Motion capture feature films have thus far generally been an alienating oddity persistently regurgitated by Robert Zemeckis, with inarguably soulless results, like The Polar Express and the vacuous Christmas Carol. The news that his close pal and sometime collaborator Steven Spielberg was to pick up a new toy, in turn dusting off Herge’s red-headed detective stories and venturing into animation for the first time, was met with trepidation by those of us who treasure Spielberg’s unrivalled talents and fear this “dead eyed” technique.
Combining three source stories, The Secret of the Unicorn, Red Rackham’s Treasure and The Crab with the Golden Claws and working from a script by geek clique members Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Attack the Block’s Joe Cornish, this is the story of famous journalistic super sleuth Tintin (Jamie Bell) and his faithful partner, Snowy the dog.
On this particular adventure they become embroiled in the mysteries surrounding a series of model ships which hold clues to the whereabouts of the Haddock family’s buried treasure. Accompanying him on the journey is Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), a sea-faring booze hound who is rarely sober, and as with all adventures of this kind, there’s a dastardly villain intent on finding the treasure for himself. Here it’s the wiry, monocle wearing, cane wielding, Sakharine (Daniel Craig). Together they weave their way across the globe in a breathless race to discover the Secrets of the Unicorn.
Any fear that Spielberg would be taking a back seat to the special effects can be allayed, for Tintin is the best Indiana Jones movie that isn’t actually an Indiana Jones movie, and a clear improvement on his own fourth instalment in that whip-cracking franchise.
Admittedly, the mocap initially irks, with “why didn’t they just film this normally?” dominating reactions, but once the absolutely delightful Catch Me If You Can evoking opening credits have finished and you adjust to the look of it all, you realise that there isn’t just life behind those previously lacklustre eyes, there’s something of a sparkle.
That said, the visual jokes are more successful than the scripted ones. A couple of real doozies are playful nods to both Jaws and Raiders of the Last Ark, both making use of Tintin’s ginger quiff, but there are still a few laughs to be had with the hit ‘n’ miss duo of Thomson and Thompson, with both Simon Pegg and Nick Frost doing what they do best.
The voice work is probably the most disappointing aspect of Tintin. Jamie Bell has the largely thankless task of voicing the young reporter, who comes across as rather too earnest and bland to allow any flourishes of personality. He’s a character slightly underdeveloped; what background we have on him is garnered from newspaper clippings on his office wall, and an assumed former knowledge of Herge’s universe. Daniel Craig also suffers with a reading that’s a tad one-note and never intimidating enough.
Showing them all how it’s done is the master of the trade, Andy Serkis. Probably the most exaggerated role of the bunch, his is clearly the character from which most has been translated from the dots and latex motion captured performance.
The early charm and intrigue soon gives way to breathless bike chases, wonderfully rendered set-pieces, and heavy Haddock exposition, but all of the clues, characters, and plot strands eventually piece together beautifully for this potential franchise launcher. Hopefully we’ll get to know our titular star a little better next time.
[etRating value=“ 4”]
Combining three source stories, The Secret of the Unicorn, Red Rackham’s Treasure and The Crab with the Golden Claws and working from a script by geek clique members Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Attack the Block’s Joe Cornish, this is the story of famous journalistic super sleuth Tintin (Jamie Bell) and his faithful partner, Snowy the dog.
On this particular adventure they become embroiled in the mysteries surrounding a series of model ships which hold clues to the whereabouts of the Haddock family’s buried treasure. Accompanying him on the journey is Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), a sea-faring booze hound who is rarely sober, and as with all adventures of this kind, there’s a dastardly villain intent on finding the treasure for himself. Here it’s the wiry, monocle wearing, cane wielding, Sakharine (Daniel Craig). Together they weave their way across the globe in a breathless race to discover the Secrets of the Unicorn.
Any fear that Spielberg would be taking a back seat to the special effects can be allayed, for Tintin is the best Indiana Jones movie that isn’t actually an Indiana Jones movie, and a clear improvement on his own fourth instalment in that whip-cracking franchise.
Admittedly, the mocap initially irks, with “why didn’t they just film this normally?” dominating reactions, but once the absolutely delightful Catch Me If You Can evoking opening credits have finished and you adjust to the look of it all, you realise that there isn’t just life behind those previously lacklustre eyes, there’s something of a sparkle.
That said, the visual jokes are more successful than the scripted ones. A couple of real doozies are playful nods to both Jaws and Raiders of the Last Ark, both making use of Tintin’s ginger quiff, but there are still a few laughs to be had with the hit ‘n’ miss duo of Thomson and Thompson, with both Simon Pegg and Nick Frost doing what they do best.
The voice work is probably the most disappointing aspect of Tintin. Jamie Bell has the largely thankless task of voicing the young reporter, who comes across as rather too earnest and bland to allow any flourishes of personality. He’s a character slightly underdeveloped; what background we have on him is garnered from newspaper clippings on his office wall, and an assumed former knowledge of Herge’s universe. Daniel Craig also suffers with a reading that’s a tad one-note and never intimidating enough.
Showing them all how it’s done is the master of the trade, Andy Serkis. Probably the most exaggerated role of the bunch, his is clearly the character from which most has been translated from the dots and latex motion captured performance.
The early charm and intrigue soon gives way to breathless bike chases, wonderfully rendered set-pieces, and heavy Haddock exposition, but all of the clues, characters, and plot strands eventually piece together beautifully for this potential franchise launcher. Hopefully we’ll get to know our titular star a little better next time.
[etRating value=“ 4”]
