A-Tin-tion

Last year, Steven Spielberg directed his first animated feature film, The Adventures of Tintin. It was somewhat lost in the shuffle, perhaps between his other film Warhorse and Martin Scorsese's bigger critical darling Hugo. It slipped by me too, until I recently caught up with the film on Blu-ray.

The film is adapted from a series of comics much more loved and famous in Europe, but is a grand adventure easily accessible to any audience. It has an almost Indiana Jones sensibility, actually, as the main character hops all over the globe trying to get to the bottom of an old mystery. The script was crafted by Steven Moffat (of Doctor Who and Sherlock fame), and writing partners Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish.

This movie was produced by Peter Jackson, and while it definitely bears Spielberg's stamp in its style, the casting has a heavy influence from Jackson. Jamie Bell (from Jackson's King Kong) stars as Tintin, and motion-capture king Andy Serkis (of multiple Jackson films) plays the role of Captain Haddock. Edgar Wright contributed to the "family atmosphere" too, as his frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost also play roles in the film. The motion-capture performances are well used here, as everyone is able to play slightly off-type from usual. Serkis, of course, steals the show as the brash drunkard Haddock, but Daniel Craig is also wonderfully oily as villain Sakharine.

Spielberg definitely works to make the most of the animation medium, composing a number of complex shots from difficult camera angles. A major chase sequence in the second act has an unbroken take lasting several minutes, following the action all around the streets of a city.

But perhaps because the almost-human animation style keeps the viewer a bit at arm's length, I never found myself completely caught up in the movie. The spectacle was always impressive, but the story usually less so. It was fun but simple; a never-quite-gripping level of action that was, I imagine, deliberately kid-friendly.

It's certainly worth watching the movie, though it doesn't break into the upper echelons of Spielberg's many efforts. I rate it a B.