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THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN |OT| (dir. Steven Spielberg) MIND YOUR SPOILERS EUROPE!

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Went to see it earlier this afternoon. Was absolutely delighted (extremely saddened... do people not love Tintin as much as I do?) when I got into the screen and it was just me and one other lonely guy.

Then, disaster struck. Literally 5 seconds into the wonderful title sequence, a woman with two young babies (in prams) and one toddler arrived. I managed to enjoy the wonderful opening titles and the opening scene up until we see Tintin's home. Then the babies started crying, continuously, for 15 minutes. At which point the woman took all of her children out of the screen, giving me 10 minutes to enjoy Tintin meeting Captain Haddock. Then the woman came back in with all of her children, who started crying 5 minutes later. At which point I left the film.

From what I'd seen so far, it was bloody marvellous. The animation was disgustingly good, in particular for Ivan, so fluid and realistic you would barely believe it was CGI.

Going to go and see it again on a late evening showing to prevent the curse of the idiot mother who thinks that bringing young babies to the cinema is a good idea.
 

Ferga

Member
glaringradio said:
Went to see it earlier this afternoon. Was absolutely delighted (extremely saddened... do people not love Tintin as much as I do?) when I got into the screen and it was just me and one other lonely guy.

Then, disaster struck. Literally 5 seconds into the wonderful title sequence, a woman with two young babies (in prams) and one toddler arrived. I managed to enjoy the wonderful opening titles and the opening scene up until we see Tintin's home. Then the babies started crying, continuously, for 15 minutes. At which point the woman took all of her children out of the screen, giving me 10 minutes to enjoy Tintin meeting Captain Haddock. Then the woman came back in with all of her children, who started crying 5 minutes later. At which point I left the film.

From what I'd seen so far, it was bloody marvellous. The animation was disgustingly good, in particular for Ivan, so fluid and realistic you would barely believe it was CGI.

Going to go and see it again on a late evening showing to prevent the curse of the idiot mother who thinks that bringing young babies to the cinema is a good idea.

that sucks

did you get a refund?
 
Babyhack said:
This

Seen it yesterday was one of about 5 people in the cinema

Loved the movie and the chase screen but judging by the amount of people in the cinema it's not looking good for its opening weekend

It's half term in the UK and kids have a choice between Lion King, Dolphin Tale, Monte Carlo and this...guess which one they kids are ignoring?

Saying that, the screening I went to on Monday was packed full of teens, adults, old people. I'm glad the kids are busy with their own tripe, I'd have hated for them for ruin my experience of the movie with their shite.

Ferga said:
that sucks

did you get a refund?

If it's anything like the cinema I used to frequent before jumping ship to Vue, they won't offer a refund as they usually sell mum and baby only viewings to those without kids and don't tell them.

It's a pretty shitty tactic, but there's not much you can do. :(
 

gerg

Member
I've just come back from seeing this for a friend's birthday, and it was... alright. The film was definitely enjoyable, but it does have noticeable flaws.

Simply, the CGI is not perfect. Certainly there are times when it looks amazing, such as on the wider scenic shots, but equally there are times when the uncanny valley rears it head. Skin textures don't look quite right, eyes look lifeless, and voices don't quite seem to come out of characters' mouths. Having said that, the lighting was often incredible.

In general I don't think I quite liked the design of the characters, either. The aesthetic of having caricatured heads atop otherwise normal body designs didn't quite work, in my opinion - TinTin's head was often strangely round, for example, and Captain Haddock felt like there was a normal-sized human underneath wearing an oversized "Captain Haddock" mask, in place of a single, congruent character.

Lastly, I felt the dialogue was a bit ridiculous at times. I think for a large part of the film it can be safely summed up as:

"What is it, Snowy? Is it a clue, Snowy? Oh, it is a clue, Snowy! Let's read the clue! The clue says we have to go here! Let's go there now, Snowy!"

Some of my friends said that the books are like that, however, so perhaps this bug is actually a feature.

Also,
that poor fucking bird!

Edit: Oh, I remembered - I loved some of the scene transitions!
 

orioto

Good Art™
Saw it this evening. The theater was not full but it was a late screening and there was two copies of the movie in this theater.

About the movie, in the end i didn't have any problems with the design or the rendering, nor the animation. For me it doesn't compare to Zemeckis movies cause here, it's meant to be an animation movie with highly detailed and realistic aspects, as you would see an awesome digi painting. It's not meant to be a live movie with digital actors as in Polar Express or Beowulf.

Anyway, everything works really well, the music is great and especially, the two characters works perfectly well for me. There is this feeling of adventure, in a early Spielberg way, much more than you got it in Indiana 4, as far as i'm concerned. Spielberg is rather elegant and smart in its virtual camera skills. I especially liked the pickpocket sequences.

Now, the problem, for me, isn't about some technical problem or uncanny valley. The problem is from the comic book, and Spielberg respected that without correcting it, which is as admirable as crazy. It's ... bland. It's just two guys running and chasing after some far away treasure, without any feminine part, love interest, social context, or even something that would represent an internal goal for Tintin, besides just the thrill of adventure. If you compare it to Indiana Jones, who have some kind of life which has an echo in its adventures, here Tintin has absolutely no sex, goal, life or whatsoever. That's why the movie is more based on the evolution of haddock, and Tintin is actually just a character who helps him to realize himself, but still... It's called Tintin and the movie begins with him, when he's just there running for no reasons.

That's the absolute problem of the movie for me, even if the relation between him and haddock works well, but i hope they can insulate some life in Tintin's character in the next one.
 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/27/idUS392061775320111027
Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin" enjoyed a flurry of strong opening days in Europe this week, grossing $4.7 million in France, $237,776 in Belgium and $161,549 in Holland.

Sony, which is distributing the movie in those territories, is tickled by the performance.

Internal Sony emails note that the opening day in France is bigger than "Spider-Man," the first and fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, all "Shrek" movies and all "Lord of the Ring" movies.
 

Grimmy

Banned
Saw it today. Loved it!! So much fun! And the 3-D was great. But I admittedly had to get used to the characters speaking English and Milou being called Snowy...

And I agree about the Uncharted vibe in the film.
 

Gambit

Member
just back from watching Tintin. THIS is the new Indiana Jones film I would have wanted. Or at least the kind of creative spark I would have wanted behind it. Honestly, exchange Captain Haddock for Indy's Dad and with some small alterations you've got yourself an Indy-film.

Be that as it may, I really liked it. In addition I bought Uncharted 3 on the way to the theatre. So I should be all set for my birthday tomorrow.
 

ezekial45

Banned
Was there a reason why we have to wait almost two months to see this in the states? Was it just for scheduling and getting the most out of the holiday season?
 

Prez

Member
orioto said:
Now, the problem, for me, isn't about some technical problem or uncanny valley. The problem is from the comic book, and Spielberg respected that without correcting it, which is as admirable as crazy. It's ... bland. It's just two guys running and chasing after some far away treasure, without any feminine part, love interest, social context, or even something that would represent an internal goal for Tintin, besides just the thrill of adventure. If you compare it to Indiana Jones, who have some kind of life which has an echo in its adventures, here Tintin has absolutely no sex, goal, life or whatsoever. That's why the movie is more based on the evolution of haddock, and Tintin is actually just a character who helps him to realize himself, but still... It's called Tintin and the movie begins with him, when he's just there running for no reasons.

It seems to me you're complaining about a lack of dumb clichés?
 

Kyaw

Member
Watched this today. Very very enjoyable.
Loved all the references to the comics' important parts, the intro and memorable scenes from the comics.

They did change around some of the stuff and sequences but nothing too horrific.
THAT FREAKING TANK WITH THE HOTEL ON TOP. And the final bit should have had Tintin and Haddock fighting against the bad guys to find the treasure.
 

Fxp

Member
Saw it yesterday with my son. Definitely will buy it on Bluray, loved the characters and animation. I think we got a new animation masterpiece here :)
 
Saw it tonight. The non-3D version.

I'm pleasantly surprised. The look and animation really worked well. Better than I expected. Only at very few instances did I think "that looks kinda off". Tech really has come a long way. My companion was blown away by how good it all looked, and that she didn't understand "how it is possible to look this realistic, but not really though".

About the movie itself. Very enjoyable. One big adventure, lots of colors, over the top but breath taking action scenes, likeable characters, ... I especially liked
the way they replicated the fight between the villains and the haddocks in different settings and circumstances (pirate ships vs dock cranes).
Very nicely done. The voice acting from Bell, Serkis and Craig are great as well.

One point of criticism is that it indeed used a bit too much cliched "what's this snowy, it's a clue, where will it lead us snowy, let me think, I got it, we have to go there snowy, ...". Admittedly, it's very much like the books, and it wasn't really annoying, but I did notice the obviousness of the clues Tintin discovered, and the explicit explanations for the audience via a "dialogue" with his dog.

Snowy, for being an ugly dog imo, was adorable btw. Perhaps the star of the show. :)

The movie really delivered. I'm crossing fingers this movie doesn't bomb so that there will be a sequel.
 

Myansie

Member
Stabbie said:
Saw this yesterday. Great movie. The 3D bothered me though, the picture got very blurry during movements. Then again this is the first time I've ever seen a 3D movie, so I dunno.

The blur is due to the frame rate. The Hobbit is going to fix this to a large degree with the jump to 48fps. Considering Jackson is also doing the second Tin Tin movie it's pretty much a given that that will be shot at 48fps or higher.
 
Such a terribly good movie. Admittedly I did feel all the running around in the beginning was a bit off putting but the pace becomes pitch perfect after that first quarter. Haddock stole the movie for me. His arc was just really fun to follow and his plight was especially interesting despite the film often making light of his problems through well placed humour. Tintin was portrayed much like I imagined him when reading the books - energetic and inquisitive but also overly occupied and slightly sarcastic.

Oh and that scene directed without a cut? Brilliant. Made me feel like a giddy kid experiencing the magic of cinema and the timeless adventure it can bring when Spielberg is involved.
 

tha_devil

Member
First the postives, i think the movie looked amazing, especially the environments. Still not totally sure about the style of the characters though. As i grew up with the comics and the '90 cartoon (which were amazing, and had very good dutch voice acting). I really had to get used to the english names and other voices.

For non tintin fans, i think this movie would be very good, lots of action etc.

But for people who read the comic books, i think they took way to many creative liberty's. They took parts and pieces from different books, and they changed the villain, left out a lot of characters etc.

Also the fight between the ships of Francois Hadoque and Rackham, was really utterly ridiculous.
 

AngryMoth

Member
Saw this today. I have no previous experience with Tintin so oblivious to the differences between the film and the source material. I thought it was thoroughly enjoyable overall, and some of the action sequences are the best in recent memory. I can definitely many sequels to come. Its funny seeing that others were reminded of Uncharted. The desert scene made the wait to wednesday even more unbearable.

My biggest takeaway walking out however was the 3D. I will never see another film in 3D. I spent about half the film with the glasses off so I could enjoy the brighter colours, but when it was too blurry I put them back on. Even in the adverts before the film I was instantly reminded of how jarring and distracting this implementation of 3D is. It just looks weird. I saw IMAX a long time ago, and I remember being completely amazed; it was like the stuff really was in front of my face. Whatever they is in regular cinemas though (Real 3D?) just isn't up to snuff. Not to mention they charge £10 for a ticket. Wish I'd seen it in 2D.
 

Platy

Member
Parkablogs did a review of the Artbook of the Movie !

[...]
Much of the art is actually on trying to find the look for the film. There are some earlier concept art where specific panels of Herge's comics are painted over with a realistic style, using the same composition. Even the shark submarine and checkered rocket were re-imagined with more photo-realism.
[...]
lots of cool pics (wich you can click and zoom to 2560 x 1707) of the pages like :

wYXfg.jpg


and for everyone that said "it should be made with actors" ...

tQMXK.png


edit : It is obvious, but it is good to remember that there are spoilers in the flipbooking video
 

Mr. Sam

Member
I attempted to see Tintin today. I had a spare four hours and what else do you do with that than go to see Tintin?

Anyway, sat through the first five or so minutes and the 3D clearly wasn't working. I stormed out and asked for my money back. Can you imagine such a sight? My jeans struggling under the weight of my balls of steel as I march up to the desk, my spurs jangling.

"Any chance of a refund? The 3D effect isn't working properly."
"Um, uh, sure. I'll just get my manager."

Bad. Ass.
 

Man

Member
I enjoyed this.

The story is 'standard fare' adventure stuff but you got to love Andy Serkis, the attention to detail, good dialogue and humor. The one long and continuous shot was awesome. It also takes a couple of moments for oddities sake and not just plot traversal.
 
I almost feel embarrassed to have missed this, but what is the long one-take scene (use spoiler tags!) The visual fanfare of the film had me awestruck, but I don't remember one particular scene that stood out like this.
 

Man

Member
Souldriver said:
I almost feel embarrassed to have missed this, but what is the long one-take scene (use spoiler tags!) The visual fanfare of the film had me awestruck, but I don't remember one particular scene that stood out like this.

The whole motorcycle ride next to the damm, the chase through the town and ending by the docks.
 
Man said:
The whole motorcycle ride next to the damm, the chase through the town and ending by the docks.
So multiple scenes? That explains things I guess. I was amazed by many scenes, not one in particular.
 

Man

Member
Souldriver said:
So multiple scenes? That explains things I guess. I was amazed by many scenes, not one in particular.
Well it never cut so it is 'one scene', the camera just trailed along through the air, through windows, debris etc for many minutes.
 
Saw the movie 2 days ago in 3D, and it was fucking amazing. The animation was soooo good. Especially the clothes characters were wearing, looked so real. And the hair, and the faces etc.

Going again in a couple of days with my dad, he wants to see it too :D
 
Sitting on 85% after 40 reviews. Great to see everybody here is loving it too.

I'm really struggling with whether or not I should do the Spielberg double-bill here in Aus come December 26th.
 

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
Scullibundo said:
Sitting on 85% after 40 reviews. Great to see everybody here is loving it too.

I'm really struggling with whether or not I should do the Spielberg double-bill here in Aus come December 26th.
It's pretty bizarre scheduling.
 
Loved it, some said it was too different from the source material, but IMO it had the same "boy's own" adventure feel that the comics did (at least as far as I can remember). The chase scene was a technical marvel, and the motion capture tech is promising. Interesting to see what other filmmakers will do with it now that several big-name directors have used it.
 

Mr. Sam

Member
I wouldn't say it was awful, but I certainly found it disappointing. The movie moves at such a ratatatat pace that it didn't really leave an impact on me; there was no breathing room, no time to digest what was going on. The ending seemed very abrupt and anticlimactic, possibly as a result. A very eclectic movie which I don't think is entirely coherent.

Not overtly bad, but not something I have any real desire to watch again. Here's hoping War Horse will best it.
 

justjohn

Member
Finally saw this today and i'm really not sure what to think of this.

Fantastic action sequences and Haddock was amazing but really he pretty much stole the entire movie. might as well call it adventures of haddock.

Also i'm not quite sure why they decided to split secret of the unicorn and red rackham's treasure into two movies. wouldnt it have been better of just showing both stories in this movie, so they can move on to a completely different story like 'tintin in america' or even the china stories in the sequel?

the tintin stories are varied and exciting and for them to waste two movies on one story is just bizzare.

Anyway, great movie for tintin diehards and i love the way they stuck to most of what the original story was about, but i cant see myself watching this again and the sequel to this story doesnt really excite me. missed opportunity there i think.
 

AAequal

Banned
It was ok, not great. Characters really looked awful, no personality at all they were cold and sterile, this was my biggest problem with the film. Plot wasn't that interesting either. Action, pacing, music and the overall look (characters still awful) of the film were just great and thanks to many locations of the film you really got the sense of adventure. I do hope they will make second film that is directed by Peter Jackson, some how I just have a feeling he would do a better job the Spielberg.
 

Mr. Sam

Member
AAequal said:
I do hope they will make second film that is directed by Peter Jackson, some how I just have a feeling he would do a better job the Spielberg.


Wasn't a huge fan of this film, but... BLASPHEMY!
 

AAequal

Banned
Mr. Sam said:
Wasn't a huge fan of this film, but... BLASPHEMY!
:D I know. I love Spielberg films but I just feel that Jackson is more suited for this. I guess time will tell. I just recently watched King Kong and while it was way too long and had some really bad actor choices it showed PJ has knack for adventure films. Not to mention Lord of the Rings films that were rather epic.
 

dmshaposv

Member
A very good, but not great film.

Great CG work (goes without saying), Very solid pacing and editing (great scene transitions), some extravagant and fun stylized action set pieces in the way only someone in the mold of Spielberg/Jackson/Raimi/Cameron can pull off. I didn't have too much problem with with blurry/dimness as some others have complained and the 3D effects, while not as pronounced as Avatar, were there and never distracted.

Now the negatives - The film is less interested in building up characters and relationships and instead pushes us towards the next action set piece. At the end of the movie, I had a general impression that the script didn't nail the little idiosyncrasies that made adventure films like Raiders of the Lost Ark of Big trouble in little china so endearing (even though it tried hard with elements like Haddock's alcoholism). I felt I was watching a more high budget version of the tin tin cartoon rather than a feature length film.

I hope with the sequel they add a bit more heart, slow down things just a bit for me to care about what the characters are doing, and we are good to go!

8/10
 
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