Movie of the
Week: "The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn"
When a
character from a book, game or comic book is adapted into a movie, I always
wait for the fans reaction, who consider themselves co-owners thereof, and with
full right to complain if the version is not true to the original. Curiously,
"The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn" seems to have
overcome this barrier - and with praise.
The character
of Tintin was created by the belgian Georges Prosper Remi (better known as
Hergé) in 1929, and was published in numerous newspapers, magazines and books
until the 80's, becoming one of the most popular comic book heroes in the
world, translated into more than 50 languages and more than 200 million
copies sold.
Tintin is a
young belgian reporter who always gets into adventures alongside the faithful
dog Snowy, a fox terrier who is always beside the master, often delivering him
out of a bind.Other characters that made up the universe were of Tintin were
Captain Haddock, a rude sailor, and drink lover, the confused policemen Dupond
and Dupont, a mad scientist, Trifólio Girassol, and the opera singer Bianca
Castafiore.
In all this
long life, Tintin has subtle changes, which reflected not only the external
influences, such as the Nazi invasion of Belgium, as well as the author's own
maturity and worldview.
Hergé, as it
was applauded by fans, has received numerous complaints, ranging from misogyny,
because almost all its characters are male, racism, because of the way the black
characters were shown, and even fascism, probably to work in a newspaper
controlled by the Nazis during the German occupation.
For a long
time desiring to bring the character to the movies, Steven Spielberg had been
negotiating with the author himself, but at his death in 1983, everything had
to restart. In 2002, DreamWorks bought the film rights for the entire series.Finally,
on May 15, 2007, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson officiated the completion
of a trilogy adapted from the stories, to be held on computer graphics and
motion capture.
The method,
already used by Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" to create the character
Gollum, is to shoot live action actors with special clothes, to recreate them
in a virtual environment, adding any additional details.
To interpret
the main characters, the actors hired were Jamie Bell (Tintin), Andy Serkis
(Captain Haddock) and Daniel Craig (Sakharine). Serkis is already a veteran in
the technique, as was the one who gave life to Gollum in Jackson's "Lord
of the Rings".
The current
film uses elements of the stories "The Crab with the Golden Claws"
and "The Secret of the Unicorn," with a bit of "The Treasure of
Rackham the Terrible." The screenplay is not a strict interpretation,
because many of today's viewers have never heard of Tintin and the characters
need to be presented to them.
Tintin found
early in the film by buying a replica of a sailing ship in a street fair.
Tintin is surprised by the interest of two strangers who want to buy the
miniature at any cost, which he refuses.
Curious, he
decides to research the original ship, which served as a model for the replica,
and discovers that the true Unicorn disappeared in a shipwreck while returning
from the Caribbean, and the entire crew had died, except for the captain, Sir
Francis Haddock.
When Tintin
returns home, finds the whole apartment was trashed, and that the miniature had
vanished. The more he researched it, the more mysterious things happen,
including the death of one of the persistent buyers.
Tintin
discovers that the possible reason for the interest on the thumbnail was a
hidden message, and that in fact there were three replicates of the Unicorn,
each with a distinct message, and the three together would lead to the
discovery of a secret.
The young man
saves the message in his wallet, which is stolen by a pickpocket Then, he is
kidnapped and taken to a ship, leaving for an unknown address.
Tintin escapes
the cell with the help of Milu, and soon he meets Captain Haddock, who was kept
drunk and locked in his own cabin. The two decide to escape, and are adrift in
a lifeboat, only managing to escape when they are spotted by a seaplane.
The events,
then, precipitate, and besides facing a storm in the small plane - which Tintin
pilots for the first time in his life - still need to survive the caustic
African desert.
In the midst
of a crisis of abstinence, the captain Haddock reveals to be a descendant of
Sir Francis Haddock, Captain of the Unicorn, and a family secret was passed
about the ship's real story. The problem is that when Haddock's grandfather
told him the secret before he died, he drunk so much that he had forgotten
everything the old man had said.
With much
effort, Tintin helped the captain to remember the secret, which, in fact, was
what happened in the final moments of the Unicorn, when Sir Francis faced the
pirates led by Rackham, the terrible. Only then they discover that the villains
they face now are controlled by Sakharine, which itself is descended from
Rackham.
Tintin and
Haddock have to prevent Sakharine to steal the third replica of the Unicorn,
which contains the final message, which culminates in a dizzying chase through
the streets of Morocco, and a final duel of titans in the port of Brussels.
Will our heroes be able to discover the secret of the Unicorn?
Steven
Spielberg and Peter Jackson got the rare feat of maintaining a fidelity to
spirit of the comic book hero, while presenting him to the new generations,
combining three stories in a smooth manner, without break of continuity.
The
motion-picture technique worked well, although it is halfway between a real
film and animation. Andy Serkis is a veteran in this technique, as he played it
in Gollum from "Lord of the Rings", and Cesar in "Planet of the
Apes: The Origin." He even joked that he was afraid that Jackson wanted to
cast him as the dog Milu.
Although not
thoroughly explore three-dimensional effects, this is one of the best 3D
productions of recent years. {Unlike other films whose action scenes leave
viewers stunned, the sequences of persecution and the duel at the port were
masterful, perfectly visible, and wrapped in an engaging soundtrack,
transmiting the emotion idealized by the authors.
"The
Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn" is a movie for the
family, fun and full of action, much to the taste of today spectators. The
ending makes clear that there will be a continuation, which - we hope - keep
the level of the current movie.
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