The fact that this Tintin movie took me from my seat in a darkened cinema to an amazing world of fun and adventure says a hell of a lot about the quality of the final product. Because I really didn’t have high hopes for this film. Oh, the pedigree behind and in front of the camera was undeniably strong (I’m not one of those people who has ever thought Spielberg anything less than a top drawer director) but there were two big drawbacks for me.
1) That motion capture style sometimes ends up allowing movies to be little more than a series of flourishes and stylish moments (as was the case with A Christmas Carol). I enjoyed The Polar Express but it seemed to be the exception rather than the rule.
2) When I was a young lad and had a bumper annual full of a selection from almost every comic strip imaginable I would skip past the section with Tintin in it. I just didn’t have any interest in the material, it seemd boring to me. Mind you, I was about 10 years old back then and have not looked at the original material since then so all of you Herge fans can stop getting ready to throttle me – this is more a comment on my youthful attention span than the comics themselves.
I now want to go and read the original comics because this movie is, without a doubt, one of the most simply entertaining BIG movies to have been released in quite some time. People have compared it to an Indiana Jones film and, with the mix of action and humour, they’ve got a point.
The plot is really quite simple. Tintin (Jamie Bell) buys a model ship and soon finds that many people are after it. Why? What secret does the ship hold? Therein lies the heart of the story and finding out that secret will take Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy on an adventure that will throw them amongst both new friends (Captain Haddock, played by Andy Serkis) and new enemies (Ivanovich Sakharine, played by Daniel Craig) on land, at sea and in the air.
I don’t really want to say any more because the plot is a decent one but also, in a way, the least of the talking points when it comes to praising the movie. What this film does better than most blockbusters of recent years is absolutely transport you to a world full of unbelievable antics that you end up easily believing. This is partly due to the fantastic animation and motion capture work and also due, of course, to the deft hand of Spielberg taking us to that favourite, special place he always strives to take audiences to – the very centre of the dazzling silver screen with the edges faded from view so that all around is just magic and spectacle and a whole lot of fun. There is plenty of fluid camerawork and, a phrase I never thought I’d be desperate to use in a review, some absolutely delightful transition shots but this film has all of these beatiful trimmings while still immersing you in the world as opposed to the films that try to impress you in ways that pull you out of the experience.
The acting from all concerned is spot on (though the motion capture work certainly enhances the performances and, of course, enables everyone to look pretty much exactly like the original characters). Jamie Bell makes for an earnest and brave Tintin, Snowy is as cute and attention-grabbing as always, Andy Serkis provides a lot of big laughs and Daniel Craig makes a great, sneering villain. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost provide some more chuckles as the Thompson twins and Toby Jones is a wonderfully adept pickpocket.
The motion capture animation is the best I’ve ever seen for a movie of this kind. Characters are obviously stylised but become fully fleshed out as you spend time with them and get caught up in the thrill of the adventure. The various locales and sets throughout the movie are almost uniformly fantastic, whether you’re taking in the details of the weather-beaten Karaboudjan or having your breath taken away by a whirlwind chase through Bagghar.
The material stems from Herge, the writers have done a great job, the animation is wonderful but let’s be clear about the best thing the movie has going for it – this is a classic Spielberg movie through and through. Nobody else mixes imminent danger with crowd-pleasing humour as well as the man who has captivated audiences with the likes of Jaws, the Indiana Jones movies and numerous other adventures. He doesn’t always hit a home run but when he does you find yourself coming out of the cinema with a grin stretched from ear to ear that takes some time to fade away. This film isn’t up there with his VERY best (that, in my view, is due to the twee nature of the source material and I agree with others who have pointed out that the score by John Williams should have featured a more memorable main theme) but it’s a perfectly crafted piece of family entertainment that should please cinemagoers of all ages if/when they go to see it. Trust me, you might just come out of the cinema remembering why you sometimes LOVE the cinema. And that’s no bad thing.
DIRECTOR: STEVEN SPIELBERG
WRITER: STEVEN MOFFAT, EDGAR WRIGHT, JOE CORNISH, BASED ON THE WORKS OF HERGE
STARS: JAMIE BELL, ANDY SERKIS, DANIEL CRAIG, SIMON PEGG, NICK FROST, MACKENZIE CROOK, CARY ELWES, TOBY JONES
RUNTIME: 107 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: USA, NEW ZEALAND
Film Rating: 
