Words by James Rednall and Yazen Al-Salman
The author of “TinTin”, Herge, once said that the only filmmaker able to bring his famous comic books successfully to the screen would be Steven Spielberg. With Peter Jackson attached to produce it; this raised the anticipation level even more. This film was not going to be a mere adaptation, but made with the new and rather debated technology, performance capture, as well as using 3D.
The movie, consisting of three TinTin books plunges straight into the story; he and his dog Snowy encounter a bearded man who wants to buy a model ship off them. When TinTin refuses, it sets off a series of events and adventures that makes the plot of the movie, in classical Spielbergian-Indiana Jones style.
The movie simply delivers. It’s a throwback to old Spielberg charm of E.T and Indiana Jones. It’s very well written for an action movie, with some very funny dialogue. Especially for the extravagant Captain Haddock; wonderfully played by Andy Serkis, in yet another performance capture role. The technology as a whole is perfected in this movie. The 3D is well worth it, bringing the visions of Spielberg and Jackson to life. There is a fight scene with cranes which just demonstrates how effective 3D can be.
The film is great entertainment. It’s gripping, rousing, well-directed, well-edited, and full of multi-dimensional characters. It uses a technology to perfect an art instead of just a gimmick. Herge was right to entrust Spielberg with his classics. This is one of the best films of the year.
The Rabbit and Reel 