If elaborate action sequences (with a truckload of elements) made good films, then The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn would be the finest blockbuster of 2011.

Adapted from Belgian comic series by Herge, Tintin is a far-flung boyhood adventure directed by Steven Spielberg that’s set in the age of perpetual innocence — perhaps in the 1930’s. The film’s non-reliance on time and modern inventions like GPRS, internet and cellphones is comforting.

Here, Andy Serkis (King Kong, Lord of the Ring’s Gollum and Caesar from the Rise of the Planet of the Apes) plays Captain Haddock — a drunk captain whose ancestral past links with Tintin (voiced and played by Jamie Bell), as they search for clues leading to the Unicorn, a lost ship of treasure. Finding the Unicorn is an aspect reserved for the Peter Jackson directed sequel, coming after he completes The Hobbit “duology”. For now, the plot is about discovering the right clues to link to the sequel.

Watching how that happens may be the best hour and 40 minutes one may spend in front of the screen (both, big or small).

Building on the cliché of an Indy movie, Tintin shifts scenes with tempestuous ferocity, choosing instead to ripen characters, themes and story-arcs mid-flight. The film starts with a slowly-peaking momentum: a small clever sequence where the camera skirts near Tintin’s feet, finally pushing into a reveal a caricature of his face drawn by Herge, its creator. The likeness, when Tintin turns, isn’t remarkable; however, when the film actually starts rolling, the likeness blends in quite naturally.

There are some cinematographic movements that don’t blend together naturally enough. Still, since the pace is hyperbolic, and the camera constantly converges around the actors. This instance (and the jolt) lasts for a fraction of a second.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is rated PG-13. The way Snowy kept getting out of danger proves that Steven Spielberg is a dog-person.