The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn

 (17 customer reviews)

I think you have to be Belgian, or at least a Francophone, to fully appreciate all the subtleties and nuances of Tintin. Created by the Belgian artist and author Georges Rémi under his pen name Hergé, the character first appeared in print in 1929 and went on to appear in 23 adventure novels spanning a 46-year period up until 1975, followed by the posthumous publication of a final story in 1986, three years after Hergé's death. Not only that, the stories have been adapted for radio, theatre, and a popular 1960s animated television show with its famous voiceover proclaiming that you are watching "Hergé's Adventures of Tintin!" Despite all that, and for reasons I have never fully understood I was never a fan of the franchise - unlike Hollywood giant Steven Spielberg, who is not a Francophone, but who is adapting the story for its first major big screen adventure using state of the art-motion capture technology.

The plot of the film - which combines...Read more

This is John Williams first score since 2008 when he wrote the music for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I liked that score, although it was far from his best work. I do feel that the problem was with the film (duh) and not so much with his music. The opportunities for writing a big epic score just weren't there like they are with Tintin. This movie is fun, playful, and features numerous quirky characters and exciting action scenes. The scale seems somewhat larger than the latest Indy with adventures in Brussels, a 17th Century sailing ship, Bagghar (a Moroccan city), and a dockyard. On the whole this album is good. Very good. This film seems to have rejuvenated Williams in the same way it rejuvenated Spielberg. The tracks are exciting and memorable and the style is distinct enough that it sets the tone for the...Read more

I am not often a movie or music critic, or reviewer, but the very fact that I had to see if I could purchase this recording from Amazon speaks for itself. LOUDLY. I was really taken with the skillful storytelling in the score. Mr. Williams really helps to present the story to the audience. I know that is his job, but it is done so wonderfully. I really love the interplay of the various WOODWIND instruments, including, as I could tell, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Alto Clarinet, Flute, Oboe, and even Accordian. (I don't know if accordian is classified as a woodwind, but I believe it has reeds to produce the sound.) The Kettle Drums also add significantly in punctuating different scenes. -- This score in totally not overdone , in that it doesn't take over the movie. It does however AUGMENT it nicely.