Adults will dig all the 3D motion capture technical wizardry but its narrative is best viewed by prepubescent boys

Rating: 5/10 (2 September 2013)

'The Adventures of Tintin' has been described as a "3D motion capture computer-animated epic adventure." Like many Spielberg productions, the story represents a hearkening back to yesteryear. It's similar to Spielberg's 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' series, in that it involves a search for lost treasure, in the spirit of the old radio and movie serials. It also involves the struggle between a clear cut noble protagonist and calculating, villainous antagonist.
I never really was able to figure out how old Tintin, the young journalist protagonist, is supposed to be. Somehow probably between 16 and possibly 22. Anyway, the plot is not overly complicated. Tintin buys a model ship, the Unicorn, at a flea market and it's actually one of three models, that contain a scroll. When pieced together, the three scrolls, reveal the location of sunken treasure.
Tintin's model ship is stolen by Sakharine, the antagonist, who later is revealed to be a descendant of Red Rackham, a pirate who attempted to gain possession of the actual 17th century ship, The Unicorn; but he ends up being thwarted by the ship's captain, Sir Francis Haddock, who intentionally sank The Unicorn, in order to prevent Rackham from taking possession of the treasure on board. It turns out that Haddock's descendant, Captain Haddock, is manning an old freighter, which Sakharine takes over by inducing a mutiny amongst the ship's crew, in order to pilot it to Bagghar, a fictional port city in colonial French Morocco, where he intends to steal the third model ship, from a powerful, well-to-do sheik.
Where 'Tintin' really takes off is in the deliriously choreographed 3D motion capture computer-animated sequences. There's a chase involving Silk, a pickpocket, in late 40s (?) or early 50s (?) Brussels, who has stolen Tinton's scroll from Unicorn #1. Then there's another great sequence where Tinton and a drunken Haddock escape the freighter in a lifeboat and eventually make their way to Morocco in a stolen seaplane. If that isn't enough, Sakharine steals the third scroll during an operatic concert for the Sheikh, given by a woman who reminded me of Margaret Dumont (from the Marx Brothers). Finally, there's a great chase scene, where the good guys finally apprehend Sakharine.
'Tintin' falls flat in its attempt to be periodically humorous. There are two Scotland Yard detectives, Thompson and Thompson, who are too inept to be funny and then there's Captain Haddock, whose drunk act, proves ultimately tiresome. Tintin himself simply doesn't have enough idiosyncrasies to be a compelling protagonist, and comes across as a generic sleuth. What really kills 'Tintin' in terms of narrative, is the lack of a romantic interest for Tintin or at least some kind of female foil, that could spark things up. Tintin has a lot of action for prepubescent boys, but adults will probably find quite a bit of this stuff, simply juvenile. I recommend Tintin for all the technical wizardry, but the target audience is really best suited for ages eight through twelve!