March 14: The Adventures of Tintin

"Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor."

   The Adventures of Tintin is amazing, simply put. The film is a visual feast, with epic action sequences, on a scale you could only get from Steven Spielberg. Before I even saw any footage of the film (trailers, clips, etc), I was hesitant of the film because of the use of motion capture animation. I was expecting another The Polar Express, with creepy animations and faces that can't show emotion. I was wrong, thank God, and The Adventures of Tintin has set the bar incredibly high for motion capture films. Unlike other motion-cap films, where the characters look like eerie doppelgangers of the actors playing them, Tintin uses actors for the motions and facial expressions, but animates over them to create true, unique, and sensational characters. 

Meet Forrast Gamp, the creepy clone of everyone's favorite shrimping boat captain. 

   The best part of The Adventures of Tintin is the action. With the use of animation, action sequences can go on and on, without having to cut away like you would with a camera in a live action film. Because of this, the action is constant and jumps all over with exceptional fluidity. The whole thing feels almost like a ride, with so much going on that you're looking all over the place trying to absorb the entire thing. There's an especially noteworthy scene in Bagghar, Morocco; where Tintin, Captain Haddock (played perfectly by the always amazing Andy Serkis), and of course Snowy (the dog), are being chased through the city. I was actually a little giddy kid watching it, similar to how I was when I first saw an Indiana Jones movie. 

If only this was half as good as Tintin... Sorry, sorry, I know... Don't talk about it. 

   The Adventures of Tintin is the perfect combination of Indiana Jones, National Treasure, and the Monkey Island video game series. The film is aimed toward a wide audience, not just children, and the humor is genuinely funny. The visuals are amazing and each new scene offers exceptional detail on a massive scale that brings the entire film to near epic proportions.  The characters are perfectly cast and acted, and are honest and true to the the Tintin comics and TV show (which I have loved since I was a kid). The score by John Williams is also reminiscent of Indiana Jones, and the whole film has a nostalgia effect to it. I highly recommend The Adventures of Tintin, and, although I regret not seeing this film in theaters, I eagerly anticipate the next installment.

The Good:

Andy Serkis and everything he brings to the character of Captain Haddock

The Better:

incredible visuals and action sequences that can't help but make you smile in awe

The Best:

feeling similar feelings to when I first saw Raiders of the Lost Ark, and knowing Spielberg still has the ability to amaze the kid in all of us

Overall: 9.5/10

Best Quote:

1. Silk: I'm sort of a kleptomaniac...
2. Thompson Twin: Kleptomaniac?
3. Thompson Twin: It's a fear of open spaces

And anything said by Captain Haddock

Trailer: