Chris Luckett

8. THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (2011)

Release Date: December 21, 2011

Chronology: Arrived in theatres within a week of War Horse, three years after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and a year before Lincoln

Box Office: $78 million ($82 million, adjusted for inflation)

Oscars: 1 nomination, 0 wins

Premise: Intrepid reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell), his trusty dog Snowy, and the perpetually drunk Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) team up to solve the mystery of a sunken ship and find a legendary treasure before the villainous Sakharine (Daniel Craig) can

Over two hours?: No, it’s a brisk 107 minutes

John Williams Score?: Yes

Father Issues?: Not this time

War?: No war

Aliens?: No aliens

Special Appearances: Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toby Jones, and Cary Elwes

Fun Fact: Spielberg developed The Adventures of Tintin over the span of thirty years, beginning in 1981, after so many people drew comparisons between Indiana Jones and Tintin. Upon seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark, Hergé (the creator of Tintin) himself stated that Spielberg was “the only person who could ever do Tintin justice.”

Best Line: “There are plenty of others willing to call you a failure; a fool; a loser; a hopeless souse. Don’t you ever say it of yourself. You send out the wrong signal. That’s what people pick up, don’t you understand? You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it. There’s something you need to know about failure, Tintin: you can never let it defeat you.”

Best Scene: 

Verdict: An absolutely gripping thrill ride that far too many dismissed as a mere animated romp, The Adventures of Tintin is the unofficial fifth Indiana Jones movie — and better than every Indy sequel. Even the less ambitious action sequences are breathtaking, let alone the gargantuan set pieces that leave your jaw on the floor. Using motion-capture and photorealistic animation, The Adventures of Tintin’s biggest problem is that there’s almost just not enough of it, particularly considering how flawless its action sequences and visual effects are.

Rating: 5 stars / 5