The Adventures of TinTin Review
27/04/2012
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writters: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish
Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg
I read somewhere recently that the creator of TinTin, Hergé said before his passing 1983, that if there was ever anyone that he would love to turn the world of the inquisitive reporter, TinTin, into a feature film character, it would be none other than Spielberg himself. Sure it might have taken him just shy of 3 decades to do this, but Herge would definitely be proud of Spielberg’s interpretation onto the big screen.
Joining Spielberg is Lord of the Rings producer Peter Jackson. Both were supported by three writers - Steven Moffat (BBC's hit TV series, Sherlock), Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) and Joe Cornish, who had the mind boggling task of translating the comic book stories into a feature film.
In The Adventures of TinTin, we join reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock as they set off on a treasure hunt, adventure spectacular for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor.
Adapted from three of the comics (The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure), from the moment the movie picture opens, the film's tone and mood is set: mystery and adventure that's bound to be fun! I really enjoyed the opening credits. Amazingly hand drawn animated titles with a TinTin silhouette and jazzy music. It’s not really like anything I have seen before when it comes to opening credits on a movie. It’s kind of like a mini story on its own to be honest.
Starring Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, King Kong) as our hero, TinTin, he does and fantastic job at voicing his character. He has real guts and emotion where needed. His voice is very calming and charismatic. Also fresh to the animation world, Daniel Craig (James Bond franchise) does a very believable job at being the villain, Sakharine. However, the stand out for me has to be Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings who voices Gollum aka Smeagol), who does an amazing job at voicing the rough and tumble Captain Haddock. Voicing an animated character would have to be one of the hardest roles anyone could play, but they all do a fine job.
Storyline wise, it’s fast paced, exciting and its exactly what you want out of an action adventure. I really enjoyed the 'flashback' scenes throughout the movie. It gives you a sense of background on how the legend of the Unicorn came to be. Plus there are some pretty good laughs to be had in some of them as well.
The animation is spectacular! It really is a work of art and quite possible some of the best CGI I have seen in an animated feature. Whilst TinTin looks very different to the comic book character, you can instantly tell that it’s him with his trademark blonde hair and peak. The textures, the contrast on colours, the scenery (all CGI of course) are second to none. You can even see the amazing detail in Snowy's fur strand by strand. It truly is amazing.
They really have outdone themselves, but when you have Spielberg and Jackson on board, both whom strive for perfection and are skilled in the art of visionary direction, you really couldn't expect anything more. 107 minutes of CGI goodness.
Soundtrack wise, the score was composed and conducted by musical master mind John Williams. It’s a bit of a mixed bag with the genres, but each song matches each scene perfectly.
One thing I did find frustrating with TinTin was the ending – It just stopped. I looked at my partner and said "What? That’s it?” The ending has been left wide open for the beginning of a new adventure with TinTin, Snowy and the Captain. Not being an avid fan of the comic books, I was excited by the story line and the adventure and will definitely watch a sequel!
This movie is directed at families and of course, the loyal TinTin fans worldwide. However, as this movie was made with kids in mind, it’s surprising to see there are quite a few scenes where Captain Haddock is drinking alcohol. If you can look past that, it’s a great film for the whole family to sit down and enjoy.
This truly is a spectacular masterpiece of comic visionary brought to live through the magic of CGI.
Highlight: Definitely the opening credits. Ive never seen anything like it, it was amazing.
Score: 7.5/10