They're the masters for a reason...

Rating: 9/10 (26 October 2011)

Tintin couldn't have been put into better hands than that of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. Both of them confessed lovers of the boy reporter Tintin and his dog Snowy, they knew exactly what to do with what they had and executed it to perfection.
Motion capture is a relatively new creation in the film universe, and here it was used as i hope to see it used further in the future, to bring old favourites back into the limelight and remind everyone why they were loved in the first place. It is the best i've seen yet and is almost photo realistic throughout, the acting too helps this along and works with pretty much perfection. The characters seem believable and while there isn't a load of deeply emotional moments, they still get emotions across clearly and strongly, and you can find you connect with them easily, most importantly they seem real and make you care about them. My one issue is that Daniel Craigs accent seemed to fluctuate a bit and in parts simply not fit the character he is portraying.
It doesn't tread too far from the average treasure hunt movie, it is all focused on the adventure and the relationships between the main characters. But it find a way of being a league above the run of the mill adventure movie. The set pieces within it are stunning and make for some extremely memorable sequences.
The Moffat, Wright, Cornish writing trio, pulled an excellent job of making the film accessible to all audiences, and not resorting to any cheap comedy to maintain the interest, it is a clever sharp script that entertains with complete ease. Even though in my eyes some of the side plots and a couple of separate parts seem a bit under developed and dwindle off into nothing. For example i would have loved to see some more of Thompson and Thomson, as even through the use of motion capture Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have a seamless chemistry between them.
It is a rare moment that i would recommend something to be seen in 3D, but due to the fact this is partly animation in a way, it too works very well, and helps you get immersed into the world you are put in. It only has one cheap use of 3D and i see this as to appeal to the younger audiences seeing it, other than that it is used to layer the environment very well and just makes it seem that step more real.
Other than a few niggles, this film just goes to show what the masters of cinema can do with the technology around and something they love. With Jackson already confirming he's directing Tintin 2, and Spielberg most likely producing, i'll be first in line to see it, and i would put money on me being the first if we're lucky enough to be treated to a third installment as the plan is currently. As long as they keep the formula they did with this film, i can't see that changing anytime soon. Roll on 2 and 3.