Drunken master and the Tintin the Kid

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2012)

The first motion-capture adventure into the world of blond-haired blue-eyed reporter Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell), Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) and fox terrier Snowy throws us into the remarkable secret of the Unicorn. Engulfed by the fantastic imagination of Belgian artist Georges Remi we travel the world by sea, by plane or by foot, traversing through vast waters, deadly deserts or the mysteries of the streets of London. All in search of a treasure map leading to the gold from the Unicorn, the sunken ship of Sir Francis Haddock. Along the way evildoer Sakharine (Daniel Craig) attempts to foil the youngster's plan and claim glory for himself.
A spectacular and engaging experience in computer enhanced animation based on tremendous motion capture trumps "Avatar" given its vastly superior story and likable characters. Pinned down to perfection every scene is a feast for the eye, unremittingly fast-paced and entertaining. Be it following the exploits of a wrist-happy kleptomaniac in a London market or a duel between 20 metre high cranes Tintin never drops a beat delivering on a promise of high-octane adventure.
Steven Spielberg manages to keep Tintin as fresh as cuisine sushi, destined for the household of every movie-lover irrespective of age, race or back-ground. Nonetheless Tintin fails to grasp the animal magnetism of his soul-mate Indiana Jones, while the boyish charm does wear thin with time, albeit this is thankfully counterpointed with the drunkard crass character of Captain Haddock, who ignites immediate engagement. Nonetheless the love affair with perfection does have its downsides, as the story delivers an overdose of action, leaving a sense of fulfilment of expectations about half-way through the movie and a lingering hope for final credits soon after. The story itself is essential fun, but wanton of unexpected thrills given the limited charm of the title character. A clash with destiny on the future of filmmaking is nonetheless an unabashed success, albeit one fraught with the stigma of pure unabated enjoyment bereft of deeper content. Nonetheless Spielberg rides his storm with pizazz delivering us into an ultimately charming world of adventure and fun straight from the drawings of Remi.