Parents' Guide to The Adventures of Tintin

Director Steven Spielberg's name evokes a level of cinematic genius that in this case might work against the legendary filmmaker. Audiences expecting an epic on the scale of Raiders of the Lost Ark might be slightly disappointed, but such is the problem of combining three Tintin tales into one two-hour movie. There isn't enough time to truly get to know Tintin (although a quick sweep of his European flat explains that he's solved many a mystery that winds up on the cover of international publications). The breakneck speed of the action is dizzying -- and, while not confusing, it's still a lot to take in for moviegoers who don't have the back story of Tintin's fame or reputation.

Visually, the animation far surpasses that of previous motion-capture films and is an excellent example of top-notch animated cinematography and artistry. The action sequences -- particularly those on the Unicorn -- are impressively rendered, with bodies swinging and shooting and jumping all over the screen. With his young, peppy voice, Bell hits the right note of optimism and self-confidence as the nervy Tintin. English comedians Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are perfectly cast as the bumbling look-alike Inspectors Thompson and Thomson, and Craig is appropriately evil-sounding as Sakharine and Red Rackham. And Serkis, who wowed critics as Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, continues his streak as the world's most renowned motion-capture actor. Adventure-loving tweens and Tintin fans will likely adore this globe-trotting adventure, but the rest might prefer their child heroes a little more thoroughly fleshed out.