The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: 3.5/5
It's been far too long since we have seen Steven Spielberg in the director's chair - it was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull if you must know - but this week he is back tackled a completely different kind of movie.
Yes with the use of state of the art motion capture Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson has brought Herge's creation Tintin to the big screen like we have never seen before.
Tintin is an intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure.
The movie, without a shadow of a doubt, is visually stunning - particularly when you consider that this entire movie was filmed in a one rather plain room.
The motion capture fits beautifully and the world that have been created from, the Sahara Desert to the high seas will take your breath away.
Spielberg, Jackson and co really have raised the bar when it comes to animation/motion capture movies - yes it is an animated movie but there is something very real about the characters.
All the character seem to capture an essence of the actor playing them which just gives them a little bit more life.
And while everyone on the cast list is superb it is Andy Serkis who once again steals the show as Captain Haddock.
Yes Serkis is becoming a bit of an old pro when it comes to motion capture and he once again delivers a life-like performance - as well as many of the laughs.
Yes the movie looks great and yes the actors have delivered very good performances but there is just something missing from this movie.
It just misses that little bit of heart and emotion that makes a good animated movie great - it was something that Toy Story 3 has in bucket loads.
The film just doesn't seem to register on an emotional level and I don't think enough time was invested in that side of the characters to make you truly care about them.
The film also suffered from uneven pacing, it really was a bit of a slow start, and it was just a tad too long.
Having said all that The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is the best 3D movie we have seen since Avatar - from a visual perspective this movie is first rate.
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is out now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw