Very few directors create the kind of expectations Steven Spielberg does. The movies he's made in the past have, more or less, redefined the adventure genre. This isn't something to be taken lightly. Think of the adventure movies you remember most as a kid. Odds are they were directed by Spielberg.Remember the first time you saw Indy run away from the boulder? Or when you realized (Spoiler Alert) E.T. wasn't dead (End Spoiler Alert)? Remember how you felt during those scenes? Spielberg's greatest weapon is storytelling, but his second best is attachment.
In The Adventures of Tin-Tin, his first weapon was extremely evident. But his second wasn't firing at full power.
Now, granted, this isn't a thought-provoking-oscar-winning-tear-jerking drama by any stretch. It's an extremely entertaining animated popcorn movie. By that standard, it surpasses expectations. There were two sequences done in the movie that are truly jaw dropping. First, an incredible scene in which Tin-Tin chases a hawk across a large market on a motorcycle. All done in one seamless shot. I'd argue this is the best chase scene of the year.
The second is a flashback/mirage Captain Haddock (played by motion capture pioneer Andy Serkis) has. Spielberg has the sheer audacity to change a barren desert to a riveting clash on the high seas. It's that audacity that has made him the filmmaking icon he is today. Those 5 or 6 minutes were easily better than the best ship battle in all of Pirates of the Caribbean 2, 3, or even 4.
I've long been a huge fan of motion capture technology. Avatar was a much needed breakthrough for the process. It's one piece of technology Avatar made famous I'm grateful Hollywood embraced. Motion capture allows detail to be portrayed through the mask of an animated character -- it's really remarkable, almost creepy. This new medium is a significant advance for a new era of animated films.
Casting was another great move. Jamie Bell was a wonderful Tin-Tin, Daniel Craig was an evil, menacing, all around great villain, and casting Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as twins was a stroke of brilliance. My favorite character though was, hands down, Captain Haddock. Andy Serkis has a serious leg up on the rest of the cast with his extensive work in motion capture and it really showed in this movie. His performance was my favorite in the film.
If I were to critique it by the extremely entertaining animated popcorn movie standard, I'd say it was an A. But I'm holding it up to the work Steven Spielberg's always delivered. While this is his first animated film, and yes it's harder to connect to an animated character than a real actor, it could've had a bit more substance. I wanted to connect more directly with Tin Tin.
Nevertheless, it's the best animated film of the year I've seen, and it has more than that little bit of magic only a true artist like Spielberg can bring.
Actors: Jamie Bell (Tin-Tin), Andy Serkis (Captain Haddock), Daniel Craig (Ivanovich Sakharine)
Recap: B+
Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks Animation
