Tintin (Jamie Bell) is adventurous journalist who tends to attract the wrong type of people. On a regular day Tintin stumbles upon a replica of the Unicorn, the fabled pirate ship owned by Sir Francis Haddok that sank with a treasure still inside, but he is not the only one that wants the replica ship. Unknowingly Tintin becomes a target after taking the model ship home and it’s up to him to uncover the secret behind the Unicorn. With the help of his dog Snowy and Captain Haddok (Andy Serkis), he will set on a new dangerous adventure to solve the riddle of the Unicorn and stop Rackham’s (Daniel Craig) plans.

I must say that I had a split feeling about the film after my first viewing. Granted, it was very later on a Saturday night that probably my tiredness impaired my judgment. After the second time around I finally was able to put my thoughts together. Although I do a few things that I still was not fully convinced on, but regardless I still enjoyed the film and thought it was entertaining.

Now, considering that The Adventures of Tintin is based on the cartoon novels by Hergé, a French writer, most of us have probably never heard of the books before. With that being said, the film does have this comic novel feel right from the beginning. Personally I thought that the self-portrait scene at the beginning depicting Tintin as in the books was a brilliant homage to its roots. Moving on, the story is pieced together well and there’s always a sense of adventure after Tintin finds another clue making the film all that much more interesting. The film is directed with adventure in mind, leaving me wondering “why can’t Spielberg bring this back to his live action films?” Although there’s lots of adventure and action at every corner the film does have some slow moments that perhaps could of been taken out, but oh well it’s not that big of a deal really.

The biggest thing for me about Tintin was the motion capture. Wow did the filmmakers do a wonderful job with this, the motion capture brought in this incredible sense of realism to the film that undeniably makes Tintin all that much more appealing. The film does indeed feature some incredible jaw dropping moments like the scene where the opera singer arrives to the desert city, it’s so alive and bright and well animated that for a moment I was sure I was watching a live film. It’s truly a very impressive film to watch.

The Adventures of Tintin arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 2.35:1. Paramount has another winner with Tintin because it looks amazing. The animation is pure eye candy. Colors are vibrant throughout, whether day or night shots the image looks fantastic. The black levels are deep and inky, but never crush the image during darker scenes. The image is just simply well balanced. The high definition image is crystal clear. Detailing is excellent throughout. There were a few minor issues with the image during a few quick shots, but they are so minor that many will overlook. Without a doubt Tintin is demo worth with some serious jaw dropping moments.

The Adventures of Tintin arrives on Blu-ray with a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track. Another amazing complimentary track, Tintin sounds absolutely amazing. Dialog is clean and clear throughout, without ever being overwhelmed by the action on the screen. The fronts have spot on directionality. The rears are very active as there is a lot of action in the film. The rears really bring that support and are spot on with every effect. The LFE output is balanced, but yet it roars when it is needed. The score of the film flows through the spears very nicely using the space found in this track. I can’t say enough about the film, it just simply sounds incredible.

Toasting Tintin: Part 1 – Steven Spielberg toasts to the memory of Hergé (creator of Tintin) for bringing Tintin to the big screen.

The Journey to Tintin – Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson talks about how he came in contact with The Adventures of Tintin. Both personalities also talk about the attributes of Herge and the fascinating way in which he portrayed his characters in each of his books.

The World of Tintin – Different personalities talk about Tintin and everything associated with the character.

The Who’s Who of Tintin – Look behind the scenes and see the voices behind the character. Also, see some of the motion capture sessions behind the film.

Tintin: Conceptual Design – Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg talk about designing the film. See the work behind the designs found in the film.

Tintin: In the Volume – The filmmakers talk about the filming and its challenges.

Snowy: From Beginning to End – Liked Snowy? This piece talks about everything Snowy.

Animating Tintin – This piece shows viewers the way the filmmakers animated the film.

Tintin: The Score – John Williams talks about the score of the film and shows glimpses of the studio sessions. Very cool piece.

Collecting Tintin – Designers talk about the collectable pieces made for Tintin.

Toasting Tintin: Part 2 – Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson thank the entire crew for their work on Tintin.

BD-Live Functionality

Digital Copy

I wish I had known about these animated books before this film. The Adventures of Tintin is filled with adventure and after seeing some of the supplements I can’t help wonder what’s next. Hergé went onto create a character so full of adventure that is hard not to want more. The film is entertaining from beginning to end and it’s filled with a lot of action and adventure. The Blu-ray offers excellent video and audio transfers that it shouldn’t be that difficult to put this movie along the demo worthy discs. The Adventures of Tintin comes highly recommended for all animated movie lovers.