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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Adventures of Tintin is Glorified

The Adventures of Tintin, is an amazing tale of a reporter/adventurer (Tintin), who buys a model replica of a ship known as the Unicorn for a pound from an old street merchant, and the mysterious plot unfolds. Immediately Tintin (Jamie Bell) is forewarned from the folly of owning such a ship. Sakharine (Daniel Craig) is introduced and tries to buy the ship from Tintin, but to no avail. The secrets of the small ship cause the villainous Sakharine to lie, cheat, steal, and murder those that get in his way from finding the mysterious scrolls. Snowy (Tintin's dog and trusty companion) chases a cat all through the apartment breaking and knocking things over. Snowy and the cat finally knock the prized replica causing the three masts to break upon impact, and the break releases the silver case and rolls under a wooden drawers unbeknownst to Tintin. Realizing that his apartment has been ransacked, Tintin finds a small silver case holding an aged scroll with a poem inside after moving a large piece of furniture.

There are two Interpol agents Thomson (Nick Frost) and Thompson (Simon Pegg) serve as the comic relief as they blunder about (a-la Pink Panther) looking for a pickpocket that is terrorizing the town in the meantime also serving as another plot point while Tintin is trying to solve the case as to who or why somebody wants the scroll as he gets closer to solving the caper; Sakharine kidnaps Tintin and Snowy follows after him. During Tintin's imprisonment, he discovers a way out and he is introduced to Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) a washed up alcoholic ship captain who hallucinates about being his ancestor Sir Francis Haddock (a scourge of the seas who happens to hold a wealthy cargo aboard the Unicorn). Tintin, Haddock, and Snowy venture about looking for the other two scrolls, and during their quest they are hot on Sakharine’s trail to uncover the mysteries of the three scrolls.
The screenplay written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish pay tribute to a classic comic book series created by Herge. Steven Spielberg returns to form in this Adventurous Family Tour-de-Force. Spielberg's experience along with the advanced technology broadens this fantastic narrative. The uncanny editing skills of Michael Kahn are fabulous as he dissolves scenes flawlessly and juxtaposes images together seamlessly. The film is well paced and it almost felt that the film was short as they leave the spectators hanging for a sequel.  John Williams’ score pulls you in with its impromptu jazz in the beginning along with the nostalgic animation of the classic comic strip characters flowing with the score. The Adventures of Tintin is a breath of fresh air with a captivating story.

 I give this film an A+. The Adventure of Tintin is definitely worth a shot, especially, in the theaters, and if you can muster the extra dough, check it out in 3D, for those of you who already saw it, please let me know what you think? What do you think of the shots? Did you get emotionally attached to any of the characters? What was your favorite scene? If you took your family, what was their response?

6 comments:

  1. Great review! I was on the fence about whether I should see it in the theater or wait to rent it when it comes out. I think this is the push I needed to go see it! Now all I have to do is look under seat cushions to get that extra money needed for that 3D ticket price. Keep up the great reviews!

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    1. That's great! Thank you for your kind words, and I hope that you are able to dig really deep into your couch, so that you find a small fortune because you got to see it in 3D, and not because things will be popping out at you or constantly poking you in the face with its illusions, but for the level of depth. You will enjoy it. Take care and take control.

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  2. Great movie and great review Jorge. I took Rayanne and while she at first didnt want to see it she ended up loving it. It was one of those films that little kids can love as can adults. Keep up the writing!
    -Chuck

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    1. Kids can be a bit apprehensive at this style of animation, but as soon as they attach themselves to the story; they become engrossed in the narrative, and one tends to lose themselves into a whirlpool of imagination and escape. Thank you for your honest response to this ongoing forum, and yes, the writing must go on. I hope all is well. Cheers.

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  3. After reading the in-depth review on this blog I was compelled to give this film a shot. If the names Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg weren't enough to get me off my seat and into a theater than this review definitely did the trick.
    I was very impressed by everything about the film. The action and characters provided an attention grabbing romp through a CG world. I bring up the CG because I was blown away by the realistic lighting, which at times, made me forget that I was watching an animated feature at all.

    There was one scene in particular that made me glad that I watched Tin tin in 3D. It was a continuous chase scene where our hero gives chase to the antagonists falcon. In live action a scene like that would have been impossible to shoot. It was a long, one shot segment that had me on the edge of my seat.
    All in all I was thoroughly impressed by the visuals and wide open vistas of the world traveling adventure, as well as the humor. I found the attention to alcohol use as a slight advantage to the heroes a bit unnecessary but the director(s) made sure not to compliment it, so all is forgiven.

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    1. I completely agree with your critically analyzed assessment. The vibrant colors and the beautifully rendered landscapes enhances the experience of escaping into the adventurous world of Tintin. The performance through motion capture also greatly enhances the simulation of the digital designer's animation. The animator is not only the make-up artist, but the fashion designer, and cinematographer because of all of the lighting as well as the use of shadow, and with the progression of the technological advancements, there is no telling how far one can bring forth their imagination in the versimilitude of the cinematic art form. Thank you for your wonderful response, and I am glad that another has enjoyed this wonderful narrative. Come back any time.

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