Movie · 2011 · Adventure, Animation, Mystery · 1h 47m · PG · English
Curator score: 5.8/10 (652.1K ratings)
Discover how far adventure will take you.
Overview
Intrepid young reporter, Tintin, and his loyal dog, Snowy, are thrust into a world of high adventure when they discover a ship carrying an explosive secret. As Tintin is drawn into a centuries-old mystery, Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine suspects him of stealing a priceless treasure. Tintin and Snowy, with the help of salty, cantankerous Captain Haddock and bumbling detectives, Thompson and Thomson, travel half the world, one step ahead of their enemies, as Tintin endeavors to find the Unicorn, a sunken ship that may hold a vast fortune, but also an ancient curse.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.8/10
IMDb: 7.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.67/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Metacritic: 68
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Steven Spielberg
Production
Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Hemisphere Media Capital, Nickelodeon Movies, Amblin Entertainment, WingNut Films
Cast
Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Daniel Mays, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones, Enn Reitel, Mackenzie Crook, Tony Curran, Sonje Fortag, Cary Elwes, Phillip Rhys, Ron Bottitta, Mark Ivanir, Sebastian Roché, Kim Stengel, Abraham Justice, Sana Etoile
Where to watch
fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Curator Review
Verdict
A brisk, crowd-pleasing adventure with standout motion-capture animation, inventive camera movement, and Spielberg’s gift for propulsive set pieces. It plays like a modern pulp serial: funny, globe-trotting, and constantly in motion, with enough mystery and spectacle to satisfy both kids and adventure-movie fans.
Best for
fans of classic adventure serials
viewers who like kinetic family action
Spielberg completists
people who enjoy mystery-driven treasure hunts
animation fans interested in performance capture
Skip if
you want a darker or more grounded adventure
you dislike stylized animation or motion-capture faces
you prefer character drama over chase-heavy plotting
you need a fully self-contained story with no sequel bait
Overview
The Adventures of Tintin is Spielberg in full play mode, turning a beloved comic into a breathless, globe-trotting chase machine. The film is packed with elaborate tracking shots, comic timing, and action that feels designed around pure visual momentum. It’s one of those rare family blockbusters that seems to be enjoying its own cleverness without losing the audience.
Worth noting
The motion-capture animation is still divisive, but here it serves the film’s comic-book energy well. Faces can feel slightly uncanny, yet the staging, movement, and physical comedy are the real stars. The treasure-hunt structure is simple on paper, but Spielberg keeps layering in momentum, reversals, and set-piece invention until it feels bigger than the sum of its parts.
Bottom line
What makes it linger is how confidently it channels old-fashioned adventure while still feeling technically adventurous. It’s not just a nostalgic throwback; it’s a reminder of how elastic and playful mainstream action can be when a filmmaker is fully in command. If you miss big-screen escapism with wit and precision, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (4★) · 4703 likes
Dial of Destiny who? In this house we watch the REAL Indiana Jones 5
demi adejuyigbe (5★) · 3070 likes
It's a masterpiece. The best adventure film of the decade. Gorgeous, inventive, globetrotting, swashbuckling fun that only Spielberg could do. Caught myself going "oh shit, now this part is gonna rule" every few minutes over Zoom to make sure my friends took stock of every clever transition and oner. So much credit is given to Andy Serkis for playing apes and golems and all sorts of non-human characters that we ignore how good he is at just making a man… more It's a masterpiece. The best adventure film of the decade. Gorgeous, inventive, globetrotting, swashbuckling fun that only Spielberg could do. Caught myself going "oh shit, now this part is gonna rule" every few minutes over Zoom to make sure my friends took stock of every clever transition and oner. So much credit is given to Andy Serkis for playing apes and golems and all sorts of non-human characters that we ignore how good he is at just making a man… more
demi adejuyigbe (5★) · 2183 likes
The best Uncharted movie ever made. And probably– bear with me, here– Spielberg's funniest movie. The medium lets him play with gags so much more and it's clear he's having a blast with it. So much fun, he gave us the BFG and Ready Player One. Kenny Rogers was so real about knowing when to fold 'em.
It's also one of the– keep bearing with me here– Spielberg-iest Spielberg movies, if that makes sense? He's using every single trick in… more
Jim Cummings (5★) · 1472 likes
An actual adventure masterpiece.
So big and fun and wild and nostalgic and hilarious to think about the set
karen h. (4.5★) · 1354 likes
when steven spielberg rotates the camera 720° i just go nuts