TINTIN TRAILER STILL NOT EAGER TO SHOW THOSE FACES (+ HD STILLS)

Looks good. They do seem nervous about tipping their mo-cap hand just yet. Can't blame them. Stuff has yet to truly sell itself to me as anything other than passable.

Thankfully, it seems that they're going for a more cartoony style for the characters rather than the soul eating zombies Zemeckis likes.

That said, there are numerous blow you out of your pants shots in this. The one with the Unicorn sailing through the dunes, especially. I went from zero to hundred in no time with this. I knew that the sheer immensity of talent involved in this should have done it already but now I'm on board. 

Edit: And we're getting it seven weeks before the US? Damn.

I think I'll have to view the Apple version at home for the full effect, but I remain very "meh" on this one. Despite that it should be hitting all the right buttons for me - The Beard in his element, joyous and unironic boyhood adventure and intrigue, gorgeous locales and visuals - I just can't get worked about it. Part of that is, I'm sure, my overall shrug response to fully digitally animated features. (I know, I know.) I'm willing to be surprised by this, but it's going to take some serious critical mass to move me from "maybe when it's on DVD" to "going to see it in the theater."

Love Tintin so I'm feeling pretty confident about everything apart from the mo-cap. What I've seen really doesn't look that far removed from the Zemeckis zombies.

As one of the rare Americans who cannot wait for this, well, the trailer didn't change that. CG's probably the best medium for the property, actually, seeing as the books are so stylistic, even for comics, to quote a friend and fellow lifelong Tintin fan (so there's at least 2 of us in the U.S.). I love that this is Spielberg's; Herge is probably as much a cinematic influence of his as Ford or Kurosawa. Now he gets to wallow in it.

Tintin nerd stench: Didn't realize Crab With the Golden Claws was being worked into it as well. I guess they want the Tintin meets Haddock story. I wonder if Crab is going to be a quick sort of Act 1 or less introductory adventure, sort of like a Bond film. Tintin in action in media res. Or if they're going to spin the opium smugglers from Crab through the rest of it to present some kind of antagonist. If I remember Red Rackham's Treasure, there's not a lot of overt dramatic tension beyond Will they find it? and Shark!

I remember being shown Tintin comics as a child and just not getting it. Nothing's changed. 

Blisterin' blue barnacles, that was terrific. I'm not even worried about the mocap, since WETA's proven time and again they can bring it on that front. The more cartoony nature should also help (as it did in MONSTER HOUSE).

People who shrug at this baffle me. Me = baffled. Even if the property is totally alien or does nothing for you, look at that list of credits, and spread'em.

Looks pretty much spot-on in emulating Herge's visual style, and that's a good thing.

Look, seriously no offense to anyone, but Tintin creeps me out. The magical adventures of a boy in shortpants with a twinky hairdo who runs afoul of grizzled older men just reads creepy to me. But then again, a lot of French things do.

Holy shit. Projecting much?

I'm liking this. Obviously they haven't figured out the acting part yet, which is troubling. But I'm not getting a wide uncanny valley here. The eyes, from what we've been given, look good possibly better than Beowulf. Whether they can emote and truly act is the big question. The rest of it looks stunning and up to what I would expect from a Spielberg/Jackson joint.

What I don't get are these calls saying it looks awful. They purposefully haven't shown you enough to say that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebastian OB 

Look, seriously no offense to anyone, but Tintin creeps me out. The magical adventures of a boy in shortpants with a twinky hairdo who runs afoul of grizzled older men just reads creepy to me. But then again, a lot of French things do.

And I'm betting you haven't even read Tintin And The Turkish Prison.

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Originally Posted by Greg Clark 

Holy shit. Projecting much?

In my defense, I worked at a hip video store for seven years, and this is EXACTLY the kind of thing  a certain breed of creepy middle-aged man would be into. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebastian OB 

Look, seriously no offense to anyone, but Tintin creeps me out. The magical adventures of a boy in shortpants with a twinky hairdo who runs afoul of grizzled older men just reads creepy to me. But then again, a lot of French things do.

First off, he's not a Frenchie, he's a Belgie. Second, Tintin's not a boy, he's an adult. Boyish features, but a grown-up with a job (star reporter!). But hey, that's just fact-checking. I stopped bothering to sell the property a long time ago. But I'll be seeing a Spielberg/Jackson joint written by Moffat/Wright/Cornish this winter, and you won't.

Looks ok. Wish I could see some performance. Going from Indy to this property (an inspiration, I'm sure) almost seems like a step back. We'll see.

I predict that American audiences will struggle with the character's silly name. Sounds like Asian toddler slang for penis.

I know next to nothing about TinTin, but I'm totally on board.  Spiels. Jackson. Wright.  Moffat.  All scored by John Fucking Williams.  Bring it. 

By the way, I want to get the home video pun out of the way for its inevitable DVD release:  "Rent TinTin!"

I apologize for implying creepy things about Tintin. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. I am cynical and bad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trav McGee 

. Second, Tintin's not a boy, he's an adult. Boyish features, but a grown-up with a job (star reporter!).

So....he's an early version of Pee Wee Herman?

And despite Sebastian's disowning of his own comments, he put into words some of my reactions to the comic images I'd seen, too.

Yeah, it has a great pedigree, and seems to be firmly in The Beard's wheelhouse. So did Hook. And look where that took us.

Wait, it's written by Stephen Moffat, Joe Cornish and Edgar Wright? That script is going to be either utterly brilliant, or a massive tonal mess.

It looks like they've actually done quite a nice job staying true to the original designs and if Spielberg's on form I bet a lot of people will wonder why they ever questioned him wanting to make a boys own adventure like this. But it really does hinge on the eyes and mouths. No matter what talent is involved, I'll never be able to fully buy into a movie populated by Zemeckis-style dead-eyed dolls.

Seriously, this should be an awesome Geek property but I get the feeling that people are hating on it for no good reason.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Savage 

Seriously, this should be an awesome Geek property but I get the feeling that people are hating on it for no good reason.

This. 

Exaclty, even if you don't know the property the talent involved should be enough to make you want to see it.

I know virtually nothing about Tin Tin, but thought this worked really well.  Yeah, mo-cap is a bit wonky still, but some of the imagery in the trailer is really f-ing cool.  

When I was at boarding school the sanatorium (sick bay) had a stack of Asterix and a stack of Tintins.  I'd re-read the Asterixs till I knew it word for word before turning to Tintin.

Some of the stories were pretty tight, and always interesting to read about opium smuggling.  I remember being insanely annoyed that Snowy's bark was 'wooah wooah'.

This looks faithful, and I have a feeling that the 3D is going to be the best seen yet.  Its a big gamble though with such a niche property.

Also, Tintin at the end looks freakishly like my brother about 5 years ago.

Personally, one of the best things about this project is that it's a Spielberg movie without Janusz Kaminski's photography.  As talented as he is I'm tired of his palette.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Savage 

Seriously, this should be an awesome Geek property but I get the feeling that people are hating on it for no good reason.

I'm beginning to formulate the theory that a lot of American geeks are pretty sniffy of non-American geek properties. If they didn't grow up with it, it has no value - regardless of how many millions of fans the property may have outside US shores. That's certainly the vibe I've picked up in some quarters since Tintin was first announced.

I think this is a gamble that will definitely pay off. I wasnt too excited about it until recently...but that trailer put a lot more excitement in me. I loved reading the books as a kid, and actually read a majority of them in French.

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Originally Posted by Bluelouboyle 

Well, most Chewers - and movie fans who post online - are in the US and probably aren't familar with Tintin.

For a forum that's supposedly filled with people who love movies, unfamiliarity with the source material should be a poor excuse. I would think the fact that it's an old-school adventure flick directed by Steven Spielberg should stir some excitement on its own, whether you've read Tintin or not (I have not). I swear, if the internet had been around in 1981 people would've been like, "Sure, Close Encounters and Jaws were great, but what's this shit about some guy with a whip that's ripped off old movie serials I couldn't care less about? I think 1941 proves that Spielberg's lost it."

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Originally Posted by Sherman Davies 

 

 

For a forum that's supposedly filled with people who love movies, unfamiliarity with the source material should be a poor excuse. I would think the fact that it's an old-school adventure flick directed by Steven Spielberg should stir some excitement on its own, whether you've read Tintin or not (I have not). I swear, if the internet had been around in 1981 people would've been like, "Sure, Close Encounters and Jaws were great, but what's this shit about some guy with a whip that's ripped off old movie serials I couldn't care less about? I think 1941 proves that Spielberg's lost it."

 

Frankly, I also get the feeling that if the titular character was an original creation - "Little Jimmys Adventures Around The World" say - rather than coming with a lot of non-US cultural cache or baggage attached (depending on how you want to look at it), a lot of American geeks would be more open to giving it a chance. It seems to be the actual fact that Tintin is this huge non-American property beloved everywhere around the world except in the states that seems to be giving a lot of potential American viewers pause or distancing themselves from it all together.

Really, it's a testament to the reach and breadth of American cultural imperialism and pop cultural saturation around the world that so many potential American viewers find it so seemingly alien to try and engage with a creative property that didn't originate in their own country.

Welcome to where the rest of the world has been living for the last fifty years or more guys.

I've never really read the comics, but I remember watching every episode of the cartoon ad nauseum for like 2 years. I really loved the look of this trailer, its stylish and fits the cartoons as I remember them. 

Now, that said and done, I hardly know anyone who remembers Tin Tin, other then my GF who watched the cartoon as well, and my buddy who's polish and had the comics. Part of me hopes that the sight of something new and fresh will invigorate the film going public, but the realist in me has a hard time believing it.

If they hide the faces the whole runtime, it may actually work. I don't know what people see in Beowulf, Christmas Carol and Polar Express and what makes them think that's BETTER than or as good as traditional animation or live action.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spike Marshall 

Wait, it's written by Stephen Moffat, Joe Cornish and Edgar Wright? That script is going to be either utterly brilliant, or a massive tonal mess.

Judging from the way the credits were written it was Wright and Cornish rewritting a script by Moffat. It doesn't seem like much of a mess to me.

It's only a risk of a tonal risk if you think that those three writers only have one mode. But given their credintials, that's three exceptional writers working with an exceptional director and an exceptional producer.

As for the animation style, while the Zemeckis house of mocap is one of untold horrors, there are also several examples of mocap working, especially when absolute realism isn't the goal. Trying to mocap animate Anthony Hopkins to look like Anthony Hopkins is destined for failure; taking Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and making them cartoony-but-detailed twins will prove a more achievable feat. Tintin kiiind of looks like Jamie Bell, but only slightly. When you've got your own character model and not trying to just replicate the actor's already existing face, the emoting bit gets easier because you've got more leeway to deviate from the source to get it right.

Put it this way: Spielberg gets the A-squad ILM teams, and  WETA has King Kong, Gollum, and all of Avatar. I'm confident these guys have got things in order.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rain Dog 
Really, it's a testament to the reach and breadth of American cultural imperialism and pop cultural saturation around the world that so many potential American viewers find it so seemingly alien to try and engage with a creative property that didn't originate in their own country.

 

Welcome to where the rest of the world has been living for the last fifty years or more guys.

I wish I could use this as an excuse, but as someone who has a ton of foreign films in his collection, this isn't it for me. Can't put my finger on my mild lack of enthusiasm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluelouboyle 

TINTIN is a step back from INDY 4? TRY a million steps forward.

Explain? And I wasn't saying that TIN-TIN was a step down from KOTCS specifically, but the idea of going from an original character's franchise to someone else's that came before (an inspiration) seems like a step back (not, the more insulting "step down"). I'm not looking for SS to return to Indy instead. We give fan-film creators flack for playing in someone else's sandbox, instead of taking a chance on original material, and I know The Beard working on a property that he has the right to isn't the same thing, but...

I don't want to see Lucas try his hand at Buck Rogers (or anymore Star Wars, for that matter). Is every Family Guy fan (don't count me) clamoring for Seth McF to dig up The Flintstones? A stretch, sure.

I have no familiarity with Tintin whatsoever. I've loved 90% of Spielberg and Jackson's output, and I couldn't admire the cast they've assembled more. I look forward to seeing the finished film and I hope to enjoy it thoroughly.  

That said, this looks terrible. As a teaser its lackluster, gives those of us unfamiliar with Tintin absolutely nothing in the way of information about the character or the story. As a work of visual art it is bland, presenting absolutely no justification for the Mocap process whatsoever. Exhibit A: that plane crash. It has no weight, is shot from an uninteresting angle, and gives the impression of a fairly well-done video game cut scene.

The use of Mocap ought to have encouraged Spielberg and Jackson to stylize these characters and this world to resemble Herge's drawings (I've seen a few of these, and they are simple and striking and delightful). Instead, we have the same standard plastic-skinned, sorta-real people we're used to seeing in the Zemekis films.

What is the point of using Mocap technology to capture images that are just as easily captured in live action unless you're going to do something stylistically interesting? It seems a total waste of time, energy and resources. Why hire a talented group of actors only to bury them in restrictive, creepy layers of digital latex that keep those talented folks from emoting the way they can and should? How is a plastic-skinned, dead-eyed Jamie Bell an improvement over the real thing?

Why not just film a real plane crash instead of spending countless hours rendering it in a computer, only to have it look LESS dynamic and exciting than it would if Spielberg had just shot the damn thing with the same live action visual verve he consistently displays?

I want to like this. Genuinely. But this teaser trailer is flat-out average at best. Someone put the nearly-real Mocap trend out of its misery, please.

I honestly don't get how people can definitvely say it looks terrible when they haven't shown you nearly enough to make a decision. Maybe that fact alone is enough to make one concerned, but I can't draw any conclusions from this. On the one hand, the LA Noire commercials feature surprisingly decent mo-cap for a video game, so if Spielberg & co can't at least hit that level, then I'll be shocked. Also, this is from the producer who figured how to do Gollum. At the very worst, they might go in and tweak the mo-cap performances to draw out a finer "acting" performance. Nothing's written in stone at this point, y'all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rain Dog 

Frankly, I also get the feeling that if the titular character was an original creation - "Little Jimmys Adventures Around The World" say - rather than coming with a lot of non-US cultural cache or baggage attached (depending on how you want to look at it), a lot of American geeks would be more open to giving it a chance. It seems to be the actual fact that Tintin is this huge non-American property beloved everywhere around the world except in the states that seems to be giving a lot of potential American viewers pause or distancing themselves from it all together.

 

Really, it's a testament to the reach and breadth of American cultural imperialism and pop cultural saturation around the world that so many potential American viewers find it so seemingly alien to try and engage with a creative property that didn't originate in their own country.

It wouldn't impact me at all if the creation is French, Albanian, or Japanese. Country of origin doesn't play into my reactions at all here. I'm simply not a huge fan of digital animation, period, and there are a couple of things there that, for whatever reason, deflate any possible excitement. I didn't realize Tintin was a grown person; the images I've seen indicated a boy. That he's a grown man who dresses/looks like a boy I just find offputting. Then there's "dead eyes/uncanny valley" issue as well.

The trailer simply wasn't enough to compel me, someone who is basically unfamiliar with the character and his exploits, to get excited over the film. The players involved certainly give me hope it'll be good, but it's not like Jackson and Spielberg haven't massively misfired before.
 

I would lay money on the fact if they went live action with this we would be getting the same reaction. Rain Dog is spot on,  the apathy is because It's  pulp a action hero that isn't American.

I'm actually amazed Harry Potter did as well as it did,

Haha I love that now xenophobia is the reason some of us aren't instantly smitten with the digital adventures of a weird man-child.

If it were 10 years ago, Jackson and Spielberg's name would inspire instant confidence. So would M Night Shayamalan's.

And really, how many mediocre films does Simon Pegg need to be involved in before geeks come to realize his presence guarantees nothing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelM 

 

I didn't realize Tintin was a grown person; the images I've seen indicated a boy. That he's a grown man who dresses/looks like a boy I just find offputting. Then there's "dead eyes/uncanny valley" issue as well.

 

I completely understand (and agree) that the dead eyes are an issue, but I had no idea that his clothes were such an obstacle to overcome. Offputting? Why is this such a huge problem ? Or rather, why is it a problem at all?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pop Zeus 

I honestly don't get how people can definitvely say it looks terrible when they haven't shown you nearly enough to make a decision. Maybe that fact alone is enough to make one concerned, but I can't draw any conclusions from this. On the one hand, the LA Noire commercials feature surprisingly decent mo-cap for a video game, so if Spielberg & co can't at least hit that level, then I'll be shocked. Also, this is from the producer who figured how to do Gollum. At the very worst, they might go in and tweak the mo-cap performances to draw out a finer "acting" performance. Nothing's written in stone at this point, y'all.

L.A. Noire might make for a great video game, but I'd be furious if I paid to see a film featuring animated actors that moved so stiffly, looked so doll-like and inexpressive. Gollum worked, in part, because (a) he was juxtaposed against real people and real places and (b) because he was stylized. Imagine a LoTR where Sam, Frodo, Gandalf and the rest of the human characters were ALL Mocapped. Why would a sane person bother doing that when they have brilliant, living, breathing actors capable of bringing those characters to full life?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Savage 

I would lay money on the fact if they went live action with this we would be getting the same reaction. Rain Dog is spot on,  the apathy is because It's  pulp a action hero that isn't American.

 

I'm actually amazed Harry Potter did as well as it did,

I'll gladly take that bet.

My reaction has exactly nothing to do with the film featuring "a pulp action hero that isn't American," and everything to do with the quality of the teaser trailer itself. The film could turn out to be phenomenal, and I hope it does. But this trailer doesn't do it for me. Can you honestly tell me that plane crash looks one half as good as it might have in live action or in full animation?

I grew up with TinTin. Still have the books. Those cgi faces look cunt. It's the faces that are fucking it long before cultural xenophobia comes into it.

And Harry Potter? It was a huge fucking hit/cultural phenomenon in the US before it became a film series. How do you think JKR had the juice to tell Spielberg to go fuck himself over the casting of Haley Joel Osmet? Do you mean the books? It's THE book series of an entire generation across the western world. People literally thought reading was dying off before the series hit.

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Originally Posted by Nardo 

 Those cgi faces look cunt.

 

 

 

 

I'm still reeling from the simple beauty of that statement :)
 

Reading all this 'manchild' shit, I can't help thinking of "no one will want to watch a movie about blue cats". I don't see any reason why a rollicking globe-trotting adventure movie about a roving young photographer couldn't connect with people. But they need to stay out of the uncanny valley if there's any hope of that happening. Mo cap really is the make-or-break issue here.

But I have to admit I also suspected that a fair bit of the disdain that this project has attracted is connected to the europeanness of it. As if people were on some level irritated by Spielberg and Jackson having the gall to make a genre movie not catering specifically to the tastes and childhood memories of american geeks, and if something didn't catch on in america how good could it possibly be?

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Originally Posted by Sebastian OB 
And really, how many mediocre films does Simon Pegg need to be involved in before geeks come to realize his presence guarantees nothing.

THIS. His own projects are fine but he doesn't have a huge range and the unmistakable 'Peggishness' of most of his performances can be distracting. I was relieved when he didn't Pegg up Star Trek too much. But from what I remember of the characters he and Frost should fit okay here.

Thank you, that's what I was saying. I'm not charging anyone with xenophobia, that's ridiculous, just saying that American geeks simply don't have much of a frame of reference when it comes to engaging with non-American geek properties they don't have a childhood connection to. I don't think some of you seem to dislike Tintin because he's Belgian or European, it's this unspoken inference seemingly that you don't understand why Tintin is such a big deal in the first place if he never caught on in the US of A and there seems to be almost exception taken to film-makers of this calibre working on such a property.

The mocap issues are a completely separate thing and I don't disagree with any criticisms levelled at the tech in general when it comes to uncanny valleys and the like - but it seems to me there's something else going on with some of the criticisms and negative opinions when it comes to this film. I may be way off base, but as I said earlier, if this were an original creation - or even a pre-loved AMERICAN one (imagine if Spielberg and Jackson were doing a mocap Doc Savage film for example) I just don't believe we'd see the same - I think 'stubborness' is the word - we seem to be encountering here.

PS - PLEASE don't take any of this personally individual US chewers, I'm talking generally. I'm not saying American chewers are racist, myopic stupid or anything else. Let's try and have a mature discussion about what may be going on here without it degenerating into US vs Europe or US vs Rest Of The World. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evi 

Love Tintin so I'm feeling pretty confident about everything apart from the mo-cap. What I've seen really doesn't look that far removed from the Zemeckis zombies.

I got the same vibe. I loved me some rollicking Tintin adventures growing up almost as much as Indiana Jones but in this trailer the dudes seem as trapped in the valley as ever.