Tintin!

[nefrekeptah]

So for those of you who don't already know, there's a new Tintin movie coming up. While of course I have a healthy amount of skepticism of how well it well turn out, it does have some impressive big-name talent behind it. And there's also a new trailer to check out:

And while I'm still skeptical, my first reaction to the trailer was "Oh myGod, it's Tintin! And it looks just like the comic, albet bit more computer-y and slightly more realistic, but still, it's recognizably - OHMYGOD IT'S THE THOMPSON TWINS AND THEY'RE BEING SILLY! AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN THE MOVIE AND SAY "TO BE PRECIS - CAPTAIN HADDOCK! CAPTAIN HADDOCK! THAT WAS TOTALLY CAPTAIN HADDOCK! CAPTAIN HADDOCK IS GOINGTOBEINTHEMOVIEANDHE'SGOINGTOSAYBLISTERINGBARNICLESANDOMFGBBQYAYYYYYYYYYYY!

*ahem*

So yeah, the trailer looks good.



And for legality's sake, one panel of Captain Haddock doing what Captain Haddock does best (that isn't drinking).

Comments

[tsunamiwombat]

Bad news is, Haddock is being played by Andy Serkis.

Thats right, Gollum.

I suppose it's not so bad since it's CGI...

[tsunamiwombat]

But TBH nobody but Sean Connery should be Haddocks voice >:|

[swatkat]

You're so right. Andy Serkis is a talented voice actor, so I have faith in him, but it could so easily devolve into comic relief!Haddock without a shred of his charm and personality if not done correctly - Connery would nail it.

[misterbug]

You oughta check out his performance in last year's "Little Dorrit" as the murderer Rigaud. Different character from the Capn', but still rough around the edges and darkly charming rather than camp, though YMMV.

Haven't seen him in "Burke and Hare", so I can't comment on that.

[notactuallyauser]

He was good as Martin Hannett in "24 Hour Party People", and he played the lead in the recent Ian Dury biopic, which was well received (although I haven't seen that yet). The man is a versatile character actor.

Voice of Haddock

[nefrekeptah]

Unless Gollum's voice is what Serkis actually sounds like, I fail to see how that's bad, especially considering that his performance as Gollum was so good, it made the award execs briefly reconsider if an actor can be nominated for an award when he technically never appears onscreen.

[nezchan]

Pretty horrifying CGI from the advance still they put out of him. He looks like Hoggle from Labyrinth, except taller and more aggressive.

[swatkat]

Tintin in Tibet!

Your reaction is pretty much my reaction. I also think I spotted Calculus in the promo? This has the potential to be EPIC.

[misterbug]

Calculus isn't credited - you're more likely identifying Aristides Silk, the notorious Pickpocket of "Secret of the Unicorn", or Mister Sakharine, the collector of model ships who takes a shared interest with Tintin in the case of the replica Unicorns.

As they're mixing this adventure with elements of "The Crab with the Golden Claws" - and credits thusfar only show the villain of that piece, Omar Ben Salaad, without mentioning the Bird Brothers from "Unicorn" - it's probable that Calculus' first appearance, which occurred in "Red Rackham's Treasure", might have been cut out for space.

'Tis a pity, but there you go...

[swatkat]

Oh, I was under the impression that this was a mash-up of Unicorn and Red Rackham. I suppose it makes more sense that they've kept the first meeting between Tintin and the Captain - it's too good to pass up on, and a good way to introduce the audience to Haddock as well. Clearly they're saving Calculus for the sequel...

[misterbug]

I too thought that, and hoped that the sequences with the seaplane and the desert would be flashbacks, but the inclusion of Salaad says otherwise. It seems they're going to put the bulk of the action of "Red Rackham" into the last half-an-hour of the film, and cut out Calculus' involvement.

Turns out I was wrong about the Birds, according to one website - they're merely getting downsized, while Mister Sakharine (who you can see in a close-up in the trailer) gets bigged up.

The inclusion of Lt. Delacourt, however, means that we're definitely getting that delicious "REVENGE!" scene Haddock has against their attackers in "Crab With The Golden Claws".

I wouldn't count on Calculus getting cut out forever, though - rumour states that Tintin devotee Anthony Horowitz is going to script the adaptation of Calculus-centred adventure "The Seven Crystal Balls"/"Prisoners of the Sun"...

[darkknightjrk]

Speaking of which--is it possible for anyone to post some Tintin? Honestly, I think I've seen more stuff about the movie at this point than the comic, and I'm curious to see if it's my thing.

[baxter2814]

Seconded so much! I haven't read much Tintin, but I've liked what little I have read, and like you, want to see if it's really my thing.

[proteus_lives]

Might want to put the clip behind a cut.

Clip cut

[nefrekeptah]

...do I? I thought that you only needed a cut if the images were too big or the post took up too much space.

[baihu]

The clip doesn't autoplay and is smaller than some images I've seen on the front page and not behind cuts. I also fail to see why it needs to be behind a cut.

[proteus_lives]

Just an opinion.

[houbanaut]

Tintin is awesome and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

"Oh, Tintin is so boring and old-fashioned!"
"The art is stiff and impersonal."
"It's racist and pro-imperialist, and did you know the model for Tintin was a nazi?"
"Hergé may have invented a lot of comics storytelling devices, but since then others have done it better."

No. Kindly STFU.* The stories and drawings totally hold up, and with only a few exceptions in the early albums, they're completely politically unobjectionable. Like Orwell, Hergé quickly outgrew the conservative pro-imperialism that had been instilled in him in his youth to become a humane chronicler of injustice and personal heroism. One just has to read the adventures for oneself to see that.

I think it's great that Spielberg and Jackson are doing their bit to raise the profile of one of the absolute classics of comics, and are apparently doing it with respect and love for the material. I'm a little bit skeptical of the mo-cap CGI, and I'll certainly steer clear of the 3D showings, but it looks promising from the trailer, and with a script by Moffatt and Wright my expectations are high. I'll definitely be seeing it.

Some Tintin on SD would be nice, but I think an extract of a few pages doesn't really do it justice. If you're not familiar with the style, it can take a bit of getting used to.

* Expression merely rhetorical. Feel free to not STFU.

[misterbug]

In my mind, whatever Herge did in the past was totally redeemed in "Coke En Stock"/"The Red Sea Sharks". That sequence in which Haddock bravely voices what would have doubtless been Herge's own opinions on the slave trade - through a megaphone - is a marvellously powerful piece of comic storytelling.

[shadur]

Well, to be precise Haddock only picks up the megaphone when someone points out to him that the slaver boat is too far away for them to still hear his shouted insults... So he grabs said megaphone and continues right along. :)

He's such a wonderfully straightforward character.

[misterbug]

All of Falstaff's indignation, bluster and alcoholic good cheer, with none of his cowardice.

[swatkat]

It has been a while since I read the books (which, what, need to rectify ASAP), but I agree on this front: Like Orwell, Hergé quickly outgrew the conservative pro-imperialism that had been instilled in him in his youth to become a humane chronicler of injustice and personal heroism. One just has to read the adventures for oneself to see that.

Tintin has worn surprisingly well over the years, all things considered.

[shadur]

Agreed.

Yes, Tintin in Africa and to a slightly lesser degree Tintin in America were awful in retrospect, but Herge realized that as well and did a damn good job redeeming himself as well as his characters in later books.

[misterbug]

Tintin in Congo more so - Tintin in America is Still Good For A Laugh...

[icon_uk]

Very well put.

[baihu]

The Watchmen-font is kinda of a strange choice; I don't think it looks like the font they use as the header for the comic?

Also I kinda really need to see the faces. I noticed they're still deliberately obscuring the faces, and that worries me. I get they don't want the Polar-Express-syndrome, even though it's basically building on that tech.

[droolfangrrl]

I'm loving the sight gag with the twins and the newspaper.

[shadur]

That's entirely authentic and not even the most hilarious of their attempts at being inobtrusive :)

[icon_uk]

Their notion of "casual dress to blend in with the locals" is frequently marvellous, their mandarin-style robes being a personal favourite.

Of Course

[misterbug]

I'd be remiss if I didn't remind anyone that a more-or-less accurate adaptation of Tintin has already been made, in both French and English, by France's Ellipse and Canada's Nevana studios. They've adapted most of the really great ones for TV, and the series has a very integrated feel - for instance, the voice of Prof. Calculus in English is modelled on that of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

(Also they were a beloved fixture of my childhood, so no matter what star power is assigned to the film I'm always going to see them as my favourite adaptation. I'm hoping the film will come in a close second.)

The DVDs are available, very cheaply, on Amazon - and here's some clips. (Sadly I don't know how to embed Youtube vids here)

The Opening Credit Sequence

Tintin & Haddock run into Mister Silk

Haddock pre-empts Homer Simpson in getting a trippy dream from hot peppers

The supremely funny "Acting The Goat" scene from "Destination Moon"

Re: Of Course

[misterbug]

...Except that first one didn't have the dynamic theme I grew up with, so Here's Another.

Re: Of Course

[skalja]

Oooh, I remember seeing a few of these as a kid had no idea there were so many!

P.S. Your link in the second comment doesn't work.

Re: Of Course

[misterbug]

Erm. Try the URL by itself?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJpRN7swt5o

Re: Of Course

[khamelea]

I love that theme so much, you have no idea.

Re: Of Course

[icon_uk]

I bought the box set of those a while back, LOVELY!

Re: Of Course

[alexiel_neesan]

That opening sequence.... all my childhood. :D thanks!

Re: Of Course

[ukefied]

That series is my childhood, seriously. My favorite adaptation, as well. :D

Re: Of Course

[nezchan]

Ah, I miss that show. I saw that even before I read any of the books, in fact.

Pity the Spirou cartoon was kiddified by comparison. I would have liked to see it get the same treatment.

Re: Of Course

[meatwhichdreams]

Ah, these clips are brilliant! Thanks so much for posting them.

I am not very enthusiastic about rubbery 3-d hyper realistic Tintin. :-/ Just. Animate. THE DAMN THING!!

Re: Of Course

[nefrekeptah]

Well, they are. It's fully animated. It's just that they're heavily using motion capture and going for realism (not total realism, mind you, the character models appear slightly exaggerated to reflect the original art style).

[blackruzsa]

For a moment, it looked so real!

Soooo cool.

[nezchan]

I'm still highly doubtful. That one shot of Tintin (after mangling his name) at the end isn't exactly flattering, and I haven't seen much really worthwhile from mo-cap thus far.

Seems to me the only reason this is being done in CGI rather than classical animation or actual actors is that it's a gimmick that sells, and little more.

[icon_uk]

That's my concern too, They look less creepy than they did in the earlier still's but there's a strong risk of uncanny valley.

[fionnualad.wordpress.com]

I want this to be good so much, but... but... it isn't as exciting as a Tintin teaser should be. And it looks a weeny bit too much like The Polar Express for my liking.

(I thought I hadn't read any Tintin until a couple of years ago when I browsed some scans and realized I'd read them when I was too little to remember properly [/coolstorybro])

[mab_browne]

Both my son and my husband own Tintin t-shirts - there's a ready-made audience to go and see it once, at least. Whether that adds up to seeing it more than once, buying DVD releases etc - we shall see. But I am happy at Andy Serkis's role as Haddock - man has talent.

[featheredserpent]

For once, I don't feel like my childhood is being raped sans lube!

[khamelea]

Here's a movie I'll watch in the french version for sure.