The Adventures of Tintin Review (2011)

From the moment the opening sequence is thrown up on the screen, the audience knows that it witnessing some Spielberg magic, with the traditionally animated silhouettes set to John Williams’ score evoking a throwback to Catch Me If You Can’s title credits.

And then comes the introductory scene where we see the world of Tin Tin realised in full CGI, and boy does it look good. The colors pop and you can almost feel the cobbled stones under your feet and the wind blowing through your hair. And when we finally see our youthful protagonist, you are blown away by how emotive and alive the character seems. Fear not. Gone is the Uncanny Valley syndrome of Beowulf and Polar Express. Instead, using the sma etech that powered the world of Avatar, all the CG characters are wonderfully animated and its easy to forget that these are not real people.

While I was slightly disappointed with Thompson and Thomson, Captain Haddock stole the show, blustering and carrying on, exactly like I remembered him from the books. Andy Serkis injected just the right amount of humour and whimsy into the character, and you actually felt like the sea-captain underwent some character development throughout the movie.

The story moves along at a brisk pace and stunning action sequences. In fact there is one long shot involving a motorbike, a rocket launcher, a dam and a falcon that has to be seen to be believed.