Ultimately impressive effort

Rating: 8/10 (29 October 2011)

Now, I can understand why both critics and average Tintin fans alike might have felt a little let down by the story. Spielberg and Jackson merged two stories into one, and while others may feel that this was a negative aspect of the film, I maintain that it was the most practical (and effective) thing to do. After all, we need some knowhow as to why Tintin and Haddock meet, otherwise it is just confusing for all those people who haven't read a Tintin comic in their life.
I must admit,this is the first time I have experienced Tintin in English (having read all but one in their original French) and it was very impressive how they were translated into English, although I doubt Spielberg even glanced at a French copy, and merely used the English. There have been comments as to the non-heroics of our 'hero' as opposed to 'Snowy', who really steals the show. But in the comics, it IS always Snowy who does the real work, the amount of times he saves Tintin are uncountable! One thing I will say though, is that the motion capture coupled with the CGI made a slightly weird contrast to Spielbergs love of close-ups, and not in a good way. Otherwise, it gave the movie a real comic-book atmosphere. For me, this has been a real privilege to watch, and a joy to see one of my childhood heroes brought to life. It's a bit too like Spielberg's other films to merit a nine (no film is ever worth ten), but ultimately this is a genuinely good film.