Here’s my terribly negative review of the recent film The Adventures of Tintin.
I’ve never read the comics. And, to be honest, from the previews, I didn’t expect it to be that great. But it was worse than I could’ve possibly imagined.
I didn’t much like the character design. On the technical side, they were amazing. But on the design side, they were a bit disgusting. Realistic enough to make their cartoon-ness quite creepy.
The acting all seemed a bit overdone; everyone was gesturing and moving their arms about and turning their heads curiously too much like awful high school actors in a school play.
The camera kept doing this constant wobble. I guess the director was trying to make it seem more natural, more realistic, but it was just annoying. Yes, you can make a computer camera seem natural, you’re very smart, stop it.
The worst part, though, was the dialog. The main character, Tintin, feels the need to say all his thoughts out loud because we’re too dumb to figure anything out for ourselves. “Now where did I put that magnifying glass?” I don’t know, Dora, where could it be? This goes on and on. Shut up already! Let me enjoy the atmosphere of this CGI world. No, you just have to keep on telling me how curious everything is to you.
Maybe one has to be familiar with the comics for this movie, because I just didn’t care about Tintin at all. I guess it was because Tintin himself didn’t really care about anything. He just wanted to solve the mystery and find the hidden treasure because… oh, just because! Character motivation? Pfft! Who needs that? He was just born to go after the treasure, save for the all-is-lost moment near the end, when he gives up for the simple reason that he’s supposed to at that part of the story. What will get him to break into act 3? Some of the worst scriptwriting ever, of course! “Don’t let failure stop you!” Wow, thanks! How encouraging and inspiring!
The humor was atrocious. We’re meant to laugh at people getting hit on the back of the head with a plank of wood and passing out. Hahahaha! How innovative! Bumbling police men. Hahaha! Being drunk! Hahaha! I never thought I’d see humor so worse than Disney Channel’s dismal laugh-tracked offerings.
The elements that I did appreciate (for the bad elements were so bad that the most I can do for the good elements is “appreciate” them) were the over-the-top action sequences, especially that magnificent one near the end when the characters are racing through the city chasing slivers of paper, all shown in one long glorious long shot like an epic level from a video game. I can’t help but imagine how awesome the scene might have been if the story surrounding it wasn’t complete drivel.
I also appreciated the clever scene transitions, possible only with CGI. Again, though, not enough for the quality to be considered redeeming.
Overall, it was a horrible movie. One of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Just depressing.
It’ll be interesting to see whether or not they make a sequel as planned. If Peter Jackson directs the sequel, I may give it a chance.
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