Media

Home Theater Movie Renter's Guide - March, 2012

"The Adventures of Tintin" (Blu-ray) - Reviewed by Jim MIlton

Synopsis

The Adventures of Tintin follows the exciting exploits of a young reporter, his dog, a sea captain with a drinking problem, and a couple of bumbling Interpol detectives as they travel from Europe to the Sahara and Morocco in pursuit of a pickpocket, model-ship collectors, and long-lost treasure. Steven Spielberg's and Peter Jackson's long-awaited full-length film, based on the original "Tintin" comics by Hergé, combines the stories "The Secret of the Unicorn," "Red Rackham's Treasure," and "The Crab with the Golden Claws" into a generally fast-paced adventure that provides fun for the whole family.

Commentary

Having been an avid reader of the comic series from my early chilhood, the characters of Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, and Thompson and Thomson are all quite faithfully represented. The motion-capture animation is similar to that of Polar Express and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and actually has Andy Serkis in this movie. The characters are highly stylized to look like their comic counter-parts, but Tintin's facial expression in particular lacks expression. Snowy is fun, though he is a bit fluffier than in the original comics, but the other characters seem spot-on. Some of the humor becomes a bit slapstick and the overall length of the film a bit too long, but the characters, gorgeous colors and details save this film in the end. (Also, see if you see the comic creator Herge in a small cameo in the opening sequence). Great music by John Williams, too.

Technical

The PQ and SQ are well nigh perfect, as to be expected from an all CGI film. Colors are gorgeous and the details astounding. You can even see fine facial hair on Tintin's chinchin (Sorry…). Water is rendered so well as to be indistinguishable from the real stuff. The details extend into the environment. Look how wonderful the wet cobblestones appear or the fine details on the Unicorn. The surround sound field is very active with nice deep bass to underpin the story on the screen. This is a great film to demo for your friends.

Extras

There are over ten featurettes, most of which are quite interesting.

DLP

Projectors