‘Tintin’ Movie Shows Promise in Europe, While Book Remains in Legal Limbo

European Tintin fans are seeing -- and reacting to -- Steven Spielberg's 3-D computer-animated film The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn while a certain Tintin book remains in legal limbo in Belgium.

Moviegoers who went to see the film version of Georges Rémi's classic comic books showed mixed reactions on Twitter.

Quite enjoyed #Tintin the other day, it looked really good in 3D, tweeted one Tintin fan. Cost us nearly 40 quid for the privilege though...

Tweeted another: loved the opening credits of Tintin, the film though I found hard to connect with.

Just saw 'TinTin,' another fan tweeted. Frustrated throughout most of the film. I wanted to enjoy it and did for parts of it, but ultimately it was a bit flat.

Others did not seem deterred to see the movie.

Steven Spielberg + Peter Jackson + Comic Books = :D :D :D cannot wait to see the adventures of Tintin! a Tintin fan in Ireland tweeted.

While the movie is making its way through cinema screens in Europe, a certain Tintin book is seeing some court action.

Bienvenu Mbutu Mondondo, who was born in the Congo, is working to have Tintin in the Congo banned in Belgium, alleging that the book is racist. It shows the Africans as childish imbeciles, Mondondo told TIME magazine in 2010. It suggests blacks have not evolved.

A Belgian court advisor has advised that it not be banned, Reuters reported.

We see in particular that Tintin in the Congo does not put Tintin in a situation where there is competition or confrontation between the young reporter and any black or group of blacks, but pits Tintin against a group of gangsters ... who are white, advisor Valery de Theux de Meylandt wrote in a statement, Reuters reported.

The Adventures of Tintin hits U.S. and Canadian theaters on Dec. 21.