It would be a sinsin if Tintin was awful, which its not, but despite being visually stunning , its good, not great

Rating: 6/10 (3 December 2013)

Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell) and his loyal dog Snowy are sitting for a portrait in Paris. Behind them, clever folks are pickpocketing a good deal of the crowd. After taking delight in his picture, Tintin finds something else to love. It's a model ship and its selling for a song. Strange what happens next. Just as the lad makes the purchase, not one but two gentlemen try to buy the ship from its now owner but Tintin won't do it. He takes it home, finds out its name and goes to the library for research. When Tintin and Snowy return, the ship is gone! This leads to finding the estate of the original ship's owner, another model, and the kidnapping of Tintin and his dog! Soon, they are at sea and the captain is after a part of the model that Tintin didn't know he lost! The lad escapes with a drunken sailor and goes hither and yon, trying to get back to Paris and avoid the nasty men who are after him. Will a boy and his dog have the advantage? They will when they are as smart as these two! There's really nothing so bad about this film, so the director, Spielberg, hasn't committed a sinsin. But, it is complex and not really a younger children's flick at all. That said, it is sensational to look at, with a design that is bright and colorful. Also, the actors voicing the characters, including Bell, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, are first rate, too. The film also starts off quite action packed but loses a bit of steam in the middle before finishing nicely. Especially fine is a scene where an opera singer shatters the glass of everything in sight. So, older kids and folks that are young at heart, especially longtime fans of Tintin, will like it. But, it has to be called good, not great.