"The Adventures of Tintin"
2011
PG
Produced by: Kathleen Kennedy, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish
Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig
Columbia Pictures

4.93/5 Stars
Consensus: With stunning animation and a splendid plot this film retains the witty adventure of the comic books while maintaining its own place in the film world. One of the better children's movies you could watch, this was a successful and wonderfully done animation piece.

Plot: Journalist and adventurer "Tintin" (Jamie Bell) gets involved with a conspiracy to plunder gold and is, as always, on the case to get to the bottom of they mystery.

Directing: Spielberg continues to show his flair for kid's movies as he directs this fun film. The sense of adventure and quirky vib found in the comics is well translated onto the screen. In a film that could easily be campy and unlikable he manages to make an adorable and exciting film and walks the line between adventure and humor extremely well. *****

Acting: Andy Serkis(Captain Haddock), the man of a thousand voices makes this film as great as it is with his invaluable contribution. He is one of the greatest voice actors of the decade. With only voice he transforms characters into icons that we know and understand at fantastic levels previously unexplored. You can tell what an absolute kick all the actors got out of their roles and it makes the film just that much more adorable. *****

Editing: The transitions were just plain cool, and especially innovative for an animated flick. Transitions from the sea to the desert, from Belgium to the sea and so forth were all extremely well done. Most of the major cuts were fades rather than straight cuts which was also very appealing. *****

Art Direction: The animation was as well envisioned as the comic book. Its an animated so art direction doesn't exactly apply in the same way it normally would, but it was a beautifully created and envisioned world none-the-less. *****

Cinematography: The film looks good, mostly the super cool CGI they used stands out. There aren't any particularly spectacular shots that stand out in my mind, but its good nonetheless. ****

Screenplay: The screenplay managed to be intelligent and witty. It evenly incorporated several key elements commonly found within the comic books and was entertaining at every turn. There were no real flaws in it, but it lacked a fluidity and pace that one would hope for. Again, overall the screenplay is brilliantly imagined, but character dialogue lacks a lot of the wit, depth, and humor one could expect from such a high caliber film. ****1/2

CGI/Special Effects: The animation in this film is simply spectacular. Imitating Polar Express(2004) the film uses live actors as models and projects animation on them and around them, creating a spectacular world wherein the outrageous and animated can happen, yet grasping the semi-realism required to pull a film like this off. It also grants actors a better chance to get into character as they get to interact with each other, full body, and facial expression rather than being attached to a mic in a recording studio watching animation from a screen. This is in fact one of the best animated films I have ever seen and contains truly stunning visual effects. *****