Raiders of the Lost Barque

 

Motives behind Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin reveals itself as an exuberant blast of nostalgia . What boyish reporter beloved Hergé comic series - running the world in pursuit of mysteries - if not continental cousins ​​Indiana Jones , his head covered with a quiff not a fedora hat ? In the first few pages of " Crab with the Golden Claws " - one of the books that sourced this film , the other is " The Secret of the Unicorn " and " Red Rackham 's Treasure " - Tintin Hastens from her home in the city for drugs - run the ship , after which he found floating in the sea , from where he commandeers seaplane float and hit the North African desert .In short , The Adventures of Tintin , the hero and his companions on the trail of treasure from sunken ships , could just as easily have become Indiana Jones films : Raiders of the Lost Barque . And have . This is more Spielberg than Hergé's Tintin .But it's not a bad thing at all . If The Adventures of Tintin looks like something Spielberg can do in his sleep , it's still a lot more entertainment than what most other directors can produce while awake .From the moment we glimpse Captain Haddock ( Andy Serkis ) drained through a new bottle of whiskey - what better way to show off a plunge ? - Spielberg shows that he still has in him a sense of play of the day he wrestled with the shark faulty models . Action set pieces , in particular , is a joy , a scenario combining cliff - hanger with delirious slapstick .Performance-capture technology , which uses live actors movements and expressions as the basis for computer-generated simulations , right . Initially , we see every hair in Tintin ( Jamie Bell ) quiff catch the wind and come alive , such as wheat stalks waving in the gold fields , and as he walked past a shop with a mirror , his reflection is exactly how they will be out of the corners . Yes , this is a technical team to show off , but no more than a ballerina balanced on feet with supreme serenity . They did it because they could , and we watched transfixed . Some transformations made ​​me quibble - Nestor is not constantly sad as I imagine ( he comes across as stolid ) , and surely Bianca Castafiore High Cs jump from a wider chest - but the art is breathtaking to behold .There is so much to enjoy in " The Adventures of Tintin " that it's a shame the film adds up to little more than a collection of set pieces . When Tintin and Co. are not swooping clouds or plunge into the sea , we are left with a dark time , and it's because the characters are just a technological triumph . They have no spark , no soul . We never get a handle on Tintin , who remains a cipher with lackluster software . Hergé solves this problem by letting us hear him think - we followed his intuitive processes through thought bubbles . But here , the din drowning out all the action of the mind .Much more tragically , Captain Haddock is a man with a big honker . ( Honker , however , is appropriate . ) Most of the comedy comes from the comic invective - the result of crosses between marine life and inspired a made-up language - and we imagine them as a spittle ejaculation - spotting . But here , the delicious ridicule as " sea slugs yellow - bellied coward " delivered such dramatic declarations , as if wan line of dialogue . If there will be a sequel , as the final scene promises , they would do well to fill this sailor with vigor .
 The Adventures of TintinGenre : Action - adventureDirector : Steven SpielbergCast : Daniel Craig , Jamie Bell , Simon PeggStoryline : Tintin and cohorts go after sunken treasure remarkable .Bottomline : Good staged action , though the character deserves better .