I am genuinely in love with this film. This is one of the best Indonesian movie I have ever seen. This story is adapted from a best-selling novel entitled "Laskar Pelangi" by Andrea Hirata. This film tells about 10 children called Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Troops) by their teacher. These children live in rural area, in a poor environment but their heart and imaginations are always rich. The main character of this film is Ikal, a curly-haired young boy who has a dream to study abroad, his relations with his friends and teachers, and his struggles with his family financial condition. The scenery is so beautiful, Belitung island, rich of natures. All of the characters are based on the author's real life story so everyone seems very realistic. This movie is amazing and very inspiring. I recommend you to watch this.

Too bad, the good story just executed in that way: linear, flat, shallow. Too unrealistic for realistic movie, and very poor imagination for surreal movie. Not clear at all what is the genre of this movie.This movie also used too many verbal language, not challenging the power of thought at all. Seem like it copy paste from the book literally. It is clear that the directors, didn't understand the difference between movie and book.But the main flaw of this film is about the acting. Those children eyes didn't act at all. Even Michael Bay's Autobot, more good in acting compare too all of them.May be Riri Reza need to learn from Slumdog Millionaire. How those kids in that film, act so natural. They are all amateur actors, but doing a great great job in that movie. Or he can learn from Iran's movie Children of Heaven. About how to act and to use a non-verbal language.

Have just seen the European Premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. This was the first Indonesian film I had ever seen and did not know what to expect. I was not disappointed. It was colourful, beautifully photographed and well acted by the young cast. The plot was somewhat simplistic and the 'preachy' pro Islamic Education sentiments which were repeated ad-nauseum throughout became rather tiresome. Other systems work as well you know! Despite this I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and only the extremely hard of heart would not have to wipe tears from their eyes at the moving finale. Highly recommended. It deserves to be seen by a wider audience.

Even without comparing the movie with the novel, any sound moviegoers can find that Riri Riza, the director and co-writer of the movie (not the novel), is not in his top form. His usual go-for-detail is lost somewhere after 30 minutes of the movie.One of the most disturbing "mistakes" is the switch of story point-of-view (POV) somewhere in the middle of the movie. The story suddenly changes from flashback Ikal (POV first person) to the internal conflict of Bu Mus (POV of 3rd person). And goes back to Ikal again. Surely, this is never happen in the book. And surely, the decision to dig more on the life of Bu Mus result in more dramatic scenes and put more "human" into the ideal teacher. However, the sudden change in POV is a mistake nonetheless.The POV switch is also destroy the focus of the story. This is the story about the kids! The kids that fight for their dream and their hope with high spirit. The focus on Bu Mus and Pak Harfan ruin this, and all that I can see is just a bunch of poor kids with spirit slightly higher than usual, but not worthy bearing the title of Laskar Pelangi (The Rainbow Warrior). The kids is just there.. well, being kids.The diluted stories and lack of spirits closed with bitter end. The return of Ikal with his scholarship to French, does not come from a struggle (I know, it's told in the novel, but we're talking movie now). It's just plain unfair. Ikal is not the most struggling of all. He is just plain kids, no more exceptional than other. At least, the struggle and spirit is not there in the movie.It seems like Riri get exhausted and want to end the movie, but do it not in his best way. The lack of flow, the inconsistency and the lack of spirit shown in the movie is not usual for the work of Riri Riza.Come on, wake-up Oom Riri.. you can do better. Good novel do not guarantee a good movie. But good director does!