A respectable and watchable film.
I do feel 'Emil and the Detectives' could've been bigger and better, there's a load of good ingredients there. With that said, it is still a film that has its pluses. One is how it looks, with cool shots of 1960s Berlin. Another is the humour which is pretty solid.
The cast is where it gets underwhelming, not in terms of the actors but just in regards to the characters and their respective developments. Heinz Schubert, Walter Slezak and Peter Ehrlich are suitable choices to portray Grundeis, The Baron and Müller. However, they never really get out of second gear. I personally wanted more from the trio.
Then you have the child actors, for which there are many - probably too many as none of them, aside from Emil (Bryan Russell) and Gustav (Roger Mobley), get much development or even serious screen time.
As for the premise, it's entertaining. Like with what I've already noted, it's all just a bit safe and mild. It definitely could've been greater. I still had a fun enough time with this, though.