Tintin has always been a childhood classic of mine. While I might not be able to recite every story plot for plot, or name each and every character in a line-up, I always appreciated the comics and was sucked and mesmerised by his adventures.

So it was with pretty great excitement when I heard news of Steven Spielberg taking reigns of a motion-capture and animated film starring Tintin, his trustworthy dog Snowy, and his unlikely partner on his exotic quests, Captain Haddock.

After reading some pre-screening reviews about whether I should watch it in 3D or not, the response was in favour of the extra dimension, so I payed a little more, found my seat, and got ready for an adventure of Tintin proportions…. So how did it fair? Hop over the break to find out!

Story
First off I think it needs to be said that I am not familiar with the story presented in this (hopefully) first big budget Tintin movie, being it based on one of the Tintin graphic novels, called The Secret of the Unicorn. I say this because I cant comment on how accurately it follows the orginal story or plot, and what has been added or cut out, but I can say that it is one grand adventure from start to finish! Whats noticeable though, is that the pace never really lets up, and it’s a good thing and bad thing. It’s good because it has you constantly invested on whatever action is happening on the screen while the characters are being swung from one situation to another, though at the same time the quickness of the pace also feels sometimes a little rushed. Knowing that it is an adaption you can almost tell where Spielberg and his crew had to cut the plot in order to fit the whole story in one comfortable sitting… At least it felt like I could tell, since there were a few instances where you kinda think just HOW did they arrive at this particular scene from the scene before, or how quickly they came to that conclusion? As if they fast forwarded the plot just a little too much.

Though again, the quickness of the pace just helped the characters along their journey and the journey is what the whole film is all about. And what a thrill of a journey it is! 

Sound
No expert on sound, but when it comes to animated films I know that sounds plays a BIG role. Each character is voiced wonderfully by their respective actors. And each locale they visit is bustling with the sounds of life. The action scenes are also nicely complimented by the required effects. All in all, the sound was good!

Presentation
This is where, without a doubt, The Adventure of Tintin shines and sparkles. The animation technique used with the motion capture is nothing short of spectacular. The close-ups of each character while they speak their lines is near flawless and there were moments when I thought scenes were populated with real life actors. Each character is wonderfully detailed and highlighted in their own way, and the locations they visit are impressively detailed and exotic.
Something that needs honourable mention are the really impressive and thrilling ‘choreographed’ action set-pieces. These scenes last for an impressive amount of time and each swing and punch and jump and explosion is so incredibly animated and executed all you can do is just sit and marvel at the scenes as things rush by with amazing pace and comical detail. 

3D
Since I saw it in 3D I thought it would only be fair to comment on the experience. Personally I generally used to avoid 3D movies due to the saturation of colour caused by the wearing of the dark 3D glasses. After doing some pre-watching reading of the latest Tintin movie I have come to learn that producers and directors have realised this and actual produce their 3D movies a little brighter than normal to compensate for the darker than usual viewing circumstances.
With that said, watching a brightly animated movie like Tintin was indeed enjoyable and I noticed little saturation than what I was expecting. The colour seemed bright enough for me, and I could definitely tell things are improving in that aspect.
As far as the actual 3D dimension of the film goes, there was a lot to be desired I felt. The 3D added nice depth to certain scenes, though there was never any real moment where the 3D really ‘stood out’, so to speak. With that said, I think, in retropsect, I wouldn’t of have missed out on much if I saw the regular 2D version as there was very little, if not none, of a 3D experience that I took away from the film.

Overall
Overall The Adventures of Tintin was a great animated action-adventure thrill ride from start to finish. Incredible and exotic set-pieces, and animation at the highest level. This is definitely a movie to own on Blu-ray to experience the fun and excitement all over again!

Definitely a worthwhile watch for new and old fans alike!