Review: The Adventures of Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin opened on this date in 2011. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg.Synopsis:

Tintin always finds himself in grand adventures because of his job as a reporter. When he stumbles upon a model ship that holds the secret to a great treasure, the villains who want it come after him. Tintin, along with his dog Snowy, goes on a quest to keep his discovery from the evil forces who want it for their own gain.

Positives:

• The Adventures of Tintin feels a lot like an Indiana Jones adventure. It is fun to see Spielberg play in the serial adventure world and have it be completely separated from the Indy series.

• The action sequences are superbly choreographed and staged. The animation lets Spielberg do things he couldn’t achieve in live action.
• The computer generated animation allows Tintin to feel different from other similar films. The story could have made it feel like a National Treasure or Mummy clone, but the animation makes it different. It has a more adult tone than a lot of other animated films, but at the same time it is appropriate for kids.

Negatives:

• The animation can be inconsistent with its quality. The film was groundbreaking in terms of motion capture and CGI animation. There are scenes where it looks like the technology wasn’t quite ready to be a part of a film of this scope.
• The story isn’t memorable. The action keeps you interested, but the plot could have been stronger.
• Tintin is a bland main protagonist. He does a lot of cool things, but his personality isn’t that engaging.

In Closing:

The Adventures of Tintin is a well made family adventure. Steven Spielberg takes advantage of the freedom the animation gives his imagination. The quality of the animation is inconsistent and the story isn’t special, but overall the film offers a lot of fun.

Rating: B