View from 'the gods'

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)

I went to see Tintin the other day. The Tintin graphic novels were one of the first comics I read, and I was curious to see how Tintin would translate to the big screen. Given the choice, I saw the 2D version; because to me comics/cartoons are a 2D thing.

The film is probably one massive piece of computer generated imagery – either from scratch, or a partial ‘degrading’ of real world imagery. In some sequences, the actors arms and bodies can be seen.

I found the nearly-real – ‘degraded’ – visual affect irritating. I prefer real world imagery (even if it is all computer generated) or a pure cartoon style.

The two characters I liked the most were: Snowy (Tintin’s dog) and Sakharine (the baddy). Snowy is the most intelligent and sensible character – but no one listens to him because he is a dog and chases cats. Sakharine steals the show from Tintin and Captain Haddock, through having a richer story and better lines – or maybe due to Daniel Craig’s voice performance.

Not surprisingly the film had a Indiana Jones feel to it – Steven Spielberg was the director. The film reserves the slapstick humor from the books – but in a way that I found corny.

The film clearly combines elements from: The Secret of the the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure. Curiously Bianca Castafiore, who does not appear in either book, appears in the film as a plot device to shatter bullet proof glass.

The pirate fighting scenes are the best.