Considering how much modern action films owe toRaiders of the Lost Ark, it’s easy to take for granted how much Steven Spielberg’s early films fundamentally changed the film industry. For better or worse, his work in the 70s and 80s effectively created the blockbuster culture we live in today. And while since the 90s, Spielberg has mostly moved on to more adult-oriented and emotionally complex work, 2011’sThe Adventures of Tintinis a welcome reminder that he’s still capable of reviving the childlike energy that permeated his early filmography.
With critical acclaim and financial success worldwide,Tintinseemed virtually destined to become a recognizable modern franchise the way Indiana Jones and Jaws did back in their day. Alas, the plannedTintinsequel has been in development hell for years now, and with each passing day, it seems increasingly unlikely that it’ll end up seeing the light of day. Nonetheless, with a newIndiana Jonesinstallment out in theaters now, fans of that franchise could find their appetite for preposterous and exciting adventure films greatly satisfied withThe Adventures of Tintin.
Search For the Unicorn
The plot focuses on the titular Tintin (Jamie Bell), a young journalist who purchases a miniature model of theUnicorn, a famous sunken ship believed to be the hiding place of a pirate’s lost treasure. The ship model is revealed to be one of three, each holding a scroll that, when brought together, will reveal the location of the remains of theUnicornand its treasure.
This attracts the attention of ship collector Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Daniel Craig), later revealed to be the descendant of Red Rackham, the pirate captain whose crew attacked theUnicorn. Already in possession of one of the three model ships, he steals Tintin’s, intending to use him to find the final one, but Tintin soon escapes with Archibald Haddock (Andy Serkis), an alcoholic ship captain.
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Additionally, it’s revealed that Haddock is a descendant of Francis Haddock, theUnicorn’s ship captain, and Red Rackham’s nemesis, and he’s forced to work with Tintin in a race against time.
Using knowledge of his family’s history to find clues to the final scroll’s location, Haddock also prepares to come to terms with his past in a final showdown against Sakharine, who seeks revenge for Rackham’s death at Francis Haddock’s hands. The result is an infectiously enjoyable thrill ride, old-fashioned in spirit, fast-moving, and fun.
Indeed, the film was greatly well-received critically, earning rave reviews from thelikes of Roger Ebert, and it grossed $77 million in the United States and over three times that total overseas. Additionally, since the film ended on a cliffhanger, work on a second installment quickly began, with Peter Jacksonset to directafter finishing work on hisHobbittrilogy. But development stalled, the script was scrapped in 2016, and little has been heard of any progress since.
Steven Spielberg, Master of Staging Action
Fitting for a director largely responsible for modern blockbuster culture, Steven Spielberg has always been pre-naturally gifted at crafting action sequences. Masterworks such asJaws,Raiders of the Lost Ark, andJurassic Parkall highlight a director capable of blocking camerawork and staging complicated sequences of movement in the frame on a jaw-dropping scale. There’s a reason he recentlyhelmed the best-directed movie musicalof the last several years.
Yet by the 2010s, Spielberg had mostly moved on to more mature filmmaking, with emotionally complex works such asSchindler’s ListandMunich, while his recent attempt to return to action-adventure,Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was seen as a disappointment. So seeing Spielberg recapture the kinetic spark of his early career withTintinwas like a shot of adrenaline to the system and a welcome reminder that even years down the road and a while out of practice, he could still beat most of his modern competition at their own game.
The Adventures of Tintinis Spielberg’s only animated film to date, and it sees him take advantage of the medium how all animators should, by using his visual imagination to the fullest without being shackled by reality. It’s helped by the fact that, unlike several other motion-capture films, it never tries too hard to resemble reality, instead taking a deliberately cartoony aesthetic true to the originalTintincomics. Indeed, it looks like a cartoon strip come to life in the best possible way.
Nowhere are Spielberg’s directorial chops more evident than in the film’ssecond act closing setpiece, after Sakharine has captured the final scroll in Morocco. Tintin and Haddock chase after Sakharine’s pet falcon, in possession of the scroll, through the city. The subsequent action sequence keeps rapidly evolving and incorporates motorcycles, tanks, collapsing buildings, flooding dams, and swings across telephone wires.
Most of this is captured in a breathtaking three-minute take, allowing the action to be illustrated through perfect visual clarity and geography, and it’s made all the more captivating because it fully embraces the medium of animation and exhibits a cartoonish creativity that functions as a kind of visual ballet, and that could never be replicated in live-action.
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A Rollicking Good Time
Needless to say,The Adventures of Tintinis an infectiously enjoyable ride and is one ofSpielberg’s best films of the 2010s. Moreover, it arguably feels closer in spirit to Spielberg’s originalIndiana Jonestrilogy than eitherCrystal SkullorDial of Destiny, with the same adventurous heart and sense of fun that most Indy imitators have tried and failed to replicate.
And while it seems increasingly likely that this trilogy may never see its way through to completion, it’s nonetheless well worth a watch, particularly for fans of Steven Spielberg’s earlier action-adventure films. And in today’s blockbuster era, it remains a welcome reminder that old-timers can still show their modern competition how it’s done.
