Written and drawn by Belgian artist Georges Remi under the pen name Hergé, Tintin first sprang to life on the page in 1929 in the gung-ho adventure Tintin In The Land of the Soviets. The plucky reporter with the distinctive ginger quiff has travelled the world and even to the Moon, uncovering dastardly deeds with intrepid pooch Snowy by his side. Now, thanks to film-makers Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, the iconic character enters the 21st century using state-of-the-art motion capture, which translates actors’ movements into the performances of incredibly detailed digital characters.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is the opening salvo of a proposed trilogy, amalgamating the plots of The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure.

Spielberg directs the first film and it’s a breathlessly entertaining romp, littered with eye-popping action set pieces that would simply be unthinkable — not to mention astronomically expensive — as live action.

A dizzying motorcycle chase through the winding alleys of a Moroccan marketplace is accomplished in a single take and Captain Haddock’s penchant for booze provides the hilarious spark for an explosive bi-plane flight. A terrific animated opening reminiscent of Catch Me If You Can introduces us to reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell), who buys a model ship and is plunged into a centuries-old mystery involving Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Daniel Craig).

Ivan asks Tintin to name his price for the boat but the reporter refuses to sell, sensing the wooden vessel is far more valuable than it first appears. Sure enough, a cryptic conundrum lies within, revealing that “only a true Haddock will discover the secret of The Unicorn”. Blistering barnacles! Assisted by Snowy, Tintin searches for more clues, meeting Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), whose family history holds the key to the mystery of a cursed shipwreck.

The film is a hoot, but all of Spielberg’s directorial brio and the gorgeous visuals cannot distract from the lack of characterisation. The film relies entirely on nostalgia, providing no back story about Tintin or any of his friends and foes, other than what is pertinent to the mystery of The Unicorn. As with most thrill rides, we’re giddy during the film, caught up in the action and derring-do but once it ends, there’s that nagging feeling that something is amiss: heart and soul.

Perhaps Tintin will unearth both in the second film, pencilled for release in 2013 with Jackson at the helm.

Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan (Emma Stone) returns home to Jackson after graduating from university with dreams of becoming a writer in The Help. She is horrified to learn that her family’s beloved maid Constantine (Cicely Tyson) has quit and that one of the neighbours, Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), is proposing that black workers should have to use separate bathrooms. Determined to end the discrimination, Skeeter pitches a book to editor Elaine Stein (Mary Steenburgen), detailing the extraordinary lives of the maids, who have spent countless years raising white children.

At first, the maids are reluctant to talk but Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) eventually shares her thoughts as she comes to terms with the recent loss of her only son. As Hilly continues with her crusade for segregation throughout Jackson, Skeeter’s secret novel gathers momentum.

The Help is narrated in soft, lilting tones by Aibileen, whose opening line — “Looking after white babies, that’s what I do” —perfectly encapsulates her invaluable contribution to life in Jackson.

Davis and Spencer lead the cast magnificently, the unerring friendship between their characters providing a hook for every other performance, including Chastain as a lovable ditz and Howard as the society queen bee, who stings anyone that gets in her way.