Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Intrepid young reporter, Tintin, and his loyal dog, Snowy, are thrust into a world of high adventure when they discover a ship carrying an explosive secret. As Tintin is drawn into a centuries-old mystery, Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine suspects him of stealing a priceless treasure. Tintin and Snowy, with the help of salty, cantankerous Captain Haddock and bumbling detectives, Thompson and Thomson, travel half the world, one step ahead of their enemies, as Tintin endeavors to find the Unicorn, a sunken ship that may hold a vast fortune, but also an ancient curse.
The Adventures of Tintin is a technically dazzling film elevated by Spielberg's kinetic direction and Weta Digital's remarkable motion-capture animation, which delivers some genuinely breathtaking setpieces — the Bagghar chase sequence in particular is a jaw-dropping continuous shot. The cinematography earns a 4 for its inventive staging and the way it uses the animated medium to achieve camera moves impossible in live action. The plot is a serviceable treasure-hunt adventure that faithfully captures the spirit of Hergé's comics but doesn't transcend the genre, moving briskly but somewhat formulaically. Acting (voice performances) is solid — Serkis as Haddock is the standout — but not exceptional. Novelty sits at average: while the motion-capture style is distinctive, the film ultimately follows well-worn adventure beats. The ending resolves cleanly but sets up a sequel in a slightly unsatisfying way, leaving the story feeling incomplete.