I own Tintin plates, coffee cups, watches, figurines, and even a calendar so you can say I'm a fan of the Belgian with a dog who has a knack for getting himself into adventures around the globe.
I was excited when I heard Steven Spielberg was directing a movie produced by Peter Jackson. He's perfect for the job because so many of his movies are inspired from Herge's books. Indiana Jones is basically a grown-up version of Tintin. Someone in constant movement, riding cars, motorcycles, ships and running on his own feet as he chases and gets chased to solve mysteries around the world.
But Spielberg has his work cut out. What fans love about Tintin is not just the stories, but the unique look. In bright colors, every panel is an exquisite design of graphic beauty. Tintin has been done before, from early stop motion to live action and still was missing the colorful excitement of the books. But now technology offers a chance to capture that elusive spirit.
The biggest question for fans is what will Tintin look like and it's obvious the filmmakers knows this by avoiding his appearance. I can't think of a recent trailer where the main character is not revealed. That strategy is usually reserved for villains or monsters, but this trailer only shows his face at the end and it's a brief shot, but the most important. It's a motion captured realistic face which is a shock, because it fails to uphold the graphic beauty of Tintin's iconic features. The look of the film is closer to Robert Zemeckis's animation projects like "Polar Express".
I'm nervously on the fence for this. There's a wonderful clip where Tintin is running out the door, chasing a car and he fires a few rounds from a gun as it drives away. With his blue sweater and blonde hair, and the charcoal grey of night, the scene captures the excitement from the books. But his face at the end drains the enthusiasm by looking like another run of the mill tech demo of computer mimicry. Please don't screw this up.
Opening December 23, 2011, Verdict: Wait for the Critics
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