The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

With the introduction of Netflix into our house, I feel it's time to get back on the the horse I abandoned nearly 4 years ago - the posting of movie reviews. I'll be working on posting more reviews in this space because 1) the Internet gives me an undeserved-by-merit platform for airing my views that I can't pass up, and 2) I want to get back in the habit of writing stuff instead of just reading it. I need to stretch my language skills a bit more.

So, onward to The Adventures of Tintin. 
I confess to not being a huge fan of Hergé's comics in the sense that I've never sought them out. I stumbled across them every now and then and skimmed them over. So I wasn't entirely enthusiastic about going to see this movie, but it was what the kids wanted to see so off we went (with the in-laws) to see it in 3D.
The general plot revolves around Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell) getting involuntarily involved in a plot to recover treasure from a sunken ship. The main villain of the piece, Ivan Sakharine (voiced by Daniel Craig), has set about collecting lost clues (one of which Tintin unknowingly obtains) and even kidnapping drunkard Captain Haddock (voiced by Andy Serkis) in his efforts to find the lost wreck.
The action, in this Mediterranean hopping caper, is fast and furious. It is every bit as improbable as the comic book action, which means it is pretty much right in character for Tintin. Being an animated feature, the 3D effect is quite good compared to live action films in which the 3D effects are added to 2D film.
On the topic of the animation, I confess that the first scenes are a big jarring. The movie starts in a public town market with the view focused low. We see bodies moving, gloves, shoes. The fingers are a bit chubby and stubby, reminding us this is animated, though the action is quite smooth. Then you see your first face and are hit with the full realization of the what animation style is in use. I still find it odd to look at faces done with computer graphics, particularly when they try to incorporate depth and other realistic facial features (Captain Haddock's eyes kind of get me and I swear Tintin looks like he was modeled on Ewan McGregor). I still prefer more old school methods of animation in this regard, at least. Still, the technology has improved a lot since The Polar Express (2004). The motion was a lot smoother and realistic (barring the stylistic action sequences), so I have great hope for the future in this field of movie making.
The Adventures of Tintin, on the backside of the camera, is loaded with talent including Steven Spielberg as director (his first animated feature direction credit), Steven Moffat (well known by BBC Wales fans for Sherlock and Doctor Who) and Edgar Wright (known for Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Shaun of the Dead) involved in writing the screenplay, and Peter Jackson as producer. They do not disappoint. Tintin is a thoroughly enjoyable movie.

Grade: B+