Watched this in the theatre in 3D a couple of weeks ago. What a treat. Seriously, what a damn good treat. Initially when I heard the movie was coming out, I was pretty excited. Let it be stated clearly - I am a Tintin fan. Always have been. Heck, I grew up with Tintin but I really started enjoying it fully as an adult, when I began to marvel at Herge's brilliance in creating gripping story lines with sheer excitement through a comic book. I mean, I think I have read almost all of the 25 or so stories. The characters are unforgettable. And so, with all that background, I was excited that someone like Spielberg was coming out with the movie. And then I saw a review in the Washington post. It was completely scathing. The reviewer gave the movie 2 stars (out of five, which is a really bad rating). I remember my heart sinking. I thought - shit, Spielberg somehow managed to screw it up. Then I looked up a few more reviews - IMDB, Rotten tomatoes (these are all viewer based), and suddenly a picture began to emerge. A picture of two opposing world views of Tintin, depending on which side of the world you were born in. I couldn't believe it. These Americans were the ones giving the movie bad reviews. Because they were just looking at it as another comic action/adventure movie without having any history with the characters. As an ardent Tintin fan, I was completely offended. I asked a few people at work. It pains me to even write about it. One guy says "Hmmm...tintin...haven't heard much about it...he's like some comic dude, right? what's it about?"....another one says "isn't he some German(!) guy with a dog solving some murder mysteries or something?".....unbelievable. These people have not read a single Tintin comic book ever. No wonder they are giving the movie 2 stars.
And sure enough, when P (who is an equal if not bigger fan) and I took time off from work, and were the only two people in the matinee show in the theatre, we ended up sitting through 2 hours of pure fun. Seeing all the favourite characters in animation, the plot combining three classics - The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure, and the adrenaline pumping adventures of the reporter coming to life on the screen was entertainment at a really high level.
What can I say? The Americans don't know what they are missing.
And sure enough, when P (who is an equal if not bigger fan) and I took time off from work, and were the only two people in the matinee show in the theatre, we ended up sitting through 2 hours of pure fun. Seeing all the favourite characters in animation, the plot combining three classics - The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure, and the adrenaline pumping adventures of the reporter coming to life on the screen was entertainment at a really high level.
What can I say? The Americans don't know what they are missing.
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