All that epic dazzle and action aren't matched by the film's undercooked characters. It is what it is, an entertaining popcorn movie.

Rating: 7/10 (26 November 2011)

Before I get into to actual review, I must confess to not being familiar with the comics by Herge that the film is based on. So if you ask me, "How much did they right?" or "Were they true to the spirits of the comics?" you're honestly asking the wrong guy.
The film follows investigative reporter, Tintin (Played by Jamie Bell), and his canine companion, Snowy. While at the market, Tintin comes across a model of a legendary ship known as the Unicorn. What he soon discovers is that the model is one of three identical models that contain a secret scroll within the mast, each of which is sought after by evil Ivan Sakharine (Played by Daniel Craig). The scrolls contain a mystery that can only be solved by Captain Archibald Haddock (Played by Andy Serkis), a descendant of Francis Haddock, the original captain of the ill fated Unicorn.
First of all, I give high praise to the sound, which is incredibly mixed and edited, and features one of the year's very best musical scores - courtesy of the great John Williams. Secondly, I have even higher praise for how the movie looks. The film showcases brisk, snappy editing, fascinating film noir camera work, and slightly cartoonish, but near photo realistic visual effects by Joe Letteri and his team from Weta Digital.
It would be really easy for me to get really excited about the movie... if only the concepts were as fine tuned as the aesthetics. I think Spielberg and his team seemed so intent to nail the styles and visual looks of the comics (Did they? I don't know) that they forgot to keep a more narrowed focus on the screenplay. Now it's not that I anything against the story. It's pretty decent stuff, aside from a somewhat useless sub plot with a pickpocket (Played by Toby Jones), and an abrupt, awkward ending that sets things up for a sequel.
My bigger issues lie with character. The movie features an abundance of two dimensional characters, with the only character getting any full, proper development being Captain Haddock. But let me just ask this. If the movie is called "The Adventures of TINTIN", why is our lead character so less interesting than a supporting character?
Oh well, at least I found myself delightfully distracted by some really clever action sequences. Such as a daring escape from a cargo ship, an epic clash between two manually operated construction cranes, and a thrilling high speed chase through Bagghar that I'd easily jot down as one of the year's best overall scenes. However, a few creative action sequences in an hour and forty five minute movie doesn't quite cut it for me.
My arguments still stand, but I also realize that I can't be too harsh on Tintin. It is what it is, an entertaining popcorn movie.
**1/2 out of ****