The Adventures of Tintin

Based on the comic-book series created by Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin follows intrepid reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell) as he and his faithful dog Snowy find themselves caught up in a treasure hunt involving a centuries-old sunken ship – with the pair’s efforts eventually assisted by a washed-up captain named Haddock (Andy Serkis). There’s little doubt that The Adventures of Tintin fares best in its opening half hour, as director Steven Spielberg, working from Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish’s script, does a superb job of immediately drawing the viewer into the briskly-paced proceedings – with the energetic vibe heightened by Spielberg’s kinetic, eye-catching visual choices (ie the filmmaker takes full advantage of the movie’s animated atmosphere). It’s only as the film segues into its progressively (and disappointingly) convoluted midsection that one’s interest begins to flag, with the growing emphasis on the decidedly dull mystery at the narrative’s core wreaking havoc on the movie’s momentum. (It doesn’t help, either, that Serkis’ character receives more and more screentime as the story unfolds, despite the fact that Haddock is simply not interesting enough to justify the increased attention.) And although the film briefly recovers for an absolutely spellbinding single-take action sequence, The Adventures of Tintin ultimately comes off as a misguided, frequently overblown animated endurance test that’s rarely as much fun as Spielberg has clearly intended.

** out of ****