Die Abenteuer von Spirou & Fantasio

Based on the popular Belgian comic-book series, Les Aventures De Spirou & Fantasio is a French film made in 2018 which is the first attempt to bring these characters, and their stories, to the big screen in a live-action format.

The adventures of Spirou changed a lot over the years since the character was created in the 1930's by editor Jean Dupuis and artist Rob-Vel. In a nutshell, for those unfamiliar with the comics, Spirou is a cunning fellow in a bellhop outfit who goes around the world figuring out wild mysteries with his best friend Fantasio, a bumbling reporter/inventor. The Spirou stories were usually a lot more out there than Tintin's, especially since artist Franquin took over the series in the 1940's, but they are respected almost as much to this day.

There are countless Spirou & Fantasio stories, a lot more than Tintin's limited series, so tons of ideas for filmmakers to borrow and include in the iconic character's first movie. And yet, this film refuses to dig any deeper than taking the basic concept from the early strips, throwing in a villain who was introduced much, much later, put some comic-accurate costumes on the leads (thanks for that, at least) and call it a day.

This is a crushingly disappointing first attempt at what could have been, in the right hands, a lasting sci-fi/action franchise and a worthy adaptation of one of the most beloved French language comic series of all time. The actors who play Spirou and Fantasio are not bad (Alex Lutz fits the most), but they are forced to carry an extremely weak storyline, some of the worst dialog you'll hear in a French film and thoroughly unfunny jokes throughout, which is a tough break for any actor.

Casting for the supporting characters is way off, however, with legendary comedic actor Christian Clavier doing his best as inventor Champignac despite not really looking the part. Ramzy Bedia, who plays bad guy Zorglub, also tries his best but he just doesn't look right, and he isn't funny at all. As Seccotine, the smart reporter who is also Fantasio's love interest, Géraldine Nakache is simply miscast and the inclusion of the character takes time away from the character development we so desperately needed for the unlikely heroes.

Visually, there's nothing to see here. The special effects are not very good, and the only interesting location is a volcano lair in the middle of the desert. Otherwise, we're pretty much stuck either in a hotel, an airport or other dull settings. Spirou being a thief is something that's introduced but never explored, because we know absolutely nothing about Spirou himself, so why would we care anyway?

The writing is abysmal here, and this is what really kills this movie. The humor falls resoundingly flat with every one-liner aiming to be witty but coming off as tired, borderline embarrassing. Spirou doesn't match with the character in the comics at all: he's just as cowardly as Fantasio and doesn't seem to have any motivation or intelligence whatsoever. The plot is paper thin and makes no sense, that goes without saying, and the film's climax is frankly insulting. The squirrel did fine, I guess.

It is heartbreaking to see something with so much potential go to waste like this but maybe one day we'll see a better Spirou movie, it'll certainly be tough to do any worse. After all, before Lucky Luke there was Les Dalton. If you know, you know.

There's no reason to watch this.

I really don't know if I can recommed this to people who liked the comics; it's different in tone and characters. Spirou was always a fun adventure comic targeted at children or young teenagers; this movie will pobably not appeal to them - many of the gags are simply not for kids (they're not "adult", it's just things they won't laugh about). Making Spirou a thief was a strange choice, as was the inclusion of Zorglup as villain - some of the best storylines in the comics had no real villain at all, and the ones including Z were not among the best. Fantasio was a bit lame (but that was often his role in the comics, so ok) and Clavier as Champignac nearly forgettable. (I would have preferred Pierre Richard in that role ...)

The optics are ok, comic-y and simple, and the pace is quick - while I was pretty disappointed with the script (given the nice hoard of stories they could have plundered), the movie never became outright boring. It's just not as good as it should have been.

Created by Rob-Vel and Jijé in the thirties ,Spirou hit his stride with Franquin who gave the best albums of the serie :"Le Repaire De La Murène" " QLN Sur Bretzelburg" "Le dictateur Et Le Champignon" .....

............And "Z Comme Zorglub" which inspired -more or less - this movie . Like so many comics heroes such as Astérix,Michel Vaillant ,Iznogood , Boule and Bill, this is a hopeless disaster ;the movie bombed in France and it is sure easy to see why : the screenplay is a mess and can be told in one sentence :The Count of Champignac has been kidnapped by Zorglub,Spirou and Fantasio come to his rescue .I really doubt the comics buff will get something out of it. Spirou is very cute and his helicopter gives him a James Bond touch ,but he displays a tendency to react to events instead of initiating them ; apart from the car crash and the ridiculous final,he is totally passive .Fantasio (Alex Lutz,the French teacher in "Jamais Contente ",on the other hand ,hogs the stage ; neither him nor his friend resemble their models,let alone Geraldine Nakache as "Seccotine " (=strong glue, TM) , a reporter (thus Fantasio's rival) ,and (strictly in the screenwriters' mind ) Champignac' s daughter (?);besides Fantasio is in love with his colleague ,which was unthinkable in Franquin's works .

You will hardly know Christian Clavier as the count ; and should you choose to follow Spirou ,squirrel Spip and co through their painful journey ,you would not recognize their world either....

Perhaps I'm not objective enough :I have always preferred Tintin.What can you expect- you can't change how you are made!

NB :Some lines are in some kind of backslang ;but do not panic ,there are subtitles.

What's gone wrong with this one?

You can't take one of the top cartoon gems and make mistakes like

*) writing a stereotype, 007-like story + villain instead of wisely choosing one the the dozens of good ones available. The story also lacks real twists and stays far from the timing and advance of the original comics.

*) change essential details of the Spirou universe, like the first encounters of each other

*) the "plan" of Zorglub and his "rays" don't really come through

*) Spirou himself ... while not as bad, as Gaston (Lagaffe) in the other movie, is far from the potential of the role/character. Changing him to some pickpocket? Why the hell?!?!?

*) add the squirrel, but leave out its purpose as a character

*) last, not least: Since when is Seccotine a non-blonde and a love interest of Fantasio?!?!?

On the plus side: I liked the choice and depiction of Fantasio (apart from the Seccotine-thingy) and the way he fails at times.

Clavier might well work as the Count, but the role was sabotaged by the script.

Details like the helicopter (though: in the comic, it was invented by Fantasio!), the supercar (which has been developed in the course of events, not being just there) and the look of the mushrooms.

I don't think this movie deserves the negative feedback, it's received. It's not perfect by any means, but as someone who loved the comics growing up, it's a joy to see these characters on big screen. The cast is spot on, especially Thomas Solivéres as Spirou. It's definitely a fun, if flawed comic book adaptation.