Film: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Cast: Andy Serkis, Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Director: Steven Spielberg
"The world is divided into two -- people who think Tintin is better than Asterix and people who think Asterix is better than Tintin."
Or so belive fans of either series. For most of us in these shores, these are our first introduction to the world of comics, rather than Batman or Superman. For me, Asterix is magic, while Tintin was just good fun.
Then I saw The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. In bright 2D. And was stunned. Right from the innovative opening sequences harking back to the 60s, to the crackerjack of a cliffhanger, this was a rare delight. One of the rare instances a movie goes beyond its book(s).
The story revolves around Tintin (Bell), a reporter of indeterminable age and his mongrel, Snowy. Buying a replica of a ship called The Unicorn, they come up against Sakharine (Craig), a mysterious gentleman with a hidden agenda. Tintin's inquisitiveness lead him to being kidnapped and imprisoned on a ship where he meets its drunken captain Haddock (Serkis). Together, with Snowy, they go around the workld in a tale of intrigue, revenge and hidden treasure. They are helped by the most inept pair of cops on print, and now celluloid, Thomson and Thompson (Pegg and Frost).
Even before I knew how to spell characterisation, I had felt that Tintin was the least memorable character in the books. Recently I read that Herge had done this intentionally so that the reader could become Tintin and have all those adventures. Ingenious. In the movie, however, Tintin is more fleshed out and Jamie Bell's (forever our Billy Elliot) precise diction makes sure he is not dwarfed by his more famous co-stars.
Daniel Craig is surprisingly unrecognisable as Sacharine. His voice is far removed from James Bond, but his ideally suited for the slimy villain. Thomson and Thompson are the funniest characters in the books and Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are dream casting. But either their best scenes ended on the cutting floor or they are being saved for the sequels. We are left wishing for more.
The colossus of the Tintin comics was Captain Haddock and he needed to be cast right. I presume it took Spielberg and Jackson all of half a second to decide on Andy Serkis, and why not. Already the First Knight of motion capture, he effortlessly makes Haddock entertaining and endearing. It is not just the belligerant swearing, but the subtle changes in emotions that once again make us fall in love with Captain Archibald Haddock, billions of blue blistering barnacles notwithstanding.
Tintin is an adventure movie in the Indiana Jones tradition. A lot credit is due to its screenplay. Another rare occasion where too many cooks do not spoil the broth. Edgar Wright, Steven Moffat and Joe Cornish conjure up a plot that reveals both their admiration and their expertise with these comics. Speilberg regulars John Williams (music), Janusz Kaminski (camera) and Michael Kahn (editing) combine to give us a spectacle that doesn't feel like one. The visual effects are top notch. Even I, a critic of motion capture, feel that the technology has come a long way from the ghastly ghost faces of The Polar Express.
All of the above make for an entertaining film. But Tintin is far more. Be forewarned. This is where I go all misty-eyed and broken-voiced. Tintin rises above even its loftiest ambitions because of what it demonstrates in every frame. To quote a cliche: He's back.
Once upon a time Steven Spielberg was our favourite director. He had regularly awed us with his films. He had even written the blueprint for modern adventure films. Then he stepped down a few pedestals to become just a "good" filmmaker. Tintin gives us the Speilberg of yore. From the delightful first glimpse of Tintin till the climatic crane fight (you read that right), via a fantastic sequence where desert mirages become a flashback devise, and an amazing chase through a Moroccon town, Speilberg reminds us of what we were missing. We go with him on a swashbuckling adventure, and realise that he is having as much fun as we are.
Tintin is like a dish we were apprehensive about, yet once partaken, outdid our wildest expectations. It tells us again that the child in all of us is the one having the most fun. And a lot of it is because the world is actually divided into two: Those who think Speilberg is the most entertaining director in the world, and those who have not experienced Speilberg's movies yet.
