My friend Jason gave me screener passes to the new Tintin film as an early birthday present.  So bright and early this morning, Lynn and I dragged ourselves out of bed and headed off to the ten a.m. show.  It couldn’t have been more worthwhile.

I have been a been a fan of the iconic red-headed trouble magnet for years.  I suspect that Spielberg and Jackson have as well.  That is the only way they could have done such a fabulous job of interpreting it for the screen.

Going in, I was slightly worried.  These two industry giants are best known for massive blockbuster pictures and Tintin has never been a blockbuster character.  My worry was that he and Snowy (his loyal and absolutely adorable dog) might get lost in it all.  To their credit, that was never a concern.  No matter how impressive the location, or over the top the action the focus always stayed firmly on the characters and story.

The casting is similarly impeccable with Tintin played by Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock and Daniel Craig rounding out the main characters as the villainous Sakharin.  As note perfect as they were, I have to give a quick shout-out to one of my favorite comedy duos.  Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul) play bumbling Interpol inspectors Thomson and Thompson.  They are in fine form and just added that extra touch to my enjoyment of this movie.

Visually stunning, well written and brilliantly played, Tintin stayed true to it’s source.  In my opinion a brilliant movie that could serve as a guide for a different sort of animated movie experience.  Sadly, it probably won’t.  Based on the quietness of the exiting crowd, I don’t expect it to get much box office.  As much as I loved it, much of the audience seemed indifferent to it.

The sequel is already in the works (surprise, surprise), set to be directed by co-producer Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings).  I’m not sure if this movie will grab enough audience to get the sequel green-lighted, but I certainly hope it does.  It’s a rarity these days.  A movie chasing the mainstream that isn’t just another cookie-cutter clone of the last big box office hit.

Here’s hoping it makes it!

Cheers, Winston