“The Adventures of Tin Tin” features amazing computer generated effects that are perfectly photo realistic but to a fault. The architecture, the vehicles, the rolling ocean waves; all elements are so authentic that it is nearly impossible to differentiate from actual live, practical footage. The film’s characters are created by capturing an actor’s movements down to the minute detail making the animated cast appear to be alive. Hair follicles and skin pores can be seen, creating carbon copies of the players in a virtual world.
The question is why? Why go to the trouble of spending hundreds of millions of dollars generating a world in a computer that looks exactly like what is to be found all around us? Why not just film the real world and save some trouble? There are some benefits to faking reality, like moving the camera around freely, but it doesn’t seem worth it. The end result is a distracting viewing experience that makes it impossible to watch “The Adventures of Tin Tin” without being aware of the fact that you are viewing a giant, grand special effect that is lifeless despite the filmmaker’s efforts of making it appear otherwise.
What makes matters worse is that this project should have been an epic mash up for the ages. Here we have two of our greatest entertainers joining forces: Mr. Steven Spielberg and Mr. Peter Jackson. The result is not “Indiana Jones meets Lord of the Rings” but rather “Indiana Jones meets Blue’s Clues”. The mystery is too simple, the intrigue is nonexistent.
Based on a hugely popular classic comic strip by Georges Remi (who wrote under the pen name, Herge), Tin Tin (Jaime Bell) is a Belgian investigative reporter who is swept up in a conundrum involving some tiny model ships and a buried treasure from yesterdays past. Tin Tin rolls old school, enlisting the help of his trusty dog Snowy and a magnifying glass to crack the case.
What happens in the film is not important. Mr. Spielberg didn’t seem too interested in the actual plotline so why should we be? It’s all about the action and “The Adventures of Tin Tin” does deliver spectacle on a grand scale. There is one impossibly long shot that is worth a look as Tin Tin chases three important clues down a hillside as tanks and missile launchers destroy the third world city around him. Sadly, this plays as a glimpse of how thrilling the rest of the film should have been.
The problem that haunted me while watching this massive misfire is the notion that all involved seems to be calling it in, coasting through the motions. Take the score by John Williams as an example. The blaring horns woven throughout sound like Williams of old (there are even moments when you swear that the “Indiana Jones” theme is about to start up) but the end result is as nondescript as the rest of the movie. What could have been a collaboration of two master storytellers sadly becomes a reminder of how great the two men used to be.