DVD Review: Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964)

So here I am again, reviewing a live action Tintin movie from the 1960s, this time Tintin and the Blue Oranges from 1964.

Yes, three years later and a sequel (of sorts) was made, with Tintin still played by a (slightly older) Jean-Pierre Talbot, but much of the rest of the cast changing. More on some of that later. Let's start with the plot.

On this occasion, Professor Calculus dreams of ending world hunger, a task aided by by the discovery of a desert-proof blue orange that's been created by Professor Zalamea in Spain. But the 'orange' sent over by the Spanish professor is stolen, leading to a Spanish trek for Tintin, Snowy, Calculus and Haddock to find out what's going on. Not long after they arrive, both professors are kidnapped and taken to a secret lab - and it's up to Tintin and the Captain to once again, save the day. Will they? I think you know the answer to that.

I'll be honest, it's not up there with the first one. While the original live action movie had aspirations to be a big budget thriller, this one is more in keeping with classic kids TV of a bygone age. Not necessarily a bad thing, but perhaps not what I was expecting.

More significantly, it just doesn't seem to have the budget or the script, relying a little too much on slapstick and silliness, the latter all too often from Captain Haddock, who seems to have shifted from the grumpy and surly character of the original to a comic character, desperate to steal every scene. It's not a great sight. Ok, the first movie wasn't exactly Citizen Kane, but it had a grittiness and an element of reality, both of which are sorely lacking here.

But despite all that, I actually quite liked it. If I'd not seen the first one, I would probably be talking it up more. It's far from a bad film and to be honest, if I was a kid, I would probably be lapping up the stunts and loving all the silliness. After all, as a kid, that's pretty much what you want from a film. You don't really care about plot subtleties or indeed, the lack of locations shots.

So if you have got kids, love Tintin or just like some good, old-fashioned vintage knockabout, it's still worth considering. For the more casual Tintin fan, try the first one and see how you feel. If that drags you in, you'll probably find something entertaining in Tintin and the Blue Oranges too.

Find out more about the DVD at the Amazon website