Movie Night: The Adventures of Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin--in short: Thumbs Up. :)

When Daniel, Sarah, and I were little we would creep reverently into the library, make our way over to a certain shelf, and pull off one of the Tintin books. Daniel was generally the only one old enough to officially read those books, but Sarah and I monstrously appreciated all the adventurous illustrations and awaited Daniel's explanation eagerly.

 

So when we heard that Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg were making a movie version we were both excited and skeptical. How could anyone really make a good movie out of Tintin? Wouldn't they probably ruin it?
I'm here to say that as a devoted Tintin fan, the directors went above and beyond the call of duty. They stayed so faithful to the books (and especially the illustrations) that I could recognize all the characters right off the bat. They even throw in lots of direct nods to the illustrations! Check this out:

The original:

 And what the movie did with it:

Awesome, isn't it? :) I don't want to spoil the plot of the movie for you, but I consider it to be the most original and genuinely intriguing animated film to come out of the movie theater since UP. You get lots of adventure, you get lots of potential danger, and yet there is always that comic-book sense of "Everything will turn out right."

Captain Haddock...to the rescue?

  The story follows Tintin, a young journalist who frequently doubles as a detective, and his pal Snowy. Right there that sounds cheesy and entirely unoriginal, and yet I thought they played the boy and his dog thing differently than you usually see it. Tintin often leaves Snowy to do something while he moves on--he has a life besides that of his dog, and the dog is sensible enough not to get into places where he needs to be rescued. I despise movies where the hero has to put everything on hold to rescue a pet. :P

The hilarious duo: Thomson and Thompson. :)

Tintin becomes the owner of a mysterious model ship that appears to be entangled in a web of intrigue and family secrets that may or may not have to do with pirates, buried treasure, and more! There is plenty of peril, including getting kidnapped, shanghaied, and stuck in the Sahara desert.

Tintin and the loveable Captain Haddock

I am not usually this way, but the animation was so superb I found myself ducking and gasping and doing all sorts of typical movie-girl thing as the characters were in danger. :D

I love Snowy. :)

The outcome of it all is quite satisfying and leaves a door open for a Tintin 2! :) I wonder if there are plans in the works for that?

Throughout the whole movie there is a decidedly optimistic, hopeful, boyish point of view that I found refreshing. Tintin is neither pouty, nor rebellious, nor overly nosy.

 He is just a boy with an adventure who takes it all in stride. :)

 Jackson and Spielberg did a superb job with this film.I did not feel that it was only a child's film. I think it's one of that rare category that envelopes the whole family! All of our kids watched it, and we are pretty strict about letting the younger ones watch things. :)  I would highly recommend Tintin to anyone that asks!

So I loved the movie, I want to buy it, I'd whole-heartedly recommend it, but let's get down to the nitty-gritty. :)

Plot Strength and Characters: ***** (5 stars)

Language: A character takes the Lord's name in vain...once? Beyond that the worst you'll hear is "Great Snakes!" or "Blistering Blue Barnacles!" or "Great Scotland Yard!" :) Terrible, I know.

Sexual Content: Absolutely none.

Other Cons: One character gets shot, but it is tastefully done, I thought. One character belches, but as it is actually important to the plot, it is absolutely excusable. Apart from that, this movie has not a single off-color joke or reference. It is seriously the cleanest film I've seen in ages.

Tintin is my new favorite family movie. It's clean, it's adventurous, it's entertaining, it's hilarious. Go now, rent it and be happy. :) You will not regret it.