Blistering Barnacles!

It is Bob’s birthday this week – so as a treat on our day off we went to the cinema. The showing was at 13.30. Here is Screen 2 at 13.23! NOBODY else there but me [Bob had gone to the loo] However by 13.27, about a dozen more people had arrived – but it was still pretty empty. But the film was amazing – a typical Spielberg.

The opening titles were very reminiscent of the Hitchcock films of the late 50s [Vertigo, North by Northwest etc] The voiceovers were stellar –  Andy Serkis [Gollum], Jamie Bell [Billy Elliott] Simon Pegg [Reepicheep], Toby Jones [Dobby], the ubiquitous Mackenzie Crook…oh, and of course, Daniel Craig. The graphics were stunning. There were loads of little jokes and references to other films – I am not sure I caught them all. The style of the chase scenes reminded us both of Indiana Jones. Andy Serkis is a brilliant Haddock! It is rather short on strong female characters- but then TinTin does tend to appeal to boys [But I am a girl and I have always LOVED TinTin, am I odd? Yes! replied Bob, rather too promptly]

It is enormous fun – and I am glad I went – looking forward to seeing a sequel or two. If you can, check out the BBC programme with Frank Gardner shown over the weekend. I have always enjoyed FG’s reporting, and his investigation into the origin’s of Hergé and TinTin were brilliant.

If you cannot get that on iPlayer, or visit the cinema, then just enjoy this trailer instead

with the French subtitles!