Movie Review: The Adventure of Tintin

There was no way I wasn't gonna see this movie. Not with the list of names it has as writers, directors, and producers.

Steven Moffat was the writer early in development. He had to leave at some point because he was offered the job as Executive Producer for "Doctor Who". He had offers for several other movies that he turned down for the lower paying job with Doctor Who because it was Doctor Who. Getting to work on that was a dream come true. You should also check out the shows "Sherlock", "Coupling", and "Jekyll". He was the sole writer on those last two titles.

Edgar Wright and some guy I've never heard of took over when Moffat left. He first came to my attention as the director for "Spaced". He also directed and cowrote "Shawn of the Dead" and "Scott Pilgrim vs The World".

Peter Jackson started with some rather fantastic but horrific movies called "Meet the Feebles" and "Dead Alive". But you probably know him best for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, District 9, and the upcoming Hobbit movies.

Then there's the legendary Steven Spielberg. We could spend all day talking about his credits. But this movie is one he wanted to direct personally.

I know a little about Tintin, but not enough to speak to how well it sticks to the source material. It does try to keep some of the comedic background activity of the comic strips and comic books. I don't know how much action there was. Some people have complained that they feel the action in the movie is over the top. I have to point out that it was a comic strip and comic book first so there'd be as much of a caricature in terms of action as there is in the characters' faces. And Spielberg made sure that with everything going on in an action scene that you could still tell what was happening. No shaky camera, lens flares, or excessive chaos covering up poorly planned action. It moves fast, but you get to see it all unfold and can follow the action.

The movie begins with Tintin buying a model sailing ship for a pittance. Almost immediately people start offering him huge sums of money for the ship. Fortunately for the movie goer, they won't take no for an answer. It turns out that the ship is part of a puzzle that leads to a sunken ship full of treasure. This, of course, is a huge summation of the plot. The movie is about the hunt for the other ships so they can keep them out of the hands of the villain of the movie.

I loved the movie, I'll get it on DVD, and I'll be waiting eagerly for the sequel.