Die Abenteuer von Tim und Struppi - Das Geheimnis der "Einhorn" (The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn)
U.S.A./New Zealand 2011

Opening 27 Oct 2011

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Writing credits: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish
Principal actors: Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Cary Elwes, Andy Serkis

Produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Steven Spielberg, this 3-D animation brings the beloved Hergé adventures to the big screen for the first time. Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig lend their voices to the characters. The screenplay is by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish.

The young reporter Tintin (Bell) buys a model ship at a flea market and is soon caught up in a dark mystery and a dramatic race to find the lost treasure of the pirate Rackham the Red. The 17th century Sir Francis Haddock left behind clues in three replicas of his ship, the Unicorn, and it is with his descendant, Captain Haddock (Serkis), that Tintin teams up to solve the mystery. Hot on their heals is the unscrupulous Iwan Iwanovitsch Sakharin (Craig), who will stop at nothing to get his hand on the cache. The chase takes them to exotic locations and gets them into one desperate situation after another; but our heroes manage to come through, as often as not, helped by Tintin's faithful dog Snowy.

The Adventures of Tintin is a fun caper that keeps fairly close to the original comic book. The motion capture technique on which the animated characters are based conveys an incredibly life-like quality, while allowing them to get into and out of impossible situations. At the same time, the minute face details take something away from the original charm of the cartoon characters. (Osanna Vaughn)