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The Adventures of Tintin MOVIE Discussion thread


Jay

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Peter Jackson read Tintin at 8.

And that is for that very reason that I'm more interested in seeing PJ's Tintin than Spielberg's Tintin

Says the man who hasn't seen Spielberg's Tintin yet. Nor heard the excellent score by Williams.

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So when is the grand day you are going to see this film then? I can't wait to hear your opinion on it. :)

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hey everyone ... :)

Is it just me or did anyone else also recognize Spielberg's mini-cameo? I was laughing out loud so much ... but actually I felt sad, because it seemed I was the only one who recognized it, the complete audience kept silent :blush:

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The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn

Simply, the movie Indy 4 should have been. (and I like Indy 4)

Even though it uses 2 technologies Spielberg was new 2 (motion capture and 3D) and it's an animation film, something the director has never dabbled in himself (though he's produced plenty of them) it really feels like a Spielberg film.

It actually feels like Steven Spielberg unbridled. No longer restricted by the limitations of filming in the real world. Most directors would not be able to handle that, and go to far, or simply stich to what they know and don't go far enough.

Spielberg loves setting up complicated shots with lots of camera movement (the action scenes in Minority Report or WOTW for example, were the camera revolves around the car). This film must have allowed him such freedom. I'm sure he probably put shots in their that he had wanted to do for projects for years, but were not feasible.

Again, KOCS feels like Spielberg is dutifully making a film the rest of the world expects him to make, This one feels like it's coming from Spielberg himself. It's an itch that's finally being scratched.

the characters, they feel right. Jamie Bell has the probably thankless role of playing Tintin, a hero without that much a a personality. He plays the character with a quiet urgency. He NEEDS to discover the secret of the unicorn, he regards Haddock with some impatience, which feels just right. It's actually a spot on performance that will possibly go unnoticed.

Andy (Mo Cap) Serkis has fun with Haddock, playing him larger then life, at times pitiable, at times annoying, always lovable.

Daniel Craig is so good as Saccharine that you won't know it Daniel Craig. He's a strong villian, slimy, clever.

The look of the film!

No, it does not look much like Herge's comic, but it's a good translation of it to a very different medium. The characters look larger then life, but never grotesque, like in the comics, the environment they inhabit looks realistic, but more colourful, just like in the comics. It's a perfectly valid way to adapt Herge's clear line style.

The look of Tintin himself. The initial images and clips that were released worried some people, including me. In the comic Tintin doesn't have a very expressive face. So I was worried having the character with a fully animated, semi-realistic face would feel weird.

I think they cracked it. After the initial few minutes you just get completely used to how the character looks. Same for Haddock. The uncanny valley was crossed successfully. (something Beowulf never managed).

The story is good. Could have been an Indiana Jones film, at times the movie feels like one. I do like that Tintin isn't out to save the world. He's just looking for answers, and wants to see the bad guys caught.

The music. The score really clicks once you've seen the film. Yes John Williams does not re-invent himself, and yes I wished the film would have had a killer theme (all the themes are good, none of them are brilliant). Funny to see that for the pirate fight even John Williams now uses heavy low chords ala Pirates Of The Caribbean. The main theme of the film is definatly the Unicorn theme, which is used throughout in many guises, from artefact theme, to full out action extravaganza.

This is a great little film, very loyal to Hergé in spirit (though he was more forgiving or Haddock's drinking). Great to look at, even in 3D, and you don't have to like it despite itself, like with Indy 4.

***1/3 out of ****

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Ok... i have mixed feelings. Something i didnt expect.

The bad:

UGH, dubbing in this movie is wrong. being accustomed to the cartoon voices... i think i'll watch this one in english. AND THEY USED DANIEL CRAIG'S DUBBER FOR ALAN AND NOT SACCHARINE!!!!!!!!!!!! Saccharine has Ray winstone voice... :/

Williams should be banned from having years without scores. I feel dirty to say this, and i dont know what happened to me, but i think that after 4 years of listening to lesser scores and films with toned down scores...has changed my perception or maybe my 'good taste' is rusty from misuse. I think this movie is overscored (or overscored with tracking)...are there scenes without music? (excepting the logos... what the heck were they thinking? there are too many logos to do that...) I evne founf it too loud and obtrusive in some scenes.. as if scoring some action that isnt there.... And somehow the mickey mousing when tintin was going to get chopped in the plane's blade sounded wrong. There is a lot of humor with haddock but still... something tense like escape from venice would have been better IMO.*

But the new themes are good.

Oh and as i predicted, the haddock/haddoque sequences are not as cool as that youtube video that used the comic stills with the trailer music. it matched perfectly, in the film the concept is the same but is executed differently...it dissapointed me a little.

The opening scene... i was expecting traditional animation of herge's drawings (like the cartoon), not a pseudo 3d silouettes casino royale (2006) opening. But the concept pf putting several elements of the tintin books is clever.

Snowy.. sorry just wrong. 100% uncanny valley. My brain cannot accept those forelimbs as 'natural'.

Same for the 'falcon'. This one is completely wrong. There is a scene where it looks as big as a golden eage (even has the presence and stance as if they had mo-capped one) when in reality is is a bird only 30 cm long. Impossible to lift a dog or pull tintin's arms... Some shots almost look right (when saccharine calls it to this fist in the car) but there is not a single 'perfect' shot.

I was expecting oliveira to appear in baggar...

The good:

Main character's nailed

The mix of the comics is really good and the additions really add to the story. I can see this being a problem with some european purists though :/ but i hope people can see beyond that.

The daylight ocean scenes are perfect water wise.

The people in baggar's palace look like real people with make up. Stunning (ie. bianca castafiore and the sultan)

I loved invented 'hergesque' new scenes and humor, they nailed it. in fact the most times i smiled was when there were bumps and falls like in the comics. Also there are many references to comics or scenes in the whole film.

I've enjoyed the film in its entirety (it starts a little slow) there are no cringing dialogues, or scenes that dont add anything, like the ones you can spot in the prequels or indy IV. But IMO there is not a scene in the film than matches Jungle chase both in execution and in music. I felt joy while watching the jungle chase and i still do, but i did not felt it in this movie.

There is only one line of dialogue i didnt like, when haddock says that one of the sailors was a zoophilic sheepherder. I dont think that line would have been in the comics at all. Its like 'sex' in star wars... :|

DOLBY 3D, WOW. the other types are crap.

Question: is tintin red-haired?? they say so...but i always thought he was blond :eh:

*I need to watch the film more times. I really want to think the opposite. Listening to the score right now and i like it..

Forgive me father because i have sinned. Not saying that the 'lesser' scores are better just that the new trend of 'unscored' movies may have accustomed me to a different way of scoring, (one that i really dont like, i prefer williams bombastic scores for action films)...

In other words...i think the "nolan's and zimmer's" and "abraham's and giacchino's" have raped my childhood..

EDIT: the score is running...i really like it. I think that what happened is that i tried to listen (isolate) the score, overcome the awful dubbing and anaylising all the CGI. Not good to do that...

Oh ,and i had mixed feelings after watching and listening to the phantom menacen and i ended liking it very much and thinking the score is a masterpiece. Too much hype leads to diassapointment. i think the same happened here.

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There were 4 logos before the film, 3 were in 3D, but not the amblin one.

Luke, the animals, and Snowy especially were never ment to look photorealistic, like the human characters, they look comic book like. Only the enviroment was made to look quasi realistic. So your critisism about Snowy and the bird are unfair.

Did you bash Pixar for their unrealistic Clownfish?

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That's exactly it, Milou is a very special dog. He was always doing something on screen, I'll have to see the movie again just to pay attention to all the stuff he does in the background

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I guess being a vet or any pro in any field makes you sensitive to the things your know a lot about. But in this instance I would not be too harsh on an animated film which obviously takes liberties with other things as well.

And oddly I can't seem to get tickets for Tintin which opens here next Friday, the film under a week away. It is not because it is all booked but because the theater chain's website does not have any showings or possibility to reserve or buy tickets yet. It seems Tintin is not that major film in Finland or they are very later with it for some reason. I can't say I have seen any advertising besides in the movie theaters either.

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I guess being a vet or any pro in any field makes you sensitive to the things your know a lot about. But in this instance I would not be too harsh on an animated film which obviously takes liberties with other things as well.

And oddly I can't seem to get tickets for Tintin which opens here next Friday, the film under a week away. It is not because it is all booked but because the theater chain's website does not have any showings or possibility to reserve or buy tickets yet. It seems Tintin is not that major film in Finland or they are very later with it for some reason. I can't say I have seen any advertising besides in the movie theaters either.

Hey, do you live in Helsinki? Or on one of the fjords?

If the former, it should be no problem! ;)

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Fjords? Good sir, we have fells, not fjords! Norway has fjords we have fells! And don't you forget it!

And I am sure it will be released on the 4th of November but I would like to get my ticket well in advance to get to the premiere.

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So do you live in the capital? (Or is that a secret?) ;)

I've always wanted to visit Finland... I have a female friend in Helsinki who keeps asking me to come... but I haven't gotten around to it yet...

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I really hope they just start selling those tickets to Tintin soon. I am strangely more anxious to see it than any film in a long time. :)

And yes I live in Helsinki, no secret there.

Finland is certainly a worth a visit. Perhaps more in the summer than in the winter though. Unless you like snow enormously. :P

And as Chick Korea, the jazz artist said to one of my friends at Montreaux jazz festival: Yes I have been to Finland and visiting there is like a visit to the moon. :lol:

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I really hope they just start selling those tickets to Tintin soon. I am strangely more anxious to see it than any film in a long time. :)

Well, considering it's the first animated movie by Spielberg and scored by JW, your anxiety to see it is not that strange, I'd say. ;)

Finland is certainly a worth a visit. Perhaps more in the summer than in the winter though. Unless you like snow enormously. :P

Summer is probably better, yeah!

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The Russians visited Finland during the war and lived to regret it! They are a strong and noble people!

There is only one line of dialogue i didnt like, when haddock says that one of the sailors was a zoophilic sheepherder. I dont think that line would have been in the comics at all. Its like 'sex' in star wars... :|

To me that sounded like a line Steven Moffat may have come up with.

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The point is the animals are not motion captured, so when i can accpet the humans almost as real actors with caricature makeup, the animals i can't.

What would you think if the humans didn move like persons? or had rubber bones?

That's it. Snowy is not that bad but it is not a caricature dog. The falcon... is a complete mess.

They should have used a retooled gwaihir model (eagles have a more impressive presence, it would have been cooler) and use the same kind of movement. Think of the eagles attacking the nazgul, that kind of action-movement would have fitted the tintin scenes perfectly.

The same happened with Beowulf, very nice humans, but the horses were a joke.

In the end its like having a real action film with a bad CGI animal, like the scooby doo or gardfield films...

Note: i'm really liking the score, The adventures of tintin is awesome, i dont really need a traditional concert version of the theme.

Is red rackham curse and the treasure, Haddock second vision?

Broken cristals in castafiore. The person who came up with this should be shot on sight.

I forgot to mention yeaterday that the flashbacks were very weel imagined, better than in the comics, where it happens in a house.

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Manuel!

Snowy in the movie looks like a animated 3D version of the Snowy from the comics. That's what they were going for. They were never going for a realistic dog.

Oh he is never going to give it a rest Stefan. :P

It is like BloodBoal and Picking Pockets. Obsessions, obsessions.

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I dont care about Milou's mimickry and expression, i just want that when he is just walking, running, doing normail things he does that like if it was a dog.

In the comics he runs and walks like a dog.

Dont you see what i mean?

His personification is cute, but its ruined by the unnatural normal things.

They could do it right with the humans, but not with the dog. A little motion capture for the walking, and normal movements and it would have been perfect. And they could also have used one real trained dog when the characters grab him. Sometimes its a little weird or weightless when they interact.

But to each his own... :P

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I dont care about Milou's mimickry and expression, i just want that when he is just walking, running, doing normail things he does that like if it was a dog.

In the comics he runs and walks like a dog.

Dont you see what i mean?

His personification is cute, but its ruined by the unnatural normal things.

They could do it right with the humans, but not with the dog. A little motion capture for the walking, and normal movements and it would have been perfect. And they could also have used one real trained dog when the characters grab him. Sometimes its a little weird or weightless when they interact.

But to each his own... :P

Dunno what you're complaing about! For me, he acted very much like a dog... except when he is fighting the bad guys!

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Oh about the 3d. it really worked, i noticed that i, unconsciously, closed my eyes when i saw one gold coin going to my face. (in the siking of the unicorn scene)

I think its the only time i have reacted to 3d.

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The dust flying around in Marlinspike Hall and Tintin probing around with the flashlight also looked good in 3D. Sakharine holding his saber under my nose seemed rather typical an effect.

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I saw the film yesterday, in 3D. I absolutely LOVED it..! I can understand where some of the critism would come from (especially from a Tintin-purist perspective), but the bottom line for me is that this film is one hell of a ride!

About the music: it works really, really well. This score breathes classic John Williams, with so many themes so wonderfully interwoven with the visuals. I was especially interested in how Tintin's Theme would be presented in the film, and it was a little disappointing I must admit. I think the theme is brilliant; one of Williams' most catchy, unique and effective melodies. Even though I know it's played during the film dozens of times, I don't think anyone (other than filmmusic lovers) will have the melody of Tintin's theme in their head walking out of the cinema like they would have walking out on Raiders Of The Lost Ark. I think the theme (while omnipresent during the film) will not have been noticed as a melody that can be enjoyed separate from the images. In Raiders, the Raider's March had moments where it could be a forefront piece, where the audience could become fully aware that the film had a true iconic musical identifier. In Tintin, the main theme is mostly heard during action sequences, where the music becomes part of a more subconcious level. Even the fantastic Pirates theme (which I would dare to call one of the best pieces of music ever written) is buried under action visuals and sound effects.

Red Rackham's Theme is pretty cool, but it's also a bit populistic on Williams' (or Spielberg's) part. No one can deny the Hans Zimmer-influences there, and I wouldn't be surprised if Spielberg (openly a Hans Zimmer fan) had given John Williams a direct request for 'music sounding somewhat like Pirates Of The Caribbean'. I think that is what the mainstream audience will notice too: 'Hey, this is 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' music!'. I felt somewhat disappointed that the one moment (apart from the main titles) the audience can consciously gain some full awareness of the music (during the start of the end credits) Spielberg (I reckon) opted to use Red Rackham's theme. Why not the Tintin Theme in an heroic arrangement..? It seems like a somewhat transparant attempt to maximize the partial riding on 'Pirates'' success.

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Anybody else felt that the music could have been mixed a wee bit more loudly?

I felt it was Star Wars prequels all over again... hell, the music in TPM might have been louder.

Or was that just that the theater where I saw it had a crappy sound system?

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I think music was mixed very loud and clear. I saw the movie in a theater with an amazing, THX-certified audio set-up and the music always blasted loud, even during action scenes.

Oh, and about the movie: I totally loved it! Pure Spielbergian entertainment! It's a love letter to Hergé's comic-books and also a heartfelt homage to the old matinee serials. The movie never pretends to be something else than that and, in a period of soulless serious blockbusters, I found that very refreshing. Maybe they could have peppered the storyline and the plot a little bit more (sometimes it feels a tad too childish and predictable), but I appreciate that they wanted to be very respectful to Hergé's narrative style (which is a tad too childish and predictable). However, the film fills the eventual plot weaknesses with so much visual entertainment. The film is full of great visual gags and ideas that are pure Spielberg. I loved Tintin's introduction and also the way he played with his hair tuft like it was Indy's hat. Also, I noticed quite a few Hitchcock-ian nods, mainly from North by Northwest and The Man Who Knew Too Much. But there are also several homages to 1950s French movies, like Bresson's Pickpocket.

It's great to see how Spielberg played with the technology at his disposal and bent it to his own peculiar visual style. He's still the No.1 for me.

Williams' music works like gangbusters in the movie and, like always in Spielberg's films, it becomes one of the key components to the film's success. The music isn't just an accompainment, it becomes the real third dimension which gives heart and soul to the characters and the story. The themes and motifs are wonderfully interwoven into the rich orchestral/symphonic tapestry, giving a sense of fulfillment to everything.

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Anybody else felt that the music could have been mixed a wee bit more loudly?

I felt it was Star Wars prequels all over again... hell, the music in TPM might have been louder.

Or was that just that the theater where I saw it had a crappy sound system?

Yes, a very crappy sound system.

The music is mixed very loud.

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I think music was mixed very loud and clear. I saw the movie in a theater with an amazing, THX-certified audio set-up and the music always blasted loud, even during action scenes.

Oh, and about the movie: I totally loved it! Pure Spielbergian entertainment! It's a love letter to Hergé's comic-books and also a heartfelt homage to the old matinee serials. The movie never pretends to be something else than that and, in a period of soulless serious blockbusters, I found that very refreshing. Maybe they could have peppered the storyline and the plot a little bit more (sometimes it feels a tad too childish and predictable), but I appreciate that they wanted to be very respectful to Hergé's narrative style (which is a tad too childish and predictable). However, the film fills the eventual plot weaknesses with so much visual entertainment. The film is full of great visual gags and ideas that are pure Spielberg. I loved Tintin's introduction and also the way he played with his hair tuft like it was Indy's hat. Also, I noticed quite a few Hitchcock-ian nods, mainly from North by Northwest and The Man Who Knew Too Much. But there are also several homages to 1950s French movies, like Bresson's Pickpocket.

It's great to see how Spielberg played with the technology at his disposal and bent it to his own peculiar visual style. He's still the No.1 for me.

Williams' music works like gangbusters in the movie and, like always in Spielberg's films, it becomes one of the key components to the film's success. The music isn't just an accompainment, it becomes the real third dimension which gives heart and soul to the characters and the story. The themes and motifs are wonderfully interwoven into the rich orchestral/symphonic tapestry, giving a sense of fulfillment to everything.

Agree!

One of Spielberg's best and most well-imagined pictures.

Anybody else felt that the music could have been mixed a wee bit more loudly?

I felt it was Star Wars prequels all over again... hell, the music in TPM might have been louder.

Or was that just that the theater where I saw it had a crappy sound system?

Yes, a very crappy sound system.

The music is mixed very loud.

But it wasn't as loud as Raiders or ToD, was it?

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Like Maurizio, i thouroughly enjoyed it for what it was: a wonderfully realized spectacle for younger adolescents. I wasn't too taken with the story as such - it seemed to lack any gravitas but since i never read one of the comic books i can't say if there was more to it than 'there's a ton of gold on some sunken ship'-type of stuff.

That Tim (as he is called in the german version) always talks to his dog like an imbecile was a constant nagging - especially as he is called "Struppi" (shaggy). I counted around 500 times Tim had to explain plot points to himself and the audience by saying 'Hey Shaggy, wait a minute - was there a hidden map in them model ships?'

The set pieces - the PURSUIT OF THE FALCON towering above them all - were pure Spielberg bliss, and i don't care if they are more Indy than Hergé. Fist time in years i didn't yawn at elaborate and drawn out effect sequences - when Spielberg's on fire, he still can deliver.

Williams seemed the proverbial crafty old whore here - doing all the right moves at the right time. Still, it's not his thematically strongest score and the Prokoviev stylings, a cocktail of LAST CRUSADE/HARRY POTTER seem a tad uninspired, but i think younger children feeded on RCP-diets for years may enjoy it much more for it's exurbance and showmanship.

All in all a solid 7.5 - 8 from 10.

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The set pieces - the PURSUIT OF THE FALCON towering above them all - were pure Spielberg bliss, and i don't care if they are more Indy than Hergé. Fist time in years i didn't yawn at elaborate and drawn out effect sequences - when Spielberg's on fire, he still can deliver.

They are more Hergé than people want to realize.

Hm. This movie doesn't seem to have much staying power.

I saw it last Sunsay but it's still in my head.

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Like Maurizio, i thouroughly enjoyed it for what it was: a wonderfully realized spectacle for younger adolescents. I wasn't too taken with the story as such - it seemed to lack any gravitas but since i never read one of the comic books i can't say if there was more to it than 'there's a ton of gold on some sunken ship'-type of stuff.

Which is exactly what makes it enjoyable. I'm for one completely tired of the "fate of the world", "a power greater that could change the course of history", "you have no choice, you are meant to do this" and all that bullshit.

Karol

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"a power greater that could change the course of history",

That is one of the trailer's tagline.

I for one, thougth that they had invented some supernatural relic for the film... in the end it seems that it was just enough money to change the fate of the world if it had arrived to england or france or something like that.

Unless in the next film they encounter in the shipwreck one crystal ball or the aztec mummy, and it has some powers or something...

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Like Maurizio, i thouroughly enjoyed it for what it was: a wonderfully realized spectacle for younger adolescents. I wasn't too taken with the story as such - it seemed to lack any gravitas but since i never read one of the comic books i can't say if there was more to it than 'there's a ton of gold on some sunken ship'-type of stuff.

Which is exactly what makes it enjoyable. I'm for one completely tired of the "fate of the world", "a power greater that could change the course of history", "you have no choice, you are meant to do this" and all that bullshit.

Karol

I guess i have a different definiton of 'gravitas' than you. :sigh:

It is entirely possible to get some interesting subtext into such a story - they at least tried with Haddock's alcoholism. You could reflect on the media (Tintin is after all a reporter) or about the whole kinky dog thing.

That they choose to do nothing of this just shows you how ingenious and economical the little touches of characterization in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK were - to give Marian some throwaway line which helps to explain their backstory, even Belloq gets his little speech. It's still a pulp movie, but it feels more affecting for those little bits. TINTIN disposes itself of anything of that sort, except for Haddock and he's mainly comic sidekick.

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