El Cometa (1999)

Drama, Suspense and Realistic Teen Romance

Some of the things I liked about this movie are that it is, first and foremost, an interesting story, with a good balance of drama, suspense and teen romance; it is set in a tumultuous historical period; and Valenina (Ana Claudia Talancon) is really a beautiful, wholesome-looking girl who fits the part wonderfully. I also liked that it showed Victor (Diego Luna) to be fascinated with the then-new cinema and dedicated to learning the profession. (I suspect that the old movies at the end of the film of the democratic forces entering Mexico City in 1914 were actually taken by someone very similar to Victor!) I would put the story ages of Valentina at 15 and Victor at 16 (they were both 19 when they made the movie, having been born less than five months apart!)

There are a few drawbacks with the DVD. I don't know why, but there are no chapter division, and there is absolutely nothing extra on the DVD. Also, the picture quality is quite poor; for a 1999 movie, I'd expect the colors to be much better, and I'd expect it to be wide-screen, which it isn't. However, I haven't seen all of Maverick Entertainment's movies, but this is the best one of the several I own.

This isn't a great movie, but it is certainly well worth watching, not just for those interested in Mexican cinema, but simply for its story. There are a few instances of bad language, but very few, and there are a few 'adult situations,' but since kids aren't likely to read subtitles it shouldn't be a problem for anyone who is old enough to read subtitles. In general, it is a very wholesome movie that few people would find a waste of time to watch, and most would be glad they had the opportunity to see it. September 21, 2006

el cometa

this is a good example of a nicely directed mexican movie. it includes the famous diego luna (y tu mama tambien, dirty dancing: havana nights) in his earlier years. the movie begin with a father being killed for his political beliefs in madera. his daughter soon embarks on a journey to deliver money to madera. she stumbles upon a circus troop and travels around with them through mexico. a young boy in the troop (Diego Luna) is fascinated with a brand new invention of this time, the cam corder. As the circus troop travels around, Luna captures all he encounters on their journey. I would recomend this dvd to all who are interested in latin american cinema or realistic fictional stories set in times of famous political eras. August 11, 2004

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