The young reporter Tintin gets entangled in a fun, breakneck and exotic adventure that comes recommended for children from 10 years of age.

Plot
Tintin and his dog Terry come across a model of a stately sailing ship at the local marked, and buy it for a cheap price. Little do they know that this is the start of a spectacular adventure. It turns out that the model is a replica of the legendary sailing ship "The Unicorn", which hides a secret many people seek; not least Mr Sakharine, who is willing to step over dead bodies to gain possession of the model ship.

With a little help from Terry, Tintin finds a hidden message in the mast of the small ship. It contains a verse and some strange instructions, but Tintin barely has time to consider the meaning of the message before he is kidnapped and taken aboard the ship "Karaboudjan". Here, he meets the drunk Captain Haddock, and, after a rather turbulent meeting, the two partner up and escape from the ship.

This marks the beginning of a race against Mr Sakharine to be the first to reveal the secret of “The Unicorn”. On their perilous journey, Tintin, Captain Haddock and Terry have to tackle deadly challenges at sea, in the air and in the Sahara desert.

Quality and Theme
The imaginative and exotic stories about Tinitin are well known to most adults. During recent years, there has been a bit quiet around Tintin, but when he steps on to the big screen, it is done in style and with spectacle. With Steven Spielberg in the director’s chair, this has become a well made and highly entertaining action adventure. The film has barely started before the action is in full swing. Action and comedy is well mixed together, the story takes us to unexpected and spectacular places, and especially the drunkard Captain Haddock is a fun character.

This is a so-called ”3D Motion Capture Film”, which means that the scenes have been filmed with real actors, and then everything has been digitalised and special effects have been added. The technique works well, but most people will notice that the older and wrinkly characters look more realistic than the young Tintin. As another film critic has remarked; supposedly, a £82 million budget isn’t sufficient to give the characters a twinkle in the eye. On the other hand, the film contains several elegant and fun filmatic details that exploit the technique to its full potential.

Throughout the story, we get insight into the importance of not giving up, even when all hope seems lost. As Captain Haddock says: "If you meet a wall – go through it." Speaking of Captain Haddock, he is a good example of what happens if you drink too much, and what happens when you stop.

Conclusion
“The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” has a PG rating. Several of the scenes are dark and gloomy, brutal murders occur (though without any bloodshed), and our heroes are constantly in danger. For this reason, we recommend the film for children from 10 years and above.

For the appropriate age group, this is a great adventure. The violence is never explicit, and the constant sense of danger makes for a thrilling and exciting film experience.

Conclusion
Steven Spielberg has made a fun action adventure that is perfectly suited to everyone older than 10 years of age.

Facts

Director: Steven Spielberg Genre: Adventure, Animation Language: English Nationality: USA Production Company: Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks SKG, Herge Studios, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, WingNut Films Length: 1h 47mins Production Year: 2011 Age Limit: PG Suitability: Children/Young people BBFC’s Consumer Advice: Contains moderate fight scenes.

Our Assessment: Recommended

Other reviews:

The Telegraph

Film4