Labors of love – when entrusted to capable admirers – can result in some pretty fantastic things, and that's exactly the case with "The Adventures of Tintin," the movie adaptation of the classic French comics. Directed by film legend Steven Spielberg and produced by Spielberg and "The Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson, Hergé's comic book illustrations gain new life in 3D digital animation.
A project that spent over two decades in the concept process, "Tintin" was originally on track to become a live action film. It was only after Spielberg brought Jackson on that he was convinced animation was the best way to bring the exciting escapades of the boy reporter and his faithful dog, Snowy, to the big screen.
The decision was a good one. Not only does it help the film's sequences transition more seamlessly from the source material, it helps make the idea that this boy and his dog are often in mortal danger more palatable to younger audiences.
Aside from a few darker moments, however, "Tintin" is every bit the quick, light-hearted adventure the previews promise. Kids will get a kick out of the antics of Snowy, Inspectors Thompson and Thomson and the bumbling (read: charmingly sloshed) Captain Haddock. Adults will enjoy the "over their heads" humor dished out in equally ample amounts – by a number of familiar names to boot. And both parties will have no difficulties becoming engrossed in the swashbuckling mystery of Sir Francis Haddock, pirate Red Rackham and the sunken treasure of the Unicorn.
At times it's easy to forget "Tintin" is animated; the technology to create these films has become so advanced that at certain angles it even manages to inch its way right up the other side of the uncanny valley. While these errant flashes of realism have the potential to stun a viewer out of the story for a split second, it nevertheless adds to the overall epic quality of the film – a quality that can only be expected from a partnership of two modern-day movie titans.
Contrary to her natural state of being, Renee Lorenz is a total optimist when it comes to Milwaukee. Since beginning her career with OnMilwaukee.com, her occasional forays into the awesomeness that is the Brew City have turned into an overwhelming desire to discover anything and everything that's new, fun or just ... "different."
Expect her random musings to cover both the new and "new-to-her" aspects of Miltown goings-on, in addition to periodically straying completely off-topic, which usually manifests itself in the form of an obscure movie reference.
