‘Tintin’ reminiscent of childhood adventure dreams

With danger, secrets, chases and strange lands, Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of “The Adventures of Tintin” feels like a classic comic brought to life on the screen — and with good reason. “The Adventures of Tintin”

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Starring Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig

Grade: B

With danger, secrets, chases and strange lands, Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of “The Adventures of Tintin” feels like a classic comic brought to life on the screen — and with good reason.

The film is based on three titles in a comic series created by artist Hergé (Georges Remi). Set during the 20th century, the series revolves around the adventures of Tintin, a Belgian reporter, who is often aided by a fox terrier named Snowy. Spielberg’s film is only one of many adaptations of the story, and it’s a pretty enjoyable one.

The film opens with Tintin (Jamie Bell) and Snowy wandering the market, where Tintin purchases a model of a ship called the Unicorn. Immediately after the purchase, two men approach the reporter. One warns him about the danger he’s in as long as he’s in posession of this model ship. The other tries to buy the ship from him.

Refusing to sell it, Tintin takes the model home, where Snowy damages it. This reveals a hidden scroll in its mast. While researching the history of the ship on which the model was based, Tintin discovers that it sank during its last voyage, supposedly carrying secret cargo.

Unfortunately, the model is stolen; the only piece left behind is the one Snowy knocked loose. As the film progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that this is the item the thieves wanted. The message is unmistakable when the man who warned Tintin earlier is found shot on his doorstep.

Tintin calls the police and is soon abducted and taken aboard a ship where Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) is also held. In a drunken stupor, Haddock reveals that he holds a secret about the Unicorn passed down by his family — which he’s forgotten.

This film simply screams of childhood adventure fantasies. The main characters race across the sea to strange lands and back by ship, airplane, camel and car, all while avoiding death or capture by dastardly villains. And at the heart lies a puzzle that could lead them to treasure once sought by pirates.

With the action of three comic books crammed into one film, the plot moves quickly. And because of the source material, almost every scene features an action and adventure film device — from chase scenes to sword fights.

The mystery — rather than the characters themselves — drives the film, the action and the adventure. Fortunately, despite the occasionally bumpy transitions between scenes and speedy pace in general, this is a fairly pleasant movie to watch.

Most of the animation is beautiful and the action scenes are very impressive and visually appealing. The only animation downside: Despite the impressive use of motion capture to translate movement into digital code, the technology clashes with the artistic style, where characters look more like plastic than flesh-and-blood human beings.

All in all, this little adventure film features some impressive animation, decent humor and plenty of swashbuckling and gunfire.