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20 of 29 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 starsSteven Spielberg Returns to Form!, 25 Oct 2011 Steven Spielberg returns with his greatest film since `Saving Private Ryan' in this stunning adaptation of the popular comic book series `The Adventures of Tintin' by Hergé. With the aid of Peter Jackson and his studio Weta Digital, Spielberg uses performance capture to recreate the fantasy world of Tintin in a way that's nothing short of perfect.`The Secret of the Unicorn' sees Tintin on a quest to uncover the mystery of the greatest ship that ever sailed the seven seas - the Unicorn. With the aid of Captain Haddock, Tintin and his dog companion, Snowy, go on an adventure which sees them battling against the dreaded Red Rackham, who also wants to uncover the secrets of the Unicorn, but why?To create the film, Spielberg adopts the method of performance capture, which is a little alien for him, as he usually uses film, but there's no denying this is the best method that could ever be used to create the world of Tintin. Whilst some purists would have preferred a live-action film, I don't think it would have worked, because it would have been far too garish if it was trying to accurately adapt the original illustrations. However performance capture allows for the human performance that everyone wants to see, but also create very realistic characters based on the illustrations without it looking cheap. The best thing about the performance overall though is that it was done by Peter Jackson's company Weta Digital, who were the ones responsible for the effects in `Avatar'. So you know you're getting a genuinely great and believable look for the film.One of the most striking things about the film is the wealth of talent involved in all the key areas of production. Not only do we have the amazing Steven Spielberg on directing duties and visual effects master Peter Jackson as the producer, we also have several great British actors. The most important actor involved is `Billy Eliot' star Jaime Bell as Tintin, who gives such an innocent and believable performance in the title role, and is just perfect. Then we have at his side is Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock, who is just hilarious and fun to watch as the drunken cap. As the villainous Red Rackham we have current Bond actor Daniel Craig, playing a role very different from the ones he best known for, but gives yet again another brilliant performance. And finally as Thomson and Thompson there are only two actors who could fill those roles, and they are `Shaun of the Dead' stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who, as they always do, giving genuinely hilarious performances, providing great comic relief. But we don't finish there, because for scripting duties we have none other than `Doctor Who' head writer Steven Moffat, who completed the screenplay just before moving onto `Doctor Who', with Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish finalizing the script before shooting began.The film itself is just a great romp with the feel of the `Indiana Jones' films and some thrilling action sequences. The most notable for me was one in the third act of the film where Tintin and Haddock are in a motorcycle chase and the whole chase is focused on just one single camera shot, with it panning from location to location, and this lasts about three minutes. That particular sequence is definitely something that couldn't have been achieved in live-action, which means there's another reason why performance capture is better than live-action. There's also the adorable Snowy, who just steals the show in every scene he's in and is a character that children (and adults) will just fall in love with. For younger viewers the film may feel like it slows a bit in the middle, but older viewers will appreciate why there isn't as much action at certain parts of the film. The only genuine disappointing element is that the 3D effect is far less minimal than I was expecting, since it was actually shot in 3D. Nonetheless there are still some great looking shots in 3D.Steven Spielberg describes Tintin as "Indiana Jones for kids" and it's certainly that, but no matter what your age you're guaranteed to love it. With plans afoot for two sequels, with the second being co-directed by Spielberg and Jackson, I encourage everyone to see this film, because you won't be disappointed. Along with the likes of `Toy Story 3', this is one of the first truly great family films in years and will be considered a classic of the modern age. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? YesNo
20 of 29 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 starsSteven Spielberg Returns to Form!, 25 Oct 2011 Steven Spielberg returns with his greatest film since `Saving Private Ryan' in this stunning adaptation of the popular comic book series `The Adventures of Tintin' by Hergé. With the aid of Peter Jackson and his studio Weta Digital, Spielberg uses performance capture to recreate the fantasy world of Tintin in a way that's nothing short of perfect.`The Secret of the Unicorn' sees Tintin on a quest to uncover the mystery of the greatest ship that ever sailed the seven seas - the Unicorn. With the aid of Captain Haddock, Tintin and his dog companion, Snowy, go on an adventure which sees them battling against the dreaded Red Rackham, who also wants to uncover the secrets of the Unicorn, but why?To create the film, Spielberg adopts the method of performance capture, which is a little alien for him, as he usually uses film, but there's no denying this is the best method that could ever be used to create the world of Tintin. Whilst some purists would have preferred a live-action film, I don't think it would have worked, because it would have been far too garish if it was trying to accurately adapt the original illustrations. However performance capture allows for the human performance that everyone wants to see, but also create very realistic characters based on the illustrations without it looking cheap. The best thing about the performance overall though is that it was done by Peter Jackson's company Weta Digital, who were the ones responsible for the effects in `Avatar'. So you know you're getting a genuinely great and believable look for the film.One of the most striking things about the film is the wealth of talent involved in all the key areas of production. Not only do we have the amazing Steven Spielberg on directing duties and visual effects master Peter Jackson as the producer, we also have several great British actors. The most important actor involved is `Billy Eliot' star Jaime Bell as Tintin, who gives such an innocent and believable performance in the title role, and is just perfect. Then we have at his side is Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock, who is just hilarious and fun to watch as the drunken cap. As the villainous Red Rackham we have current Bond actor Daniel Craig, playing a role very different from the ones he best known for, but gives yet again another brilliant performance. And finally as Thomson and Thompson there are only two actors who could fill those roles, and they are `Shaun of the Dead' stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who, as they always do, giving genuinely hilarious performances, providing great comic relief. But we don't finish there, because for scripting duties we have none other than `Doctor Who' head writer Steven Moffat, who completed the screenplay just before moving onto `Doctor Who', with Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish finalizing the script before shooting began.The film itself is just a great romp with the feel of the `Indiana Jones' films and some thrilling action sequences. The most notable for me was one in the third act of the film where Tintin and Haddock are in a motorcycle chase and the whole chase is focused on just one single camera shot, with it panning from location to location, and this lasts about three minutes. That particular sequence is definitely something that couldn't have been achieved in live-action, which means there's another reason why performance capture is better than live-action. There's also the adorable Snowy, who just steals the show in every scene he's in and is a character that children (and adults) will just fall in love with. For younger viewers the film may feel like it slows a bit in the middle, but older viewers will appreciate why there isn't as much action at certain parts of the film. The only genuine disappointing element is that the 3D effect is far less minimal than I was expecting, since it was actually shot in 3D. Nonetheless there are still some great looking shots in 3D.Steven Spielberg describes Tintin as "Indiana Jones for kids" and it's certainly that, but no matter what your age you're guaranteed to love it. With plans afoot for two sequels, with the second being co-directed by Spielberg and Jackson, I encourage everyone to see this film, because you won't be disappointed. Along with the likes of `Toy Story 3', this is one of the first truly great family films in years and will be considered a classic of the modern age. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? YesNo
18 of 28 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 starsVisigoths! Troglodytes! Bashi Bazouks!, 29 Dec 2011 A film by Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg, story by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish and starring Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig and Pegg & Frost. Sounds good, doesn't it? But 'ware! The subject is one of the most cherished icons of 20th century child's story-telling, held dear by pretty much anyone of a "certain age" and transferred from a distinctive style to modern CGI animation. The potential to fail is strong in this one...Briefly, the story is a mash-up of three well known episodes in the Tintin canon, The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham's Treasure. Tintin (Bell) meets Captain Haddock (Serkis) and embark on an action packed search for the Captain's ancestor's treasure trove. They are joined by two of the more fondly remembered of Tintin's associates, Thompson and Thomson played by Pegg and Frost, (or is it Frost and Pegg?) and stalked by arch criminal Ivan Sakharine (Craig).The film is produced using performance capture animation and it bridges the gap between a live action film and the straight "cartoon" of the Bernasconi animated series. Obviously Tintin purists will have their objections as the film does take *some* liberties with the "look", but to the ordinary audience member, the end product is both impressive and reverential to Herge. If there are any objections to the CGI animation (and there are a few minor ones) I think it's important to remember that the art and technology of CGI is still developing and it would be churlish to criticise too strongly. One criticism I have heard is that the emotional expression of the characters suffers in the CGI process. I'll have none of that! The characters' faces are expressive and readable and it is quite easy eventually to forget that they *are* CGI and my wife came out of the cinema remarking that the make-up was very good and she didn't recognise Andy Serkis at all!Most importantly, the animation really does keep the faith with Herge's vision (Herge even appears in a small cameo in the opening sequence) in almost every way. The characters are depicted as 3D versions of his original ligne claire artwork (without the lignes) and it's a big relief that the story is set in the 1940's Tintin universe, "somewhere in Europe", plus-fours, bowler hats, rusty tramp-steamers, schmeisser machine guns and sea-planes galore. The film really retains the film noir "feel" of the original and that will be important to Tintin's fans. The "scenery" is, like Herge's comics, sumptuously populated and I was crying out for a remote control to pause and rewind the film so that I could revisit some of the little details that I half-missed - the covers of magazines carelessly tossed onto desktops, the contents of the desk's partly opened drawers, little cameo sequences that take place at the edge of the screen while the main action is front and centre, the array of faces in The Milanese Nightingale's audience and so-on. The film has *huge* rewatch potential and I will be pre-ordering the DVD as soon as it becomes available for this reason alone!The acting is brilliant and all the performers really bring their characters to life. Bell does a fine job and Serkis and Pegg and Frost convey their slapstick antics extremely well. It's good that the actors' performances don't overwhelm the characters' already well-developed personalities. While I've heard some criticism that Serkis overcooks his Haddock, I disagree - the Captain is a larger-than-life personality and Serkis does a fine job with this wonderful character. I am aching, however, to meet Professor Calculus in a sequel (please let it be Destination Moon)!Ol' Steve has been around a while, now and knows a thing or too about the action/adventure genre and he really lets rip with this one. Indiana Jones for kids? I'll say. The action is breath-taking and at nearly two hours in length it's a rollercoaster ride. The motorcycle chase scene, filmed in a single continuous take is the centrepiece of the film. Spielberg bundles you into the sidecar and takes you on a break-neck race, bouncing you off the walls, leaping chasms and leaving you, several minutes later, sitting in a small cloud of dust with steam coming off the seat of your pants and little cork-screws of sweat radiating off your head. The "Long Take" scene is becoming a bit of a cliche in modern cinematography and, I think, looks a little ostentatious in live action film, but in animation it works rather well and left me exhausted and deeply satisfied. And it doesn't let up - in true Spielberg/Indy style, the film barely slows down for a minute. There's plenty of good, Herge slapstick, not too overdone and obeying the hallowed traditions of visual comedy, and genuine laugh out loud moments aplenty.In the final analysis, The Adventures of Tintin is a top notch family film. It will, like any film of this sort, have its detractors; but what Jackson and Spielberg have achieved is a joyful, exuberant whoop of a film that will appeal to kids of all ages (i.e. anywhere between about 5 and 85) and will offend none but the hardest of Tintin die-hards.Did we enjoy it? Ten thousand thudering typhoons! Of course we did!Six stars Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? YesNo
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 starsStory Lacks, but Action Packs, 20 Feb 2012 I was always more of an Asterix man growing up, but this did not stop me from reading all the Tintin books and now owning the lot. The vivid colours and great action made them feel like a script for the rejected Indiana Jones and the Drunken Sailor. This means is that I had a vested interest in the new MoCap version of Tintin (The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn), directed by Spielberg, produced by Jackson and written by, amongst others, Cornish. I would consider this a bit of a dream team myself, but with high hopes often come bitter disappointments and to an extent this happened here.Tintin himself is not the most charismatic of heroes, in the books he often relies on those around him to give the story life. Snowy is a personal favourite of mine and is great in `Unicorn', but lacks the internal monologues that make the cartoon Snowy so great. The problem with the film is that it takes an age to get going. The initial 45 minutes follows Tintin on a rather dull quest for a map, it is not until the entry of Captain Haddock that things really start to get going. Now all of a sudden the film is action packed and funny. Tintin and Haddock make a great odd couple, but they need one another to play off if either of them is to work.With both main characters on screen the film really picks up in terms of thrills, but not narrative sense. Throughout the film the story is piecemeal and confusing, but whilst this makes the film drag at the beginning, by the time Haddock is front and centre you no longer care - just enjoy the ride. Spielberg is able to produce some great set pieces with the MoCap technology and the likes of Serkis and Craig are great even under CGI masks. With the characters established by the end of the film a sequel should be far better paced and quicker to get going. `Unicorn' is not a perfect film by any means, but is worth watching for the magnificent CGI and the second half. Imagine how good the film would have been with 90 mins of continuous quality? Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? YesNo
