Although the character of Tintin is popular and well-revered around the world, for one reason or another the United States never picked up on the phenomena. To catch you Yanks up to speed, Tintin is a young reporter always on the lookout for a new story (with his dog Snowy always by his side) and goes on various Scooby Doo-esque adventures, solving mysteries, etc. Released here as part of the holiday movie season, the first motion-captured film by Steven Spielberg has already been shown in every other country: we were dead last to get it. I myself wasn't too enthused by the trailer, but with the talent involved, including Edgar Wright as a writer and Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, and Simon Pegg/Nick Frost providing voice work I should have known better - turns out Tintin is actually a pretty good all-ages action adventurer (maybe not on the same level as Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it'd probably give any of the recent Pirates films a run for their money).
The plot isn't exactly strong and some of the characters are flat (even Tintin himself can get tiresome quickly, with his constant stream-of-conciousness exclamations of clues he finds) - but it's the action and the style with which Spielberg envelops around the picture that make it always interesting to watch. Even the transitions in this movie are incredible, especially one involving a flashback in a desert which transforms the sand dunes into huge crashing waves supporting a big-ass pirate ship. With Tintin we're seeing a master work with a new set of tools, and in a way Spielberg takes many more creative liberties with this freeing method of animation than James Cameron did with his self-proclaimed "masterpiece" Avatar. Watching an "impossible" camera move along with Tintin's dog, or seeing a continuous shot of a chase scene that seamlessly moves from one character to another all while keeping the momentum, ratcheting tension, and not dizzying the audience - I couldn't help but be a little awestruck. The action set pieces and nearly photo-realistic animation were stunning. Supposedly this is the first of three films, I honestly am now excited to see where this series goes; I just hope the plot and characters are livened up a bit in future entries.
Rating: B
The Artist: a modern day silent film. That's all you really need to know about it and all you're really given in this interesting experiment that has been garnering a lot of praise and awards as of late. I'm really glad I got to see a movie like this in a packed theater because it was a truly unique filmgoing experience. The two lead actors, Juan Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, I've never seen or heard of before, but give perfect "silent film" performances. The two have some real chemistry and it's through their heightened actions that the entire movie rests on (because obviously they can't rely on snappy dialogue), and they give the film its heart. I also have to give a shout-out to the dog, who should have a diverse and lucrative career after his fine performance here.
My problem with the film is that it merely copies what has come before, relying mostly on nostalgia, and I was hoping for a few more "modern" creative touches and a more involved story. I appreciate that it at least "got" the formula, even adhering to the original aspect ratio used in 20's silent pictures, but for me the novelty only went so far. This might be a great introduction to the old days of Hollywood to a contemporary audience, but the story was too light for my taste and is more concerned about being an ode to a specific era of filmmaking than creating a strong, self-serving narrative. It's almost as if it trips under its own weight: seeing as the movies The Artist is emulating didn't have weighty themes or plots, it can't either. That being said, it's very entertaining, and for what it is I enjoyed its whimsy and creativeness - I don't think that this should (though it very well may) be the frontrunner for the Oscars, but a solid film nonetheless.
Rating: B
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