I enjoy adventure
movies. Star Wars and Indiana Jones, at least the older ones, hold up as great
cinema inspired by pulp action films of a previous generation. Though I didn’t
see it in theaters, I was curious when I noticed The Adventures of Tintin on the Netflix Instant Watch list. While I
did not like the movie as much as its predecessors in the genre, it was still
an entertaining and suspenseful adventure for the whole family.
The Tintin movie
manages to uniquely capture the style of a memorable comic-based adventure.
Early on they make a visual joke on transforming an old comic to a
three-dimensional feature film, and it seems to fit pretty well. Tintin, his
dog Snowy, and Captain Haddock have distinct appearances and play well off each
other as this is an origin story of sorts for the reporter and sailor’s
relationship. It helps that the troupe that worked on this movie hs excellent
credits to their names. Steven Spielberg, expert at showing whimsical
adventure, directs with Edgar Wright, known for his comedic prose, providing
the screenplay. Andy Serkis, very familiar with computer-generated
performances, is wonderful as Captain Haddock, and Nick Frost and Simon Pegg do
a good job as a comedic relief pair.
There is plenty of
adventure in this movie, but I kept getting a nagging feeling of a piece
missing from the globetrotting treasure hunt. In the movie, the well-traveled
reporter Tintin buys a model boat and realizes that by combining hidden notes
from the models of its sister ships the location of a great treasure will be
revealed. That treasure is the legacy of the Haddock family with the only
remaining family member locked up in his own ship with only the bottle to
comfort him. Danger appears as Tintin must escape from incredible situations
with his wits and his loyal dog companion, and it was fun to watch an escape
sequence with armed thugs ready to break into the cargo hold or only having one
bullet to fight an incoming seaplane. However, this movie is rated PG, so I had
a sense that no one in this movie was in danger so serious that they would not
survive. Even in the beginning, a character warns Tintin of the danger of
keeping the ship model and gets shot multiple times, but we’re told that he
survived. Apparently in the comic the movie adapts, that character leaves a
different cryptic hint for Tintin that the reporter does not figure out before
he could use it. The main villain, voiced by Daniel Craig, is resourceful and
cunning, but even with his hawk, he’s no Nazi sympathizer. This movie is set in
a different time, but it’s still possible to capture this spirit of a dangerous
adventure movie villain like the Eastern European warlord Lazarevic of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
If you’re looking
for a good adventure movie, the 2011 Adventures
of Tintin is a fine choice. The animation is great, the acting is
excellent, and the direction is pleasantly reminiscent of the adventure films
that drew from the well including this movie’s source material. It’s definitely
worth watching with the family with no worries about the drunken sailor being
too vulgar for a younger audience. Alternatively you can watch Indiana Jones or
play Uncharted, but that probably will not inspire curious minds to check out some
old comics from a Belgian artist.
Adventures of Tintin Official Movie Site
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