The Adventures Of Tin Tin (2011) Directed by Steven Spielberg. Written by: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, & Joe Cornish. Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig. IMDB says: “Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock’s ancestor. But someone else is in search of the ship.“
The Adventures of Tin Tin is impressive, not only due to its ability to invoke family friendly fun, but also because of it’s technical beauty. The film scores dramatically high marks in the special effects department, which makes for a thrilling and exciting cinematic experience. The film is an adaptation of an old comic strip by the same name, which features a boy and his dog on the hunt to solve mysteries. The movie stays true to this story, crafting a mystery for Tin Tin to solve, but also leaving room for plenty of action. I can’t speak for everyone, but mystery books and movies were my favorite as a kid. They allowed me to get wrapped up in story and imagine an adventure. At it’s heart, that’s really all Tin Tin is concerned with – mystifying the mind of kids and inspiring new curiosities. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of kids left the theaters wanting their own dog like Snowy to hunt down baddies with.
The Adventures of Tin Tin features the voice talents of Jamie Bell for the title character, who is simply charming and a great fit for the character’s boyish sense of wonder. Also included was Daniel Craig playing the villain Sakharine. To me, his voice was barely recognizable, trading in the calm cool sounds of Bond, for a more appropriately devilish tone. Andy Serkis is also a treat, playing the lovable drunkard Captain Haddock. Rounding out the main voices are Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as the bumbling well-meaning cops, which I don’t think I need to elaborate on for obvious reasons. 🙂
Of course the real story here, isn’t really the story at all, it’s the action. The major benefit a director like Speilberg has when using the state of the art motion capture technology is that it creates the ability to manifest impossible scenarios for the characters to venture through.The audience is wowed by the amazing spectacles and action set pieces that they just couldn’t get from live action. The on-screen CGI participants weave in and out of danger, for long lengths of time, and all in one take. This technique brilliantly lets the audience hop on right along for the ride. Movies like this one, that can create such an overwhelming rush of fantasy, are the films that resonate with children and stick with them over time.
