Review of The Adventures of Tintin (2011) by Michael M — 29 Nov 2012

Maybe I was wrong about motion capture, maybe it's just that Robert Zemeckis sucks...in fact, I'm sure that's what it is. Spielberg uses the technology in a way that doesn't come off as cheap, gimmicky, "hey look what I can do!" crap, and actually uses the technology to it's full advantage. The characters look realistic, but are still decidedly cartoony, and this extends to the world they live in real. Ridiculous things happen, but they happen in a manner that still seems plausible. There are huge sweeping scenes of adventure with massive numbers of characters popping in and out during long takes that go on for upwards of 10 minutes at times, it's truly a spectacle to behold. The plot is simple enough, but allows enough twists and turns to be enjoyable, and the characters are a lot of fun.

In some ways it reminds me of Lupin the Third. Where that series was kind of like Ocean's Eleven, just a lot sillier, this movie is like Indiana Jones, just a lot sillier. It's just a helluva' lot of fun, I really liked it.