I've never read the original Tintin comics, but even I can recognize that charming cartoon character with the big round head, the small tuft of blonde hair, and the cute white dog at his side. It has been decades since the character's genesis, but even today, he proves to be just as endearing as ever, thanks to this 2011 computer-animated film.
The Adventures of Tintin offers a heck of an adventure, with loads of eye candy for audiences of all ages. Most of the film is comprised of action setpieces that are really inventive and involved; it's almost like a vaudeville act, with characters tumbling, falling, flying, and colliding with each other, resulting in even more crazy damage, more problematic situations, and sometimes inducing some decent laughter. One of the film's most awe-inspiring scenes is a continuous shot, lasting for what must be a full five minutes or so, with the camera tracking Tintin and the Captain riding through a town, chasing animals, with buildings getting wrecked all around them. The timing and choreography of each scene is so precise, it's brilliantly entertaining. The film suffers very little drag in between, and there's always enough elements of danger and peril to keep the stakes high. At the same time, it's never too high or scary for younger audiences. If there's anything to complain about, it's just that it's almost too much. Many scenes strain believability, and can become very absurd.
In spite of the relentless action, however, the film's story is left with limited room to breathe. It jumps right into the mystery and adventure, without any introduction to the characters or the world they inhabit. It isn't hard to catch onto things as the film goes along, but there's no real background to Tintin, and it makes him flat and rather less interesting. It's the mystery element that drives this plot, but even then, the mystery is quite predictable and thinly developed. Really, the movie is built on the action, with one scene leading to another; it's serviceable and fun, but nothing terribly deep or compelling.
This film has top-notch animation quality. The amount of detail, precision, and movement is phenomenal; there are moments that look so real, it's amazing. This film has decent voice-acting; it can be a bit tiresome to listen to Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock, but Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, and everybody else provides quality performances. Writing is not bad, and it generally gets the job done, but some more depth would have been welcome. This production uses some very awesome-looking settings, locations, props, costumes, and character designs. John Williams' music score is not bad.
This film definitely entertains with its imaginative adventure sequences, and it comes close to replicating the same kind of energy and tone as a typical Indiana Jones picture. It is a film that audiences of all ages can enjoy, even if the story is a bit lacking. Recommended.
4/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Average | Film: Perfect)
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