The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn

[areaseven]

One of Europe's most beloved comic books gets the big-budget Hollywood treatment. The Adventures of Tintin stars Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, Griffin in Jumper) as Tintin, Andy Serkis (King Kong, Gollum in The Lord of the Rings) as Captain Haddock, Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Nicholas in Hot Fuzz) and Nick Frost (Ed in Shaun of the Dead, Danny in Hot Fuzz) as Thompson & Thompson, Daniel Craig (the current James Bond 007) as Red Rackham, and Toby Jones (Arnim Zola in Captain America: The First Avenger) as Aristides Silk. Normally, one would think this movie will flop in the U.S., as practically nobody in America reads Tintin, but it is produced by Peter Jackson (with Weta Digital doing the special effects, of course) and directed by Steven Spielberg - which theoretically guarantees a box-office hit stateside.

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn premieres on October 26 in the UK and December 23 in the U.S.

Official Site

Edited August 21, 2013 by areaseven

[renegadeleader1]

so we got a 1940's adventurer fighting nazi's and seeking hidden treasure directed by Speilberg shot in a style faithful to the comics and produced by Jackson. I really can't see how this would fail. Consider me very interested in seeing this!

[kensei]

My favourite comic books.

I will definitely be seeing this.

[BlueMax]

Loved the comics.... would be watching this no matter what

[Dangard Ace]

Who's voicing Snowy?

[Marzan]

Tintin was probably my favourite comic book in my early teens. Initially I was bit concerned when I heard that it was going to be Spielberg doing the film adaptation but seeing the trailer I'm sold. It seems to take the Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackhams Treasure + some bits of The Crab with the Golden Claws (that's were Tintin and Captain Haddock meet). Look enormously forward to this movie and really hope that its a success.

[areaseven]

I'm sure this will be part of a series of Tintin movies. But one must wonder if Spielberg and Jackson will adapt Tintin in the Congo at all.

[Marzan]

I'm sure this will be part of a series of Tintin movies. But one must wonder if Spielberg and Jackson will adapt Tintin in the Congo at all.

I don't think many of Herge's early Tintin production are likely to get adapted. They reflect much of the horrible stereotypes and prejudices of the day. Specially Tintin in the Congo and Tintin in America wil be a no no.

I think The 7 Crystal Ball + Prisoners of the Sun would make for a an amazing movie a la Indiana Jones.

[Hiriyu]

Frost & Pegg as Thompson & Thompson? Sign me up.

[PetarB]

I think the 7 Crystal Balls + Prisoners of the Sun would be an amazing movie.

The best standalone movie however, would be my favourite Tintin adventure: Flight 714.

Finding a Tintin comic at my local library around the age of 5 was a revelatory experience. I've been a fan ever since and look forward to what some great directors do with the material....

[Graham]

as practically nobody in America reads Tintin,

Americans don't read Tintin? I'm shocked! Tintin should be a staple of every kids childhood.

I grew up reading Tintin as a kid and my son loves me reading Tintin to him. In fact, he's gonna be really happy that a Tintin movie is being made. Shame it's in 3D though

However, this is the Tintin movie they should make!

Graham

[areaseven]

Americans don't read Tintin? I'm shocked! Tintin should be a staple of every kids childhood.

Yeah, just about any children's media that's popular in Europe doesn't click in the U.S. Take Thomas and Friends, for example. It's a massively popular storybook and toy franchise all over Europe, Asia and Oceania, but it got derailed in America by some lame live-action film adaptation in 2000. In the case of Tintin, the comic's lack of popularity in America is partly due to the complex process of translating it from French to English (which included a lot of censoring).

However, that will most likely change this Christmas due to Spielberg and Jackson, and all the public libraries will be flooded with requests for Tintin books.

[anime52k8]

Yeah, just about any children's media that's popular in Europe doesn't click in the U.S. Take Thomas and Friends, for example. It's a massively popular storybook and toy franchise all over Europe, Asia and Oceania, but it got derailed in America by some lame live-action film adaptation in 2000.

I loved Thomas the tank engine when I was a kid. It was first TV show I remember watching and liking.

[areaseven]

Here's the official game trailer:

Edited September 2, 2011 by areaseven

[Marzan]

Here's the second trailer:

Nice! But I'm not seeing Professor Calculus. And I do hope Captain Haddock gets to scream something about "blistering barnacles!" at some point

[electric indigo]

It's been a long time, but I don't remember Captain Haddock firing a bazooka in the comics back then.

[PetarB]

Well it's clear they are taking LOTS of liberties with the story

- Tintin meets Haddock before this story

- He was never locked in a cage in this story

- They didn't get on a boat as I recall, in this story

So the addition of Haddock and a bazooka is the least of your concerns!

[electric indigo]

Well, I'm willing to grant the makers a lot of artistic freedom concerning the plot and with adding some action scenes, but it is exactly the bazooka that crosses the border for me. What's next? Boobies?

[Twoducks]

I got a lot of the comics as a really small kit but I think I only read two or three. Liked to just see them. The stories that I made up with the nice drawings in my head were more fun to me.

Didn't the animated series pretty much cover all the books? Remember it being pretty boring though.

[areaseven]

Didn't the animated series pretty much cover all the books? Remember it being pretty boring though.

No. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and Tintin in the Congo were never adapted in any form. The 1990s animated series made an entirely new story out of Tintin in America, removing the Native American subplot and a lot of the book's racial overtones while focusing only on Al Capone.

[Shadow]

I never read the comics but I did enjoy the animated tv series as a kid. Trailer looked interesting and I wasn't expecting full CG.

[Marzan]

Well, I'm willing to grant the makers a lot of artistic freedom concerning the plot and with adding some action scenes, but it is exactly the bazooka that crosses the border for me. What's next? Boobies?

Considering Bianca Castafiore is the only relevant female character in the Tintin series let's hope that that is not the case

[areaseven]

Here's an interesting read. Apparently, Spielberg discovered Tintin when the French newspapers were referencing the comic book series on their reviews of Raiders of the Lost Ark. At the same time, Hergé was a fan of Raiders, and he wanted Spielberg to make a Tintin movie. But before the two got a chance to meet in Brussels, Hergé died. Still, Spielberg acquired the rights from Hergé's widow, but left the film project untouched for nearly three decades due to script problems and other films.

Movies: Inside Tintin

[mikeszekely]

I read the title of this thread as "The Secret of Unicron" and I got really excited. Then I found out that this movie has nothing to do with Unicron. Now I'm wondering if I can learn to appreciate this film despite it's lack of the Chaos Bringer.

[VFTF1]

I was in Brussels this year and visited the Tintin boutique, where I bought Tintin: TOUT. It's a one volume collection of ALL the Tintin adventures (starting with Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and ending with Tintin et L'alph Art). I read Tintin as a child in the US. True, it was never very popular amongst Americans, but I loved it and was happy to be able to get it in Boston.

Now I'm happy to have the original in French. Tintin is much better in the original, although the translations are by and large faithful. I'm also excited about the movie, though they do take many liberties. However, I've noticed that the liberties are in the plot - most of the visuals are actually taken straight out of the many books. That yellow plane they fly is from the Crab with the Gold Claws, the desert scene with Haddock in a red headband is also from Crab (I think). It's kind of a mish-mash of different scenes from different books.

I would love to see this in French, but as far as I know the "original" is in English. Good thing Tintin has a British accent, though naturally I would prefer it if he just spoke French...

In any event - it will be a real treat to go and watch this :-)

Pete

[macross_fan99]

Has anyone here seen the Asterix or Lucky Luke movies that were made in France?

As a fan of those I found the movies to be very enjoyable. I'm surprised a French company didn't try to get a Tintin movie made. They have shown they can make a movie that is true to the source material and that fans enjoy.

Hopefully Tintin can be as good.

[Marzan]

Got to see Tintin last night and have to confess that even though I enjoyed it, I found it a bit of a mixed bag. The background visuals, CGI and capture technology are nothing short of impressive. All the action scenes are absolutely sublime and put many other blockbusters to shame. It's definitely a crowd pleaser in that regard.

But...

They do take a lot of liberties with the story

since they basically mesh the Secret of the Unicorn with the Crab with the Golden Claws and a bit of Red Rackhams Treasure. Side characters like Mr. Sakharin are important characters in this film and Bianca castafiore makes a strange cameo that feels a bit forced

. So if you're a fan, have an open mind about this.

It's obviously not a problem if you've never read the comics or just have a vague recollection of them. In that case I can thoroughly recommend Tintin as the closest thing to classic Indiana Jones you'll see.

Edited November 1, 2011 by Marzan

[VFTF1]

Re: Tintin and the Land of the Soviets, Congo and in America -

It is unfortunate that these early books get such a bad rap, particularly Tintin in the Land of the Soviets. In a time when the "serious" Western press and academia were lauding supposed Soviet progress, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets was actually telling the truth. The depiction of the Soviet Union in that book is perfectly accurate, even if it's based soley on prejudice and stereotype. History has demonstrated that that particular prejudice was a healthy one and that particular stereotype was spot on and factual.

Tintin in the Land of the Soviets is politically good - on par with Tintin in Tibet or Tintin and the Blue Lotus. The only difference being that the latter two books are more sophisticated, while the first is more basic. Still, it is actually extremely accurate.

Tintin in America on the other hand never bothered me, and the allegations that it's in any way racist towards indians are strange. Herge was a scout, he loved Indian culture and dreamed of visiting the native Americans. In fact, in Tintin in America, Herge uses satire to show the sad and tragic side of American industrial progress as it destroys the Native American culture. How is that racist? Herge was a supporter of Native Americans/Indians. When he finally visited America, he was very dissapointed when he visited an Indian reservation and witnessed lethargy and drunkeness - he was sad that this culture was eliminated and opressed and his Tintin in America was his grand vision of the western frontier which he adored.

As for Tintin in Congo - I think this book is probably the hardest to defend, but Herge himself has said that he was simply ignorant and writing on the basis of existing colonial prejudice.

Pete

[VFTF1]

Just a heads up that I have watched the movie and written up a review:

http://dyrl.pl/detale.html?id=1107

No pictures yet to go with the review, mainly because I'm dead tired from work... :-0

Pete

[Noyhauser]

Re: Tintin and the Land of the Soviets, Congo and in America -

It is unfortunate that these early books get such a bad rap, particularly Tintin in the Land of the Soviets. In a time when the "serious" Western press and academia were lauding supposed Soviet progress, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets was actually telling the truth. The depiction of the Soviet Union in that book is perfectly accurate, even if it's based soley on prejudice and stereotype. History has demonstrated that that particular prejudice was a healthy one and that particular stereotype was spot on and factual.

Tintin in the Land of the Soviets is politically good - on par with Tintin in Tibet or Tintin and the Blue Lotus. The only difference being that the latter two books are more sophisticated, while the first is more basic. Still, it is actually extremely accurate.

Tintin in America on the other hand never bothered me, and the allegations that it's in any way racist towards indians are strange. Herge was a scout, he loved Indian culture and dreamed of visiting the native Americans. In fact, in Tintin in America, Herge uses satire to show the sad and tragic side of American industrial progress as it destroys the Native American culture. How is that racist? Herge was a supporter of Native Americans/Indians. When he finally visited America, he was very dissapointed when he visited an Indian reservation and witnessed lethargy and drunkeness - he was sad that this culture was eliminated and opressed and his Tintin in America was his grand vision of the western frontier which he adored.

As for Tintin in Congo - I think this book is probably the hardest to defend, but Herge himself has said that he was simply ignorant and writing on the basis of existing colonial prejudice.

Pete

And I think he gets much better as time moves on. Tintin and the Picaros shows a much much more realistic and nuanced view of politics in developing country.

[BlueMax]

And I think he gets much better as time moves on. Tintin and the Picaros shows a much much more realistic and nuanced view of politics in developing country.

I agree with this observation. Also, we have to take into account that people of his time were very prejudiced and and very imbalanced worldviews. I think he pretty much had a world view well ahead of his time, evident in his later works.

Anyway, back to this film. The reviews are mostly polarized, according to the professional reviews i have seen so far. Those reviews either gushing over it, or were saying that Jackson et al, raped their childhood. Oh well, no matter. Will be watching it anyway. I suspect I should be enjoying it very much, if most of the reviews compare the action favorably to the earlier Indiana Jones films

[areaseven]

The critics like it, so far.

"Spielberg has fashioned a whiz-bang thrill ride that's largely faithful to the wholesome spirit of his source but still appealing to younger, Tintin-challenged auds." - Leslie Felperin, Variety

"Serving up a good ol' fashioned adventure flick that harkens back to the filmmaker's action-packed, tongue-in-cheek swashbucklers of the 1980s, Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is a visually dazzling adaptation." - Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter

"It has a light touch, a brisk pace and considerable charm, perfect family fare for casual viewers." - Jill Lawless, Associated Press

On the other hand...

"This is the ugliest film ever made. Simply, it out-aestheticises Hergé and murders him." - Antonia Quirke, Financial Times

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 86%

[Marzan]

Yeah, it's really all or nothing with the reviews it's gotten in most of Europe. I get the feeling that those who had read Tintin beforehand disliked it, while those who were having their first time encounter with the franchise liked it. Just the way I see it.

[VFTF1]

Well,

It's already wearing on me. The crane-fight scene was so out of character... I got vibes of the Tintin and the "river of sharks" or whatever that crappy adaptation was called..

Pete

[areaseven]

I just got back from watching this movie, and I still feel dizzy. The single-camera Moroccan chase scene is cool in concept, but there's just too much stuff happening all at once. Some parts of the storyline feel rushed. Otherwise, it's a pretty good family film. It even references past Tintin adventures in the beginning.