The Adventures of Tintin (2011; dir by Steven Spielberg; prod by Spielberg and Peter Jackson; starring Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, and Daniel Craig)
Ok, so I finally got around to seeing to this movie. On paper, it looked like a hit. Adapted from one of Europe's most beloved comics (maybe we'll see an Asterix and Obelix movie soon), it also boasted two of the greatest directors of our generation in Spielberg and Jackson. But what really struck me about this film was the quality of writers on the project like Steven Moffatt, who is the show runner on two of my favorite current British TV shows: Doctor Who and Sherlock and Edgar Wright, who has had experience in comic book films like the underrated Scott Pilgrim against the World. But I also had my doubts. From the trailer, I knew that Tintin would be using a “hyperreal” animation style pioneered by Robert Zemeckis in films like Polar Express and Beowulf. I thought that maybe there was a chance this animation style would be disgusting like Mars Needs Moms, but I was definitely wrong. Visually, Tintin is a treat. The character models are vividly detailed. I could see all of Tintin's ginger hairs, and Snowy moved and acted like a real dog, not a cartoon. The same level of detail is also I found in the lush locales that Tintin goes to including my favorite location: the North African palace. I liked this location the most because of the intricate costumes and wall hangings along with the beautiful architecture of the palace building and models of boats in it. John Williams contributes a score up to par with his previous work that gives the film an even more adventurous tone.
Tintin also boasts an excellent voice cast made up of a prominent British actors. Jamie Bell played a believable teenager, but the supporting cast blew me away. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (co-stars of comedies Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead) had hilarious cameos as bumbling Interpol agents in roles that could have been throwaway plot devices. Andy Serkis again reveals his acting range as the drunk but noble Captain Haddock and makes even the lamest comebacks (“Ten thousand thundering typhoons “) memorable and plays the character's ancestor in flashbacks.
As far as plot, Tintin doesn't break any new ground, but it is still a fun globe (and time) trotting adventure. The Macguffin is a unicorn, and there is the occasional plot hole like a character remembering what his ancestor did after a day traveling in the desert. However, unlike recent “classic” style adventure films like National Treasure: Book of Secrets and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Tintin intermixes humor with the sometimes ridiculous set pieces to keep the film fun and moving quickly. There is a good mix of dry humor and slapstick.
Finally, Tintin is a rollicking neo-Imperialist adventure film in the tradition of Raiders of the Lost Ark and more recently Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (especially the flashback sequences). It also shows that the hyperreal animation style can be used to make movies that would be too costly in live action. I give it 4/5 stars.
