to avoid vengeful foes who he has arrested in the past.

Voice cast in Spanish

Box office

The film's production budget is estimated at $12.5 million. In Spain, the film grossed €4.9 million ($5.5 million).

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

Mortadelo and Filemon: Mission Implausible at IMDb