Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) and Tintin (Jamie Bell) join forces in The Adventures of Tintin.
Image: Weta Digital

1. What’s with a name like Tintin?

This is an animated, performance-capture 3-D film based on The Adventures of Tintin, a series of comic books created by Belgian artist Hergé (Georges Remi). The film is actually based on three of the original comic books: The Crab With the Golden Claws (1941), The Secret of the Unicorn (1943) and Red Rackham’s Treasure (1944).

2. What’s the movie all about?

Having bought a model ship, the Unicorn, Tintin (Jamie Bell) is initially puzzled that the sinister Mr. Sakharine (Daniel Craig) should be so eager to buy it from him, resorting to murder and kidnapping Tintin — accompanied by his marvelous dog, Snowy — to join him and his gang as they sail to Morocco on an old cargo ship. The model, in fact, contains a clue to a long-lost treasure. Sakharine has bribed the crew to revolt against the ship’s master, drunken Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis). Now, with aid from bumbling Interpol agents the Thompson Twins (Nick Frost and Simon Pegg), our boy hero, his dog and the captain must prevent Sakharine from discovering the ancient treasure’s whereabouts.

3. Will I like it?

Yes! If you are reading this blog, you will love this movie. As I stated on our world-famous GeekDads podcast, “This is what the latest Indiana Jones movie should have been.” It has action, intrigue, mystery and comedy. Not to mention that Tintin was directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Peter Jackson and written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish.

4. Will my kids like it?

My 7-year-old son really liked it. I must admit, I would probably not take children younger than that. There are a few loud scenes and surprises that will startle smaller children. (I wish the family that sat behind us would have read this before bringing their entire preschool daycare.)

5. When’s the best time for a bathroom break?

There is a scene about halfway in where they find out who the Nightingale is. As soon as you see that, head for the bathroom, then hurry back.

6. Is it worth seeing in 3-D?

I saw it in both for comparison. The 3-D is nice, but not necessary. It adds nothing extra to the experience.

7. It’s rated PG; how PG is it?

This is the most important factor in this review. Tintin is not an adult; however he does live alone (with a dog) and has a job. He also owns and uses a pistol several times throughout the movie. Plus, the companion who joins him in this adventure is an alcoholic. In fact, he can barely function correctly without his whiskey. Think of him as the anti-Popeye. Explaining these things to younger children might prove difficult — however, your mileage may vary. The other thing I noticed was that Tintin took a few blows to the head. It is better than him being shot, but also needs to be addressed with children. I did not like the idea that my 7-year-old thought this would be a good way to get his sister to “go to bed.”

8. Do I need to get there in time to see some good trailers?

Nothing spectacular. The only new one we saw was for Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. I heard rumors that the Hobbit trailer was to be shown, but this did not happen.

9. Do I need to sit through the credits for a bonus scene at the end?

Nope, there is nothing but credits.

10. Will I want to see it again?

I do. I don’t think I “missed” anything in the first showing, but I would love to read some Tintin adventure comics and then see it again. I think fans of the comic series would love to see this multiple times.