The Adventures of Tintin is a decent movie. It contains some remarkable animation but does not do enough to develop a full story. The film is more conceptually interesting than what was delivered, but pretty enjoyable nonetheless.
Tintin is based on the comic book series of the same name by Belgian writer and artist Hergé (Georges Remi). Neither the film nor the comic should be confused with the German Shepard silver screen star Rin Tin Tin.
Tintin (Jamie Bell) is a young Belgian reporter who sets off on adventures to get good stories and solve mysteries with the help of his best pal the white fox terrier Snowy. The film follows Tintin’s adventures with Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) as they search for the treasure of Sir Francis Haddock’s sunken ship Unicorn. They set off on their quest while fighting off the villanous Sakharine (Daniel Craig) who is questing after the same treasure.
The animation in the film is terrific. The characters are transformed from their comic book stylings to a more human appearance. The animators render them in a manner that holds a great line between the two. Their hair and flesh looks real but they retain the highly stylized and oversized features of their comic ancestors.
The film embraces the transition from comic to screen. The title screen animation is in a comic strip format. When we plunge into the story Tintin is having his portrait drawn by a street artist who produces his image as it appears in the comic. The animation technique used really adds a richness to the story. The characters are able to straddle the line between fantasy and reality because they are drawn right into this borderland.
The 3D animation is also remarkable. Tintin is a film that really takes advantage of the format. The movie does not utilize silly 3D tricks but instead builds an immersive world. The scenery cradles the story and provides ample room for the adventure.
Tintin is also helped by the presence of some remarkable characters. The highlighted by the bumbling detectives Thomson (Nick Frost) and Thompson (Simon Pegg) who are absolutely delightful. The acting and the drawing making for a perfect pairing.
My primary fault with Tintin is that it feels like substance gave way to the desire for a heightened sense of adventure. Director Steven Spielberg may have been drawing a little too much inspiration from the Indian Jones films. It felt like the action from each of those films was condensed and plopped into this one.
The pacing is borderline manic. It feels almost like an amusement park ride. You are constantly being propelled forward with no opportunity to catch your breath or to obtain any depth in the story. It leads to a fundamental pacing problem. Generally variety is necessary to maintain attention and contrast helps signify importance. When the story is always careening along the emphasis and significance are lost.
Tintin is a good movie that gets lost in a movie length chase scene. The story is undermined by the adventuring. The result is something that is decent but could have been much better.
PARSI VERDICT: Terrific animation and characters set a great scene but the film stumble in its rush for adventure.