Two giants of cinema, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, team up to bring Hergé's comic book characters to life. The Secret of the Unicorn is the first film in a proposed Tintin trilogy.
Belgian reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell) finds a clue to an ancient treasure that belonged to Captain Haddock's (Andy Serkis, aka Gollum) ancestors. Together, with the help of intelligent mutt Snowy and Detective Thompson and Thomson (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost), they set out on a high seas adventure to recover the family fortune. But on their tail and after the same treasure is the dastardly Ivanovich Sakharine (Daniel Craig).
Tintin uses Weta Digital's motion capture to bring the actors to life. Says Jackson: "We're making them look photorealistic; the fibers of their clothing, the pores of their skin and each individual hair. They look exactly like real people – but real Hergé' people." The story combines elements from three Tintin books: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure.
Steven Spielberg has two films out this summer, but for my money this is the one to see. Merging plot elements from three of Herge’s books (The Secret of the Unicorn, Red Rackham’s Treasure and The Crab with the Golden Claws), the resulting adventure is never short on detail, packed to the hilt with incident and mystery.
Technically the film is top shelf, with beautiful noir-ish lighting overseen by Spielberg’s regular cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski. The 3D aspects are not overplayed, instead creating a rich depth to near-photoreal images. John Williams’ helter-skelter, Euro-flavoured score accompanies the busy and inventive visual storytelling (Spielberg’s first venture into animation fits him like a glove).
Tintin himself verges on being a slightly vanilla lead here although Jamie Bell does his best to infuse him with a sprightly and persistent energy. Mo-cap veteran Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) plays the frequently sozzled Captain Haddock (purists may question the Scottish accent) as a child-like and befuddled grump. It’s Tintin’s canny canine companion, Snowy, who steals the show.
The action is very over-the-top at times (an amazing and seamless chase sequence in a flash-flooded North African town being a highlight) but on the whole the film is a very faithful adaptation of Herge’s material, with plenty of affectionate details, in-jokes and references for the fans. Younger audiences, in particular, will be won over.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
animation is incredible and story is very funny and exciting. One for all ages, even if your not a fan of the comics.
animation is incredible and story is very funny and exciting. One for all ages, even if your not a fan of the comics.
Great to see Tintin in action again, looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.A must for those of us baby boomers.
This was so stunning i could hardly believe it. The movie was amazing and entertaining. The Actors did a fantastic job i could hardly reconize Dainel Craig voice. Well Done cant wait for the sequel.
but I didn't need to see it in 3d. It was non-stop action and a great chase sequence. The animation was incredibly real to life but didn't any 3d affects
While it's essentially just another slick Spielberg action machine, it's operating effectively on all cylinders throughout.
It evokes Saturday afternoon serials in an age when most of the audience will never have seen one. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed myself.
Action-packed, gorgeous, and faithfully whimsical: Hergé thought Spielberg the only director capable of filming Tintin. He was onto something.
A visually dazzling adaptation of the legendary – at least outside the US – comic book series by Belgian artist Herge.
Think of The Adventures of Tintin as a song of innocence and experience, able to combine a sweet sense of childlike wonder and pureness of heart with the most worldly and sophisticated of modern technology. More than anything, it's just a whole lot of fun.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Monday, 26th Dec 2011.
Release date: December 26th 2011.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
