• It certainly isn’t an essential part of the Spielberg canon- but enough elements worthy of praise to slip into the archives
  • The credit sequence is certainly one of the greatest moments of the film—reminiscent of the brilliant Saul Bass-like work in Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can

The credit sequence is certainly one of the greatest moments of the film—reminiscent of the brilliant Saul Bass-like work in Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can

  • Feels a little long at 106 minutes (some of the chase sequences go on and on)- that’s never good
  • an adventure yarn—it is a treasure hunt, light—like a 1930’s Errol Flynn film
  • Spielberg tried his repeat of 1993’s year (his single greatest)- where he directed two films, one meant to entertain (released in summer) and be box office (Jurassic Park), and the other meant to sweep the awards released at the end of the year (Schindler’s List). This didn’t work in 2011—this here is his Jurassic Park, and War Horse was his Schindler’s List. He actually did this in 1989 with Always and Last Crusade and in 1997 with Amistad and Lost World. He did this in 2002 (closest to 1993’s success) with Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can and then again in with War of the Worlds and Munich  in 2005

an inspired shot here- but the strength of the film is those inventive editing transitions

  • It takes a while for this form to build, but Spielberg does has absolutely dazzling and memorable editing transitions in Tintin. At 44 minutes he matches the ocean to a puddle as he alternates between two story lines and locations. He does this again matching the desert with the sea at 59 minutes. At 61 minutes he matches the shadowy figures as Captain Haddock finally remembers and we come back from a flashback. There are a ton of these, a pen to knife edit at 67 minutes. A great one of a handshake to match the mountains at 72 minutes.
  • Finally, there is a very nice simulated tracking shot chase sequence down a mountain with a dam bursting at 82 minutes
  • Recommend but not terrible close to the top 10 of 2011