The Adventures of Tintin (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)

Whenever this movie pops up on streaming I watch it because it rarely streams on the platforms, so I just made the decision to pay the $10.00 to own TinTin. I am glad I did, it has been watched four times since the purchase. TinTin is an animated adventure movie very much like Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark. The music is done by the Master John Williams. It really elevates the experience. There are parts of the movie that are very childlike and then there are scenes that would scare younger children. People get shot and die. My 13 year old son said, “that was a great movie.” You still get the feeling of visiting exotic locations even though it is an animated movie.

Let me start this off by leveling with you. I don't come at this movie from the perspective of someone who knows nothing about the franchise. You see, I've read virtually all of the Tintin comics, though I never saw the animated series. I know these characters and what they're all about.Fortunately, fans of the comics won't need to suffer the disappointment of character derailment in this movie. Every last character is spot-on. Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, Thompson & Thompson... It's all there. If you read and enjoyed the comics, you'll find much of what you enjoyed in this film as well.I say "much," because while a certain amount of excitement was also common in the comics, they were largely mystery-based, rather than action, and this film has very strong and almost-constant action and suspense elements to it, though its penchant for mystery, treasure-hunting and adventure remain as strong as in the comics it was based on.However, now it's time for the fanboy in me to take a back seat and explain some of what this film is actually about for those not familiar with the character of Tintin (who, it must be admitted, is something of a niche character outside of Europe.)Tintin, a young reporter and seeker of secrets and stories, buys a model ship in the marketplace one day, while he's out for a walk. Immediately, two men try to buy it off him, but he doesn't sell, because he realizes something must be up with it. A series of accidents, investigations and crimes lead him to uncover an old poem which seems to promise a great treasure to those who can unlock the secret of "the three unicorns sailing in company."However, Tintin and his friends will need to fight for their lives, because another man; Saccharine is looking for the same treasure, and that's not all he's looking for. He's willing to stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it involves kidnapping, torture, thievery and murder. Tintin is fast action, high adventure and a thrilling mystery all rolled into one.Now, specifically to those who've tried to claim that Tintin rips off Indiana Jones. It would be more likely that the reverse was true, since Tintin comics were published from 1929 to 1976, and Raiders of the Lost Ark wasn't released until 1981. However, it's almost universally recognized that what Indy really rips off is Allan Quatermain, so I won't make that claim. Needless to say, if you think this film is a ripoff of Indy, you're simply wrong, and that's all there is to it.What this film is, is simply fun. Good, clean fun with some nice action sequences and several very good chase scenes. It's a well-done ride, and as icing on the cake, a bit of Catholic history comes up at one point during the movie.Herge himself (the comic's author) was Catholic, and writing for a Catholic publication, which only elevates my respect for the series, as you might imagine. It's a great series, and a very good movie as well, and I think the main reason is that Stephen Speilburg and Peter Jackson seem to have realized that they just shouldn't mess with what obviously works. Kudos to them for understanding this, and for their faithfulness to the source material.I recommend this movie to anyone looking for good, clean fun, or anyone who likes a nice, hair-raising adventure. There's guns and alcohol in it, but it's all treated appropriately, I think. I don't even think kids would have too many problems with this movie, to be honest. I know I didn't, and I hope many other Tintin fans will get as much out of it as I did.

As one of the movie critics said, Tintin has a great job: he is a reporter who only goes on adventure and doesn't seem to write any article at all, but he is getting famous anyway!For the people who knows Tintin, the comic book (or "Bande Dessinée" as we say in France), The adventures of Tintin are a mix of "The Crab with the Golden Claws" and "The Secret of the Unicorn". While looking to pierce the mystery of the Unicorn, Tintin and Snowy encounter Capitain Haddock, and the three of them continue this adventure through the Karaboudjan (Haddock's ship), the Sahara, and Brussels.Visually speaking, this movie is by far the most accomplished animation movie ever made. This can be seen with the characters, who are all amazingly drawn and animated at a point it is troubling. They look indeed so real, but yet specific "Comic book" elements are kept. That allows Spielberg to show unbelievable scene - like the one in Bagghar - that would annoy in a realistic movies, but are simply enjoyed in this case. You can compare this to Myazaki's movies, which shows believable character in situation not so believable, but some little moments (inertia, size of the tears, etc.) help for the movie coherence.So yes, the characters animation is astonishing. The action scenes are great too, though not as detailed as the characters. Yet a 10/10 for the reatlisation for sure!As for the story, many people got upset that two stories are mixed to produce one movie, or that Professor Calculus wasn't introduce. The fact is that the movie feels a bit long - especially at the end - and has multiple slow moments. I think people who read Tintin as a kid/teenager had a "too much/too little" feeling after this movie, hoping for more and regretting some parts.My understanding is that Spielberg use these Comics to make an adventure movie, and he succeeded in it: it is thrilling, interesting, funny and Comic-y. However, there are two moments that creates problem.- The first is the rememberance of Haddock about his ancestor, which is a way to introduce the plot of the next movie, more than explaining this movie's story. This wasn't necessary, and could have been kept for the beginning of the second movie.- The second is the final battle. It lacks (in my opinion) the intensity shown during the scene in Bagghar. Therefore, you end the movie on a smaller note than what you would expect, and therefore a bit disapointmentApart from these points, there is no deception.If you are a kid, you will enjoy all of the adventures and the insults Capitain Haddock is yelling.If you are a young adult, you will be fascinating by the visual quality of this movie.If you are an older adult, you will appreciate this kid movie (because it is a kid movie) without the bad humour so many animation movies are showing these time.. And the hero is actually a human, not a snail or a car, yay!