Expectation level for an animated adventure film co-directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson should be about as high as one could imagine. Also add the fact that the movie stars such talented names as Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Jamie Bell, Carey Elwes, and the incomparable Andy Serkis and then finally throw in a brand new performance capture technology that blows away anything before it, and you have the makings of a true blockbuster.
'The Adventures of Tintin' delivers on just about every front as we get a true swashbuckling action-adventure story that really does draw comparisons to the Indiana Jones series that Spielberg, along with long time collaborator George Lucas, was also responsible for.
The Tintin character comes from a beloved series of books, the first of which was published in the 1930's, by Belgian author Hergé. Tintin, along with his trusty canine companion Snowy, is a reporter that finds himself in one adventure after another solving mysteries and fighting crime. This time around, Tintin finds himself in the middle of an age old feud between the descendants of warring ship captains that sailed the Caribbean waters and fought over a legendary treasure.
Tintin (Jamie Bell) and Snowy team up with Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) to piece together a set of clues that may lead them to a fortune that the captain owns by inheritance. The evil Mr. Sakharine (Daniel Craig) is also hot on the trail of these riches as he lays claim to them in the name of his forefather Captain Rakham, who nearly stole the treasure and the ship it was stowed upon before Sir Francis Haddock sent it all to the depths of the Caribbean Sea.
From a technical standpoint, this movie is a true achievement in 3D animation and performance capture as well as having some great voice work by the previously mentioned actors. Visually, 'Tintin' is a sweeping spectacle with some breathtaking scenes and amazing action sequences.
Prior to this film, I was not a fan of animated films that use motion capture as the characters always seem to look really awkward in their movements. Whatever Peter Jackson's visual effects company, Weta Digital, has come up with to solve this flaw is working perfectly as body movements and facial expressions are more life like while still maintaining a more fluid, cartoon feel to them.
I am adding 'The Adventures of Tintin' to the list of films released this year that must be seen on a big movie theater screen with a big bucket of popcorn and a couple of your closest movie going friends. 'Epic' is a word that is profanely overused these days, but this is one place where it fits in perfectly to describe the type of spectacle that Spielberg and Jackson have thrown our way.
Below you will find a featurette that shows several clips from the movie, a few behind the scenes moments, and some very interesting and entertaining words from both Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. Once you've watched that, you can then scroll a little farther down to view the official trailer.
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