The Adventures of Tintin

There was something missing... Something, something, something... But what was it? The film had pace, it was funny and suspenseful, the animation was perfect, Williams' music was great (how I miss those honest orchestral pieces) and Steven Spielberg took his proverbial toy-ness to a new level. If you're also wondering why Tintin wasn't made with live actors and in a real setting, the answer is easy: Spielberg would lose a camera that he can do absolutely anything he wants with, and that would be a huge shame. It is thanks to it that he served us a decent number of (without exaggeration) unforgettable scenes (apart from the chase in Morocco mentioned by everyone, I would like to highlight especially the breathtaking naval battle, which is equal to the craziest escapades of Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean, and the final bombastic duel of cranes), which definitely makes it worth going to the movie theatre to see this. In 3D. If someone is bothered by the bland main character, it's certainly not the film's fault - the three-dimensional Tintin is practically identical to the paper version. And that's a good thing. At least Captain Haddock, who is the main character anyway, will stand out more. So why don't I give it a full score when I'm so happy with everything? Well, it's because of the ending. I found the last minutes of the "search and find" strangely drawn out and was actually quite surprised that Tintin was "only" an hour and three quarters long. I didn't know the runtime beforehand and I guessed it to be about two hours (and a bit) by the end.__P.S. The Jaws parody was divine.__P.P.S. Hergé's digital cameo was just as good. (11/12/2011)

I wasn’t looking forward to Tintin, so I can’t say I’m disappointed with the results. Actually, watching it in cinema on a very hectic day felt quite good. It’s nice to look at, undemanding, relaxing, entertaining… The humour is often almost cringe-worthy, but it’s effective in its own way. The animation was surprising, if the characters hadn’t been so clearly stylised, in some scenes I wouldn’t have been able to tell I’m not looking at something real (for instance, the first minutes at the marketplace). It’s not something to swoon over, but it’s OK for single-use fun. PS: Yesterday on TV I watched several scenes of the fourth Indiana Jones and I realised that in the last few years Spielberg has lost his sense of measure. I don’t like that kind of relentless action anymore. (11/20/2011)

Tinindytin. Not many of this type of movie is made anymore/yet. “Yet" applies to a playful, ingenious, adventurous watch that sparks children’s enthusiasm; you know, that timeless Spielberg-Jones-esque dime-press entertainment. And “yet" applies to a picture where the special effects are there more than just to dazzle, but are for the good of the movie in all (creators’ and viewers’) respects. But this applies to the possibilities of non-static camera than about the excellently done 3D. The one, but absolutely fundamental hitch was the lackluster hero. Which was a problem already in the books, but here it is all the more obvious and Tintin ends up overshadowed by the Haddock/Snowy duo. OST score: 3/5 (10/26/2011)

The Adventures of Tintin is brought down by its comic book source with the central hero, who, in my opinion, lacks charisma and earns no sympathy from me. I completely missed out on the comic book series, even when I was part of the target age group. On the other hand, it is necessary to acknowledge Steven Spielberg for making the most out of the limited space offered by the comic book world and creating a typical Indiana Jones-like adventure ride, lightened by plenty of clever jokes and crazy action stunts. However, Indiana Jones has a big advantage in terms of the main character - a likable adventurer with a careless appearance and definitely not perfect, whereas Tintin, with his slick hairstyle, simply lacks spark and is rather boring. In comparison to Indiana Jones, the supporting characters are generally not interesting, except for the perpetually alcohol-soaked captain and his villainous adversary. Truth be told, the story itself doesn't have the potential to captivate the audience, but then again, we have Spielberg's amazing ability to enchant mainly male audiences of all ages with an adventurous spectacle, which makes even old dads gladly return to their early teenage years when they devoured cheap paperback books with eye-catching covers. We also have Spielberg's traditional professional perfectionism and the generous budget afforded by previous commercial hits. The result is a very decent and, within the current pop culture, highly above-average commercial spectacle, essentially an action blockbuster for the whole family. Furthermore, Spielberg understands the possibilities of animated film and knows how to work magic with both the camera and computers, adding a dimension to the traditional Indiana Jones stunts that are only possible in an animated film. Spielberg, at the same time, indulges his viewers a little by including references to his previous famous works. Try to guess who his Moroccan emir resembles, for example. I may not come back to Tintin anytime soon, but of all the highly anticipated animated blockbusters this year, it appealed to me the most and unquestionably surpassed films like Rango and many others. Overall impression: 85%. (11/20/2011)

A seemingly ideal combination of Spielberg and Hergé's comic book albums "The Crab with the Golden Claws," "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Rackham's Treasure." Unfortunately, it used motion capture animation that ruined the whole thing. Personally, I remain faithful to the series and the old 1947 puppet film. (03/29/2022)