The Adventures of Tintin

Rating: 4.5/5

In my not-so-humble opinion, Spielberg's best work is the original Indiana Jones trilogy. Yes Schindler's List is a classic and so are E.T. and Saving Private Ryan and Jaws. Nothing rings with me like Indiana Jones though. High adventure, ancient secrets of ancient civilizations, and villainous Europeans are my alley. This is also an alley where I believe Spielberg is most comfortable. And thank god for that, because Tintin fits right in with that criteria.

When boy reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell) buys a model ship at a flea market, he is immediately accosted by the devious Dr. Sakharin (Daniel Craig). Sakharin is extremely keen on buying the ship, but is refused. Tintin's detective sense starts to twitch when he finds that Sakharin already has a model, and that his own has been stolen. After learning that the ship, the Unicorn, may be the key to a great mystery, Tintin, the alcoholic Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), two bumbling detectives (Nick Frost and Simon Pegg), and his faithful dog Snowy must solve the secret of the unicorn.

Tintin is the beter Spielberg film of 2011. It's not as melodramatic or as cheesy as War Horse, it's much better acted, and a lot more fun. The motion-capture animation is a bit too realistic and initially creepy, but it finds its niche and works. The screenplay by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish is smart, well-paced, exciting and very funny. There are many memorable lines, great character development, and the actors are wonderful. Daniel Craig is a great villain, Jamie Bell captures Tintin perfectly, and Andy Serkis steals the show.

My favorite part of Tintin is that anybody can enjoy it. The plot is smart enough to for adults to stay interested and there's enough slapstick to keep kids awake. The intelligent dialogue rides the line between complex and accesible very well, and makes it fun for all. Action-wise it's also great with grand setpieces complemented by the beautifully animated environments. It's just a fun ride all the way through and does great justice to the comic books.

The Adventures of Tintin is probably the best action movie of the year. Spielberg and crew have given us a monstrously entertaining film that's also smart and genuine. Going in not expecting anything goof, Tintin was a great surprise. I honestly would see it again if someone wanted to, and I can't say that for many movies this year. I also really do want to see a sequel and so, you should go see it.