The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn

With the adventures of reporter Tintin (originally Tintin), his faithful fox terrier Snowy and Captain Haddock, Belgian Georges Remi aka Hergé (1907 - 1983) created a comic book world that has entertained and captivated generations of readers. Even today, the 24 albums of Tintin enjoy great popularity, especially in Europe. When it was announced that Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson were planning a major motion capture movie adventure after several live-action and animated adaptations, there was both anticipation and doubt. Anticipation, because both Spielberg and Jackson are known for great and high-quality cinema entertainment. Doubts, because it was to be feared that Hollywood would put its own stamp on the beloved characters. But the good news is: even if Steven Spielberg as a director tells the story in his style, The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn remains visually and content close enough to the original, to old and new fans alike should convince.

The combination of the three volumes The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and The Treasure of Rackham the Red, Tintin (Jamie Bell) finds a model ship at a market that must have something special about it. After all, two men try to buy the model from him shortly after he buys it for a bargain price. But that's not all: a short time later his apartment is broken into, he is shot at and finally he is even kidnapped by the mysterious and unscrupulous Ivan Ivanovich Sakharin (Daniel Craig). For the ship holds an important clue to where the legendary treasure of the pirate Rackham the Red is hidden. With the help of his trusty companion Snowy, Tintin manages to escape, which brings him together with Captain Haddock, who is never averse to a good drop. Since Haddock, as a direct descendant of Rackham the Red, may hold the key to the secret of the treasure, the young reporter and the ill-tempered sailor set out together to outrun Sakharine and find the treasure themselves. But their adversary also has a few aces up his sleeve.

Spielberg's Tintin is no mere animated film. As with the Polar Express or Beowulf, the roles were played by real actors, their movements and facial expressions were transferred to the computer, and then the animated characters were created from them. So Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Jamie Bell or motion capture pro Andy Serkis (Gollum, King Kong or most recently Cesar in Planet of the Apes) cannot be seen directly. But it's their performances and - at least in the original - their voices that breathe life into the characters. As great as the animations have been in other motion capture films, so far these films have had one big problem: the eyes of the characters always looked extremely lifeless, the characters lacked soul and charm. Spielberg and his team finally got a handle on this shortcoming. His characters, which are strongly based on their comic book originals, are full of life and exude the very likability that has made Hergé's work so popular.

Whether it's Schulze and Schultze, embodied by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Paul), or the wonderful, perpetually cursing Captain Haddock, they're all still comic-bookish enough, despite perfectly animated skin, hair, and clothing, to not seem too cold or sterile and to absolutely live up to their originals. It's palpable not only in the visuals but in the overall flair of the film that Spielberg and Jackson, who served as producer and second unit director on this first film and will take the helm on a possible sequel, really know and appreciate Hergé's comics. The script by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who), Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) and Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) pulls the essence out of the three comic books and blends it perfectly with the style of the three writers. The whole thing is then a very great cinematic adventure with lots of wit, suspense and breathtaking images.

Admittedly, especially in the last third Spielberg overdoes it a little with the action, which in some scenes is badly reminiscent of a video game and seems as if it were simply a vehicle for the 3D effects. But that's complaining on a high level. Because overall, Steven Spielberg has once again done what he's been doing perfectly for decades: he mixes charming character sketches, cutting-edge animation and adventurous storytelling to create some very great entertainment for the whole family. And that's exactly what this version of Tintin is. It is not just a children's film, but an adventure that young and young-at-heart can have great fun with.

Only the music by John Williams, guarantor of immortal themes (Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter) disappoints a little. So the opening credits reminds not only visually, but also by Williams jazzy background music too much of his work for Catch me if you can, a catchy theme is searched here in vain. Otherwise, the music is strongly oriented to the adventure and agent films of the 60s and only in a few places the typical bombastic signature of Williams can be recognized. In itself, this fits the film and the world of Tintin very well, but the expectations of a collaboration between Spielberg and Williams are simply so high that a less catchy soundtrack like this, as good as it may be objectively, simply disappoints.

Very nice, on the other hand, are the affectionate allusions to works by Steven Spielberg (Jaws), Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings; somewhat hidden, but true connoisseurs will spot them - especially when you know that Haddock actor Andy Serkis also brought Gollum to life) and to Hergé himself, which make the film even more entertaining, especially for fans. But whether you spot these allusions or not, The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn is great entertainment cinema that, whether in 3D or 2D, is just plain fun. And that's exactly why: absolutely worth seeing!!!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp