'The Adventures of Tintin' nothing but gold
The source of The Adventures of Tintin is a Belgian comic book done by Herge that began in the 1930s and ended in the 1960s.
Tintin is a famous reporter. He and his dog Snowy routinely clear up crimes and get bad guys jailed. While poking around a market, Tintin finds a model of a sailing ship.
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It contains a hint of the location of a sunken ship full of treasure. Some very bad people want that ship. A murder and the ransacking of his apartment leads Tintin and Snowy to Captain Haddock, a drunken old sea captain whose family is tied to the treasure. The two set out to solve the mystery.
At one time, Steven Spielberg waved his magic wand made out-of-this-world movies. A seemingly inexhaustible imagination, effects wizardry that reinvented state-of-the-art and skill with a camera made classics of Jaws, Close Encounters, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Arc and Jurassic Park. While each had its serious side, Spielberg got award-worthy serious with the Oscar, Golden Globe, etc. winning Schindler’s List and the much-nominated Saving Private Ryan.
Since Ryan in 1998, Spielberg has produced decent work, but the magic wand has wavered a bit. He’s done nothing approaching the often-spectacular results of his early projects.
Suddenly, Spielberg’s wand is re-energized. Big time. Spielberg goes back to his roots and with The Adventures of Tintin gives you the kind of fun found in Raiders and Jurassic Park. From the clever opening sequences to the wrap up, Tintin is a blast.
And in 3D, too.
Using motion capture animation, Spielberg’s effects are breathtaking in three or two dimensions. Shots of the battle with the pirates at sea, fights and chases on motorcycles, airplanes and at sea, a sword fight with cranes, a spectacular ship in the desert and ordinary scenes shot from extraordinary angles will blow your mind.
Three scriptwriters — Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish — who among them have penned episodes of TV’s popular Dr. Who and flicks full of fabulous fun such as Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World pack the script with plenty of humor.
The Adventures of Tintin is the most fun I’ve had in a theater all year.
Mr. Movie rating: 5 stars
Rated PG for mature themes. It opens today at the Carmike 12, at the Fairchild Cinemas 12 and Walla Walla Grand Cinemas.
5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on video.
2 stars to 1 star: Don't bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.
This story was originally published December 21, 2011 at 12:55 PM with the headline "'The Adventures of Tintin' nothing but gold."