The Adventures of Tintin

[jpanimation]

Remind me, jpanimation, have you read any further Tintin stories, like The Seven Crystal Balls, the best book in the series?

I haven't read anymore since (I'm a little low on free time at the moment). The Seven Crystal Balls is the next Tintin movie to be made, by Peter Jackson no less, but that all relies on Steven Spielberg's production being successful. With that said, I'm not really in as much a rush to read it before the movie comes out like I was with the others, but that doesn't mean I won't eventually.

[Dr Frankenollie]

-

[estefan]

European tv spot:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hAAiXQB4U10" frameborder="0"></iframe>

I just don't understand the Uncanny Valley accusations at all. And I've tried looking at the characters in every way, but I'm not getting that "creepy" feeling a select others have gotten. Unlike, say, Mars Needs Moms, which weirded me out from frame one, I can look at that image of Tintin for ages and still not get sent to the Valley.

[jpanimation]

^The difference between ImageMovers and Weta. Plus the TinTin characters a little more stylized then you're typical motion capture.

[ajmrowland]

MNM was still less weird than Polar Express

[Hogi Bear]

The latest trailer:

http://flash.sonypictures.com/video/int ... ailer3.mp4 480p - 13.9 MB

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http://www.sonypictures.net/movies/tint ... heunicorn/

Enjoy! Looks good.

[Hogi Bear]

Another trailer (similar to the last):

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/para ... softintin/

[jpanimation]

Yeah, the new Apple trailer was posted a few days back. It looks great but some of the changes from the original comics has me worried (making Sakharine the villain seems like it would simplify the plot and ruin some of the mystery). Early reviews suggest story takes a back seat to the action, which also has me worried.

[Goliath]

Yeah, the new Apple trailer was posted a few days back. It looks great but some of the changes from the original comics has me worried (making Sakharine the villain seems like it would simplify the plot and ruin some of the mystery). Early reviews suggest story takes a back seat to the action, which also has me worried.

Sakharine is the villain??!!

Shit, this movie is gonna be baaaaaaaaaaaad.

Thanks for warning me. Poor Hergé. I knew that once Hollywood would get its ugly hands on his creations, they would be dumbed down and reduced to a mere shill of themselves.

[estefan]

Yep, that's why critics are completely bashing it.

No, wait...they're actually highly praising it for successfully bringing Herge's characters to the big screen. Just about every review I've read has said that Spielberg has respected the source material. And most of these extremely positive reviews are from French and Belgian critics, who had knifes ready for the attack. If Spielberg and Jackson had, in any way, dis-respected the comics, those French-speaking critics would have mauled them.

[Goliath]

Yep, that's why critics are completely bashing it.

No, wait...they're actually highly praising it for successfully bringing Herge's characters to the big screen. Just about every review I've read has said that Spielberg has respected the source material. And most of these extremely positive reviews are from French and Belgian critics, who had knifes ready for the attack. If Spielberg and Jackson had, in any way, dis-respected the comics, those French-speaking critics would have mauled them.

I couldn't care less about those reviews even if my life depended on it. I realize that Spielberg is your God and you worship at his altar every night and that's fine by me, but you can't defend such a huge departure from the original source. Who is to say those movie critics are comic fans as well, let alone Tintin-fans? And what their nationality got to do with it? Maybe they never even read a Tintin-comic. Everybody knows Tintin, you don't have to have read the albums to know him and the other characters. It's awfully easy to just write: "it's true to the source", even if you don't know the source. Sakharine is not the villain. That is a huge departure. That is not being true to the source. And combining several albums into one story, like Spielberg did, is also not being true to the source. So even though in your mind Spielberg can do absolutely no wrong and everything he touches must be the most perfect thing ever created, that doesn't change that fact. Oh, and what jpanimation said about story taking the backseat to the action: yeah, I believe that, seeing Haddock with a rocketlauncher. Style over substance: that's the Spielberg trademark. Sorry to burst your bubble.

[estefan]

To be honest, I would rather trust the views of professionals who have studied film and have watched said film rather than an Internet user who hasn't and is simply making speculation. When I see The Adventures of Tintin come December, I will form my opinion, but at the moment, the general reaction has been very positive. Even Herge's biographer (who has actually worked with Herge and knew him personally) has said that he would loved the film.

And no, I don't consider Spielberg a perfect filmmaker. He has done some blunders in his career (I consider The Lost World to be one of the worst sequels ever made, for example), but he is one of my favourite filmmakers and anyone who has directed the Indiana Jones series, Schindler's List, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, Munich, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Minority Report, Duel, Empire of the Sun, Jurassic Park, The Color Purple and The Sugarland Express has done enough to show that he will more than likely make a good film when he steps behind the camera. It's one of the reasons why he stands alongside Charlie Chaplin, Stanley Kubrick, the Coen Brothers, Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and Hayao Miyazaki as one of my favourite directors. I'm sure you have you own personal list of favourite directors as well.

As for combining the books, that makes logical sense to me. The Secret of the Unicorn is not long enough to be its own film, not to mention that story ends with Red Rakham's Treasure, so of course, the those two stories will be combined. The filmmakers have also said that they combined them with The Grab of the Golden Claws since that is the album where Tintin and Haddock first meet and establish their friendship. Once again, it makes sense to me. Like I've stated before, I'm a huge Tintin fan, own some of the books (including The Secret of the Unicorn) and even have a DVD set with some episodes of the animated series. Believe it, if Spielberg and Jackson had messed with the books in any way, I would be just as upset as you are. However, everything I've read about this film has me pleased. Hopefully, the final film I've been waiting years for, matches my anticipation.

[Goliath]

To be honest, I would rather trust the views of professionals who have studied film and have watched said film rather than an Internet user who hasn't and is simply making speculation.

I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm not here to change your mind. All I'm saying is that those reviewers you cited are being factually untrue when they said the movie is close to the source. Combining several stories into one isn't being close to the source. Making Sakharine the villain also is not being close to the source. That's all I'm saying. Facts are facts.

[...] Even Herge's biographer (who has actually worked with Herge and knew him personally) has said that he would loved the film.

That sounds exactly like "this is what Walt would have wanted".

And no, I don't consider Spielberg a perfect filmmaker.

Then why are you so insistent in defending a film you haven't even seen yourself?

[...] but he is one of my favourite filmmakers and anyone who has directed the Indiana Jones series, Schindler's List, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, Munich, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Minority Report, Duel, Empire of the Sun, Jurassic Park, The Color Purple and The Sugarland Express has done enough to show that he will more than likely make a good film when he steps behind the camera.

Of all Indiana Jones movies, only the first was good. The rest got progressively worse and the last installment was one of the all-time worst movies in cinematic history. Schindler's List and E.T. are probably the most overrated movies ever. Jaws is an embarressment; Close Encounters puts one to sleep and has a laughable ending; and Jurassic Park isn't interesting to anyone above the age of 12. Okay, I'll give you Minority Report and especially Empire of the Sun, those are good films. The others are just average and forgettable.

But hey, that's only my opinion. And you know what they say about opinion, right?

As for combining the books, that makes logical sense to me. The Secret of the Unicorn is not long enough to be its own film, not to mention that story ends with Red Rakham's Treasure, so of course, the those two stories will be combined. The filmmakers have also said that they combined them with The Grab of the Golden Claws since that is the album where Tintin and Haddock first meet and establish their friendship. Once again, it makes sense to me.

Combining 'Secret of the Unicorn' and 'Red Rackham's Treasure' makes perfect sense, but combining it with 'Crab with the Golden Claws' does absolutely not. They cannot be combined. 'Secret of the Unicorn' is about a ship, the Unicorn, which was under command of a ancestor of Haddock. Haddock tells the tale to Tintin, but they are friends for a few stories already at this point. After Haddock and Tintin met, they have gone through a variety of adventures before they get to visit each other at home, where Haddock tells all about the Unicorn. The two stories just don't fit together. And I don't get why they had to change a good character into a villain. There were perfectly good villains in the books they combined (one of them, Allan, is even a semi-regular character in the series).

Maybe I'm just a bigger purist than you.

Or maybe I'll need to start a thread on the "Herge essence".

[estefan]

I think me thinking it looks good is no different from why you think it looks bad. After all, we're both interpreting how we're going to feel about the film based on our expectations, how we feel about the Tintin stories and the filmmakers and what we have concluded based on trailers and critical reviews. We're simply looking at it at different directions and that's okay. Like everybody else in the world, we won't have a full opinion until we watch the final product (you sooner than me, since the Netherlands is, deservedly, getting it two months before Canada).

And I see how one would feel that way about Spielberg's work. I have a friend who doesn't like Spielberg's movies for a lot of the same reasons you stated (with the exception of Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can and Munich, which he likes). He pretty much has zero interest in War Horse and Tintin and I totally understand why.

Interesting enough, this is not the first time that one of the screenwriters of Tintin has combined multiple comic books into one film, changing characters and scenes about and deleting certain parts to fit it into under two hours. Edgar Wright had the difficult task of combining all seven volumes of Scott Pilgrim (another one of my favourite comic book series) into one feature film and I thought he did a terrific job of doing while still maintaining the spirit of the comics and giving it a logical and seamless plot. So, that's another reason I'm optimistic about The Adventures of Tintin.

However, I can understand your reservations. I get it's a "wait and see" for both of us. Who knows? You might up end not finding it too bad, while I might get incredibly disappointed by it.

At the very least we can both agree, that one of the best things that can happen is this new feature will lead more people to read the original comic books. One thing I've never understood is why Tintin never became a really big and popular comic in North America.

[Goliath]

Thanks for your reply. I added some self-depricating humor to mellow up my initial harder points, and I'm glad you picked up on that.

At the very least we can both agree, that one of the best things that can happen is this new feature will lead more people to read the original comic books. One thing I've never understood is why Tintin never became a really big and popular comic in North America.

Absolutely, that's something we both agree on. Personally, I think Tintin never made it big in America for the same reason other famous European comics didn't (Spirou, Asterix, Lucky Luke, Blake & Mortimer etc.). It's just a totally different way of story-telling than what Americans are traditionally used to in their superhero comics and newspaper strips.

[Super Aurora]

At the very least we can both agree, that one of the best things that can happen is this new feature will lead more people to read the original comic books. One thing I've never understood is why Tintin never became a really big and popular comic in North America.

Absolutely, that's something we both agree on. Personally, I think Tintin never made it big in America for the same reason other famous European comics didn't (Spirou, Asterix, Lucky Luke, Blake & Mortimer etc.). It's just a totally different way of story-telling than what Americans are traditionally used to in their superhero comics and newspaper strips.

I do recall watching the animated series of Tintin being broadcasted on TV herein USA so I dunno if it is popular or not but it did make a prevalent showing here. My guess is it wasn't marketed to audience as well as does the Superhero comic or even the Japanese manga, but I do know that that it was out for here in USA cause I remember it so well from as a kid. Asterix is the other one. Then again those two are only ones I recall that is fairly well known here in USA.

[jpanimation]

Jaws is an embarressment;

...Jurassic Park isn't interesting to anyone above the age of 12.

This reminds me of Dr Frankenollie’s “Why an adult would want to watch a Star Wars movie I'll never know” comment, by which it’s a criticism of the people who enjoy the movie as opposed to being a criticism of the movie itself. I happen to love the first Jurassic Park, sorry for being so childish in doing so.

Anyways, interesting behind the scenes TinTin video:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZCuOZKtApG0" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Also, Peter Jackson will begin "filming" the sequel as soon as he's done with The Hobbit. The script is already written and the storyboards are done, so it's ready to go when he is. The movie will be based on "The Seven Crystal Balls" and "Prisoners of the Sun."

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2011/10/26/pe ... in-hobbit/

[estefan]

Just came from seeing it and I absolutely loved it! I'm a huge Tintin fan and right from the opening credits, I had a big smile on my face (I had to really contain myself when a quick shot of the famous orange-and-white rocket-ship appeared, as "Destination: Moon" is my favourite Tintin book). The motion-capture is amazing, with not a single hint of the Uncanny Valley anyway and all of the actors fit their parts to a tee. The action sequences are breathtaking, especially one in Morocco, and it never once lets go or drags. It captures the wonder, humour and adventure of Tintin perfectly. As a Tintin fan, it's great to see these characters brought to three-dimensional life. And I think it serves as a fantastic introduction to those who have never even read the comic books (though you really should).