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.
