User reviews

This is the ultimate film for a true carlover. Though lots of people might disagree on this point with me. Yes it's a german flick, but hey what the heck, it doesn't even matter if you understand anything said in this film, the racing is just so cool. It is a compilation of true oldschool streetracing. Sure the plot ain't all that, it's just all about the cars, which are simply affordable for most people and that makes it all the more interesting! I've seen enough fancy films with unaffordable monstercars, Manta Manta is just the real thing.

I'll have to agree with some people on this forum that this movie is probably the MOST interesting for german or Dutch people.

if you ever get the opportunity to get your hands on this film, be sure not to miss it. Just give it a try and you'll be surprised!

I watched a different Manta movie a while ago, thinking it was going to be this one ... I was wrong, which I realized while watching the other one. It is quite inferior to this one. While this also has characters that are hard to sympathize with - and calling them silly would still give them more IQ credit than they deserve, this can be fun to watch.

I was especially surprised about how good Til Schweiger is in this one ... I don't usually praise his acting work ... then again, the "role" seems to be destined to be played by someone like him, so I guess it was a good fit. Manta is a car that many people made and still make fun of ... and you can see why, when you watch the movie ... but they are also people - the ones driving the car that is! So sit back and enjoy the craziness ... if you can.

This is one of my all time favorites. Growing up with the Opel Manta as the car to have, I've even owned a few my self. One of my buddies actually bought "Berti's " manta from the film.

Anyway. The movie is extremely goofy, and Germans don't always know how to put in funny elements into a film. That taken aside the movie is still goofie. But think back. 1991! What kind of close did you where back then, and what colour was your hair ? And then there is the whole Manta Manta thing.. Thats why the movie is worth to watch. It actually has some car chases that are quite good, and the guy doing the stunts eventually came to do some of the car stunts on The Fast and the Furious.

The scene where Berti's Manta drives under a lorry was replicated some 10 years later in TFATF..

For me this movie is a walk back memory lane. The movie might be a eye roller if you're under the age of 25, or over the age of 45 but the ones that remember the late 80's and early 90's will definitely get a good laugh or two :o)

This film is probably only worth watching if you're from Western Europe. If you're not from there you miss the main point of the movie, portraying and maybe even exaggerating stereotypes.

The car the movie's title refers to, the infamous Opel Manta, is a car that has achieved cult status in Germany and is according to the general opinion mostly driven by 'socially unadjusted' people. Then again, if you look at the movie in a deeper perspective it might have a little more to it. You could see it as a movie about people with ambitions, (the mechanic that goes to university), setting your priorities straight (the main character that decides not to enter the race when he hears his girlfriend is pregnant) or about character (the 'loser' type that wins the final race).

i can really understand that this film isn't rated very high, when you're not from holland or germany you won't understand this movie. it's primarely based on stereotypes / people that live in these countries. if you know people like this you'll see that every stereotype in the movie is portrayed just right! i love this "cult" movie.

Manta manta is one of the funniest films I ever saw. The film is a parody description of a parallel world that has existed in Europe in the eighties and nineties. And may be still: It's the world of Opel Manta drivers, of man called 'Mani' and blonde women, often hairdressers called 'Ushi'. All sharing one passion:

OPEL MANTA

This is a real cool and funny movie if ur european and where young in the 80s.

As the title says the story is about guys (girls) who drive opel manta (B model).

The dialog is good and theres great action.

"Manta, Manta" is lame and embarrassing in so many ways. What kind of derelict comes up with the idea of making a film about Manta obsessed German villagers and actually allows the hero to drive around in a pink, blue and yellow car? "Manta, Manta" is so cringe-worthy that it will give you wrinkles. And yet, I simply can't get enough of this addictively stupid, piece of crap. Even the ridiculous soundtrack is a guilty pleasure.

"Manta, Manta" represents the cinematic debut of Til Schweiger, after his run on "Lindenstrasse". He plays Bertie, a Manta driving idiot who challenges a Mercedes driving yuppie to a race, much to the annoyance of his peroxide blonde girlfriend, Uschi. Uschi, in turn, is asked to take part in a wet t-shirt competition by a Ferrari driving stranger who mistakes her for a prostitute as she waits for the bus. The plot becomes even more ludicrous when Bertie's friend Gerd falls in love with a radio reporter on an anti-Manta crusade.

This film is the reason why I became a Til Schweiger fan. He displays some of his future potential and definitely looks like a movie star, but his performance here is dreadful to the point of being hilarious. Bertie's drunken trip to the anti-Manta radio station is a fantastic low in modern German cinema. It's amazing to see how far Til has come since this trash - well, with the exception of "Driven", which is really "Manta, Manta" with better cars but without the charm.

In addition to the chance of watching a young and clueless Til, the movie also offers some great car chases and some of the worst fashion ever captured on film. I am fully aware that "Manta, Manta" is utter crap but that has never stopped me from enjoying it. Fans of bad movies and undiscerning rev-heads will be glad to have spent 87 minutes of their time with Bertie and his loser friends.

In the "Fun Stuff" section writes:

"Factual errors: When Berti drives a race against a VW Golf, both drivers pull the handbrake and press the pedal to burn some rubber. This is not possible, because the Opel Manta is a rear wheel driven model, and the handbrake also brakes the rear wheels."

This "so called" error is not an error actually. I own one of these cars and i modified the handbrake system so that it controls the front brakes. Works perfect for burnout. And I did the modification BEFORE I saw the film. So the German might have done the same thing in 1991.

And if anyone knows where i can find a genuine DVD with English subtitles please let me know.

This movie is extremely amusing, and might be more amusing to the dutch than to the germans. Part of the fun is the recognition of stereotypes: these guys really exists in Holland, Germany and probably Belgium, although they are often ruder and less sympathetic than the ones in the movie.

So first of all, what do people expect from a car tuning/racing comedy from the beginning of the 1990s? I hope not, Francis Ford Coppola worthy acting and family dinners that drag on for half an hour. Take it with a grain of salt, for what it is.

As part two , which I never expected, just hit the streaming services (in this case SKY), I felt like watching the original, to prepare. And it paid off well. Being born in 1980, the first film was part of my youth and we watched it a couple of times, having drinks and laughing about it all. What I did not remember, was the deeper sense of it, and Klausi being the not obvious hero.

Honestly it is not an eight star movie, but considering the bad reviews and harsh words that it got by some of my peer critics, I felt like being generous.

An absolute cult classic for anyone from a german speaking background born around the time.

Thanks for the memories really.