The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

I finally went to see "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" today! I've been reading the Tintin comics since I was in primary school and really love them. I was super excited when I heard that Steven Spielberg was going to adapt the series into a movie a few years ago, yet apprehensive that the movie might lose the comic's magic However the movie has received rave reviews, and deservingly so. The movie cleverly weaves the stories of "The Crab with the Golden Claw", "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Reckham's Treasure" seamlessly into one. I like how Captain Haddock told the tale of the Unicorn. I guess that's where cinematography comes into play. Instead of him reading off Sir Francis's diary (as in the comics), we have Haddock remembering the tale in a rare moment of sobriety in the desert and again when he consumed medicinal alcohol (thanks to Snowy ^^).

My favourite scene was after the performance of Bianca Castafiore, the "Milanese nightingale". Tintin had entrusted the Captain with the parchment from the ship's mast. The Captain, stepping out to avoid Castafiore's singing, was briefly tempted by a bottle of whisky offered by Alan, before shaking his head clear and tucking the parchment safely into his pocket. (I went, Good for you, Captain!) Later, a dejected Captain informed Tintin that the bad guy took their copy of the parchment. Tintin angrily accused the Captain of drinking, and Captain Haddock attempted to explain, "No, it was Alan, he..." His feeble attempt was cut short by Tintin, who grabbed him and said quietly, "I can smell it on you." (Aww what have you done, Captain?) Tintin then walked away, leaving the Captain in astonished silence. What a powerful scene! I can sense Tintin's disappointment in Captain Haddock, which created another dimension in their relationship. The Tintin in the movie had more emotions than in the comics. Likewise, the movie Haddock had a more world-weary feel than the comic one. He explained that he drank because he could never match up to Sir Francis's bravery and ability, and he felt like a loser. It's hard not to feel sorry for him.

And I think I finally realise why I think the CGI characters look weird to me. Because Haddock and Tintin's eyes were very blue. Very beautiful, but in the comics they were just, well, two black dots. xP

Looking forward to seeing Professor Cuthbert Calculus in the next movie!