'TIS A RARE TREAT indeed for Boxing Day’s expectant
crowds to have not one but two new films from Steven Spielberg to savour. After
all, the man’s become better known of late for lending support to others
(small-screen affairs, at that).
Better still, since his last blockbuster outing
– 2008’s INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL – left many feeling
numb with disappointment. All in all, a big-screen comeback feels long overdue.
Here then, back in the saddle, the
filmmaking giant opts to take on an even greater task: translating Hergé’s intrepid
young reporter-with-quiff, Tintin, from page to screen, with the aid of
whizz-bang motion-capture animation. Three of those adventures (the books were
published between 1929 and 1976) have been mashed into one riotous adventure. A
dizzy array of action set pieces are the order of the day.
In this revved-up version, Tintin (Jamie
Bell) buys a model ship in Paris, only to find the dastardly Sakharine (Daniel
Craig) giving chase for a secret scroll contained within. (It points to a fine
booty of treasure, after all.) Tintin’s boozy old sea dog pal, Captain Haddock
(Andy Serkis), and the lad’s trusty dog, Snowy, hardly seem primed for such a
wicked character. A cross-continent dash soon ensues.
Spielberg never fails to entertain his
audience. Indeed, his other Boxing Day release – WAR HORSE – bottles the man’s
talents perfectly, delivering a grand, epic and heartwarming adventure for the
whole family to enjoy. With this muddled version of TINTIN – and its overcooked
collection of British writers – he comes unstuck.
Like many of a certain age, I grew up
voraciously reading Hergé’s classic graphic books. Such was my obsession, I
even lifted a few off the shelves, only to quite rightly face a parental wrath
that night. This adaptation, then, clearly matters more than most.
There are two further outings due to
follow, with producer Peter Jackson trading places in the follow-up’s chair.
Given time, order may yet be restored. But after all the worldwide anticipation,
this TINTIN feels strangely flat and lifeless. Which is a shame. A WAR HORSE it
is not.
Critical
Rating (for TINTIN): 5/10.
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
and WAR HORSE are in cinemas December 26.
ED
GIBBS
First
published in The Sun-Herald.
Also out on Boxing Day:
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