Fun and Exciting: Now This Is A Blockbuster

Rating: 8/10 (4 March 2012)

There are many reasons that The Adventures of Tintin works; the main reason is Steven Spielberg. Yes, the film is based off a European comic strip, created by Herge; however, Spielberg brings it to life in only the way Spielberg can. He adds some exciting elements to the film that take a decent storyline and elevate into a whole lot of fun.
Tintin follows a boy named Tintin, who lives in England. He begins the film by buying a model ship. The model ship contains secrets to a hidden treasure, and after a series of events, Tintin decides to find the treasure. While the storyline is nicely written, it's been done before, and the writers do little to make it seem fresh. What shines in Tintin, instead, is the sub-plots. Each one is well crafted, and I found myself enjoying the different parts to it. In the end, the sub-plots come together to turn a boring/average story into a pretty good one.
What takes the film to the next level after the sub-plots is Spielberg's direction. He is a master of creating scenes that can manipulate the audience's emotions. Some dislike him for that; I'm not one of them. In Tintin, Spielberg brilliantly uses motion capture and animation to give us some truly exciting scenes. My favorite is a fascinating one-shot chase in Morroco. This scene proves why animation and motion-capture are important elements to a film, such a scene could not be accomplished if the film was made in live-action.
Unfortunately, I found myself hoping for a little more from Tintin. The movie was fun, but it wasn't at the same level as Spielberg's Indiana Jones films, which take the action/adventure genre to a whole new level. I think part of the reason why Jones succeeds more is that the story lines, while being basic, are told very well in the films. More importantly, the characters-especially Indiana Jones-are richer than Tintin. If these elements can be corrected in the sequel (assuming there is one) then Tintin 2 will be a great movie.
Nevertheless, Tintin was a fun and exciting ride. It might not be perfect, but it entertains us the way a film should. I give it an 8 out of 10!