Watch “The Adventures of Tintin” Movie
The exploits are based on three classic Tintin books by the Belgian comic-book artist Hergé (the pseudonym for journalist and illustrator Georges Remi) – “The Crab With the Golden Claws,” “The Secret of the Unicorn,” and “Red Rackham’s Treasure.” Those titles alone provide a taste of the film’s flavor. With his quiff of orangey hair and his boy-wonder doggedness, Tintin (Jamie Bell) and his trusty terrier Snowy circle the globe in pursuit of buried treasure. Along for the ride – which entails airplanes, frigates, and motorcyles – is the boozy sea captain Haddock (Andy Serkis). Chief nemesis is the malevolent Sakharine (Daniel Craig), with whom Haddock has, as they say, a history.
There are some amusing bits: An opera diva belts out arias and shatters glass in glorious 3-D; the intrepid Snowy rides to the rescue more than once. But Spielberg makes the mistake of piling on the action nonstop, and even though he’s a whiz at dynamic compositions even in this computerized format, enough is enough. It’s the same mistake most action directors with a smidgen of Spielberg’s talent make all the time. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” series is a prime culprit. (A one-sentence review of the penultimate film in that series could have read: “Is it over yet?”).