ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (2011)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
Tintin, the journalist with the same orange curlicue haircut as Conan O'Brien, is the titular Belgian WWII comic-book hero created by the late Herge. Tintin gets into one scrape after another whether he is fighting Bolsheviks or finding the Secret of the Unicorn, the story Spielberg decided to film first (actually, a hybrid of three Tintin tales). A model sailing ship named the Unicorn has been bought by Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell) at a marketplace. Right away there is trouble when Tintin gets offers from suspicious persons to buy it from him. Before one can hit the brake pedal, Tintin has to contend with multiple thieves who want the ship which contains one of the scrolls leading to the Secret of the Unicorn, a cache of golden treasures. Clue after clue leads Tintin and his dog, Snowy, to the soused Captain Haddock (voiced by Andy Serkis) who is the last of his generation tied to the history of the Unicorn. Two more scrolls are needed to divulge the coordinates of said ship. Mr. Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (voiced by Daniel Craig) is the wicked villain who wants those scrolls for himself. Spielberg engages his action-adventure style perfectly in "Tintin" and has found the right medium for this hero - photo-realistic animation using motion capture. The results are stunning and better than expected (especially after the deadly bore "Final Fantasy" from ten years ago where the characters spoke and emoted with zombie-like precision). The characters in "Tintin" have subtle expressions and emote - they feel real enough (though I still have a soft spot for old Disney animation). The movie also moves at a fast clip with enough last-minute escapist ordeals and harrowing danger for two more "Tintin" movies. Most notable is an amazing sequence done in one take where Tintin rides in a motorcycle while evading his evil captors and tries to capture a hawk that has the scrolls in its beak, while Captain Haddock accidentally blows up a dam! It is a stunning achievement this one sequence, utilizing Spielberg's gift for not frantically cutting away from the action but rather embracing it in detail.
Despite all the pyrotechnics and the sheer visual spectacle of it, "Tintin" doesn't have a whole lot of story. We have Tintin's and Captain Haddock's unquenchable thirst for adventure, but their Unicorn search is not that stirring and there are a couple of lulls that threaten our interest. The movie hints at depth with Captain Haddock's own retelling of the Unicorn and his past ancestors but it is muted at best. Even Tintin is an odd duck of a character - he has a dog and gets into adventures but there isn't a shred of the charm or personality of Indiana Jones (we hear about Tintin's past exploits but we never see this kid at work as a journalist).
Despite the movie's thin storyline, I was engaged by it overall. When there is a moment or a break in the action, the boisterous Captain Haddock keeps us lively and amused, and you can't help but laugh at Snowy especially when he runs under a few hundred cows. The Thompson twins, who are clumsy Interpol detectives, bring in the slapstick. There is enough happening to almost forget how undernourished Tintin's character is (perhaps later sequels will expand his character beyond searching for clues). "Tintin" is an enjoyable enough romp for all ages. But from Spielberg, I expected something more epic and amazing. Do watch out for those industrial cranes!
