REVIEW: The Adventures of Tintin

There are no spoilers in this review. It was #1 on my top ten most anticipated of 2011 list.

PLOT: Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor.


THE GOOD: Steven Spielberg. The Adventures of Tintin and I have a long history together. When I was in the fifth grade living in Maryland, I had a friend whose family was Dutch. He introduced me to the stories of Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy and I was immediately hooked. I was at the perfect age where Hergé's comic books took me into a world full of danger, adventure, humor, and fun. I've read every single one of Tintin's books. Yes, even the often forgotten Tintin in the Land of the Soviets. I remember watching the cartoon series on Nickelodeon and even own all of the episodes on DVD. When I visited Brussels in 2006, I went to the Tintin Boutique where I bought a book and a stuffed animal version of Snowy (which Julie sometimes sleeps with and it's oh so adorable). So, to say that this film has been a long time coming for me is an understatement. When I found out that Steven Spielberg was going to direct, I got super excited. I'm a sucker for his films. Even his less popular or not as well-received ones like War of the Worlds, The Terminal, and A.I. There's something about his filming style that seems so magical to me. Before Hergé died, he said he "thought Spielberg was the only person who could ever do Tintin justice." I think he would have been very happy with this adaptation.

Nothing says "Adventure" like unicorns and little fluffy white dogs.

Animation. Motion-capture CGI animation has come a long way, my friends. The Polar Express, Beowulf, and A Christmas Carol all look great, but there's always been something just slightly off about them. I think it's in the eyes, but Tintin is the first time that I think they've gotten it right. The characters look perfect. This is the best motion-capture film to date.

Voice acting. I love the voice cast. Jamie Bell sounds really good as Tintin and seemed to have some excitement in his voice during the more tense scenes. Andy Serkis is, as always, brilliant as Captain Haddock. Daniel Craig was almost completely unrecognizable as Rackham. And Nick Frost and Simon Pegg were hilarious as Thomson and Thompson. Just great casting choices overall.

Action. This movie is almost non-stop action. When there isn't any action, it's usually because there's a specific mystery to figure out. The movie is reminded a lot of people of Indiana Jones, but to me, it's closer to the Uncharted video game series. The action set pieces in this film are spectacular, but the most impressive scene takes place closer to the end of the film in the fictional city of Bagghar. There is a chase sequence in there that is beyond words. From the top of the city to the bottom, the camera follows the chase without cutting or transitioning away from the characters. It's a must-see. Spielberg is definitely having some fun here with the virtual camera and checking out all of its possibilities since this is his first animated feature film. There are also some spectacular transitions in the film.

TINTIN: "Hey, guys, check out Susan Boyle on The Sun's Page Three today."

THE BAD: Introduction. My only beef with the film is the was the Tintin and Snowy are introduced. Of course, for the fans of the comic book in the U.S., we are used to being thrown right into the world of Tintin because Tintin in America is usually the first accessible book to us. But I don't think that's enough for the movie audience who are not familiar with Tintin. I think a little more time should have been spent building Tintin and Snowy's background. I'm not saying something as deep as Captain Haddock's back story, but something close.


THE END: Many don't know this, but Tintin is planned on being a trilogy with Steven Spielberg directing the first film, Peter Jackson directing the second film, and then possibly collaborating for a third one. As a big fan of Tintin, I loved this film which follows more closely to the book Secret of the Unicorn. For your general movie goer who might have originally thought that this was a movie about the famous Hollywood star dog Rin Tin Tin, I'm not sure how much they will enjoy this. There are certainly elements to appreciate like the action and animation, but the strange world of the go-getter Tintin might put some people off. I would recommend that most people wait to rent this one, but if you are a Tintin fan, it's a necessity.


DISCUSS: What did you think of The Adventures of Tintin? Are you a fan of the Tintin books? How do you think Steven Spielberg did in capturing the world of Tintin? Are you looking forward to Peter Jackson directing the second movie?

CAPTAIN HADDOCK: *sees a flying bottle of whiskey and not a seaplane*