The Adventures of Tintin is a good yarn although a superficial one. The film appears to have all the elements of a good adventure and yet it appears empty. The adventure is a retread of familiar tales and one feels as if one is indeed watching a comic serial unfold. This is good especially if you see it within the context of B movie style fiction. If so it does a good job although at the same time you will be wondering do you need another tale such as this. This film makes journalism seem like a fun profession although we never see Tintin actually engage with the elements associated with that profession (although we see his scoops and awards). He appears to be more of a treasure hunter in the vein of Indiana Jones. It is a well made film and has some interesting shots that does service to the world of animation with the motion capture technology utilized to capture real live movements of individuals so as to make the characters seem more believable. The animation in this film is sure to insure that it is nominated for the best animated picture award. It seemed a bit too pristine for my taste because of the style of animation used in this film. I understand that a favourable rating must be maintained however. There are good set pieces in this film that adds to the film’s ephemeral appeal. The downside is that without these set pieces the film does not have a moral or philosophical basis to make it distinctive apart from the familiar phrases associated with the never give up attitude. There does not seem to be much of a context apart from the adventure. There is no proper build up which would suggest that Tintin must go on this adventure for he seems to have no ties in the world apart from his dog. He can simply become a globetrotter, albeit unintentionally at times, with no form of care in the world. We know nothing of Tintin apart from his insatiable need for a scoop and that he is knowledgeable about treasure hunting. These two elements could have been developed so as to evoke some form of emotional attachment from the viewer. This film will not be universally praised as a result. It will be seen as superficial and it will be seen as a montage of good set pieces. It also seems incomplete simply because there is a next installment to be directed by Peter Jackson following his work on The Hobbit. It makes you wonder why not much effort was put in to making this film more appealing to the audience and so make them yearn for the next tale of adventure which is to come. This is why you should never underestimate the emotional element in this film. I suppose the drunken captain offers some sort of comic appeal as well as the two inept police officers. The film is good enough to keep you interested while you’re in the cinema.
This film is about the adventures of Tintin and his dog as they go in search of the secrets of the doomed Unicorn ship captained by the famous Haddock. This is a classic globetrotting adventure which features locales such as Morocco, the Sahara desert and the stormy seas. There is the villainous Red Reckham who seems to have a score to settle with Haddock’s descendants the current captain Haddock who is a drunkard. He holds the key to the mystery and so Tintin must join forces to solve the mystery before Reckham does.
What’s good about this film?
The film does feature some good animation and some of the shots are seamlessly integrated which is not surprising considering that a master director is at work. The 3D motion capture technology used here makes the animation rival that of Pixar. Pixar has some decent competition at last. This is good news for animation. The film is also good enough to make a statement that should more people get vested in this new style of animation associated with this company then the animated film industry should get a further boost. When Pixar does not feature a film for a while the market looks a bit small and the efforts from the other companies do not seem to be able to generate the appeal audiences are looking for from this type of film. Pixar has been on a good run creating event after event almost year after year. It is good that Amblin entertainment is making a statement concerning the gap to be filled. The Adventures of Tintin is a good film from this perspective. Look out for scenes that have a seamless transition to the next such as puddle becoming a sea or a arm becoming a dune in the desert. These are good shots which I can’t recall seeing in animation films. I may have missed it. These shots show how the simplest thing can be fashioned into the largest sort of physical space. There is also the notion that the imagination can be manifested out of anything as you will see with the scenes featuring captain Haddock.
The source material which involves the search for the secrets of the Unicorn which lead to a hidden treasure may not be as endearing to the younger member of the audience but the elements of the story related to the adventure seem pretty interesting for all its worth within the limited context. The elements seem to piece together conveniently in the end. It appears inscrutable because the material is not familiar and so you will have to assume that what they are saying is correct as the movie goes along.
The film does try and speak about the notion associated with family legacy through the eyes of Haddock and Reckham. This is the most philosophical element as the drunken captain haddock being the sole survivor of the family tries to live up to he tlegacy established by his forefathers. When the end comes around however one element of tension with another family could have been manifested in various ways as you will say. It could have been made clearer throughout the film how the tension between the Haddock family and the other one (no spoilers) developed over generations apart from the sole episode featured in the film which is related to the mysterious treasure. This would have added some weight to the true burdens faced by the captain. His constant drunken state could actually be justified apart from being a source of comic appeal. This was a sort of missed opportunity and it seems to be as a result of the constant set pieces in the film.
There are small moments that do develop well such as the pick pocket and the two inept police men on his trail. The element of the globetrotting should appeal to some members of the audience.
These set pieces are well choreographed and scripted. It does defy logic but it is all in the form of B movie entertainment and so you welcome the romp. The high speed chase in Morocco or the scene where they are wading through the stormy seas are pretty well animated and do add an element of danger to the mix that will keep audiences interested. These set pieces also represent a downside of the film however.
What’s bad about this film?
The only real bad thing about this film is the superficial adventure yarn in this film that has been spun so many times before so that you would not expect, even with a new title, something differently this time around. They compensate for this with the stylistic animation and the set pieces however it does mask that there is not a really solid foundation beneath the surface. There is nothing to make this film stand out from all the other adventure yarns out there. The screenwriters never established a suitable context involving the life of Tintin and the legacy of the drunken captain Haddock. These elements would make them more identifiable with the audience as opposed to being simple caricatures. The only profound elements are when they say you must never give up. This has been heard so many times but had the context been properly established it would have resonated more.
The elements of the adventure do seem a bit hard to follow. This will more than likely wear out the younger audiences. These hard to follow moments come from the internal logic of the story. This is not necessarily bad however there are moments when the viewer, particularly in the earlier stages, will not be able to visualize what it is Tintin and the others are speaking about. They make up for this in the scenes featuring Haddock since he is supposed to be a gateway to the past. It is only then that it starts coming together. What I am saying is that initially we see Tintin making these statements regarding the ship yet there are few visual cues established independently which would allow us to visualize what he is speaking of as we get later on with Haddock. These investigative elements will be lost on some viewers as a result. It makes you wonder if Tintin would go after the ship had he not been taken captive. Why is this so important? The other quirk I found is that we understand so little about Tintin and his motivations and he does seem like a caricature or simply transplanted directly from the comic serials. We are merely to assume that this person will be driven on to adventure because he is a journalist. There is nothing wrong with this except that he seemed more like a treasure hunter rather than a journalist. This is made clear by the end for instead of giving perspective to Haddock in some report he simply sails on another adventure. What do his editors think? Does he keep them informed? I am not familiar with Tintin so I could be wrong about him. What makes Tintin distinct from the other adventurers? Indiana Jones had his whip and hat and the inability to think that far ahead or making things up as he goes which was a source of excitement when he was clashing with the enemy. What does Tintin have? He is a journalist to be sure but it was never made clear to me. He could be any other reporter in my mind. Does anyone ever consider once the insatiable drive of a journalist in this film? No. Maybe the comics develop his background some more. Maybe it’s the hair. Maybe it’s the name. I already mentioned that the legacy of captain Haddock could have materialized more effectively in this film especially when considering the twists and turns in the story and the legacy at the heart of the film. One could explain why the other family members succumbed and why the family was on the brink of extinction.
These elements make the set pieces seem hollow despite their entertainment value and it might not resonate well with audiences when the credits roll especially as it is a incomplete story. The reason people were so upset with the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) was the emotion they invested in it. They expected the film to keep going. I remember how they complained saying that they didn’t like how it ended and you knew it would be a worldwide phenomenon as a result. It remains to be seen if Tintin’s adventures will appeal to audiences in such manner. Firstly, many will not be aware of the source material and it does not seem that the film caters to those ignorant of the story. While in the cinema the pleasure of each set piece will fade the instant it is over simply because you will be one of those who will not be emotionally invested in the characters.
I chose to see this film as globetrotting romp in the park.
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