The Adventures of Tintin (TV Series) The Secret of the Unicorn: Part 1 (1991) User Reviews

First half of a grand adventure

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 19 December 2016]

THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN is probably one of the best-remembered of the Tintin adventures and it was the one that Spielberg helped to adapt for his disappointing CGI movie in 2011. This one's a two-part adventure that actually has a sequel in the form of RED RACKHAM'S TREASURE, so don't expect a resolution of sorts.

The story is vintage Tintin and involves our hero coming into contact with a mysterious model ship which may or may not hold the secret to a hidden treasure. There's a lot of back and forth antics with your usual criminal gang and as a whole this adventure works very well with a fast pace and, crucially, plenty of humour. Captain Haddock returns to the fold in this one and is a real scene-stealer. The Thompson Twins also supply effective comedy. The print I watched was noticeably deteriorated compared to the other episodes in this series so perhaps the elements weren't preserved as well.

Tintin stumbles upon a old sea tale of great wealth.

[lost-in-limbo · 25 March 2007]

Tintin buys an old model ship for Captain Haddock, but two men try to hassle him out of it with money. He repeatedly declines their offers. After the mask breaks on it, unknowingly to Tintin a bit of paper falls under the cupboard. When he shows it to Haddock, he takes him back to his place to show a picture of his ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock and the ship behind him is the very same one "The Unicorn". When they return to his apartment, the model ship is gone. Accusing one of those men of stealing it, he visits one of them after they gave him his personal card. He finds out he has the exactly same model, but obviously it's a different one as it isn't broken. Heading back home, he finds his house messed up and while cleaning it up he finds the mysterious paper, which could lead them to Sir Francis Haddock's lost treasure. Now he just has to get his hands on the pieces of paper in the other two models, before those who wrecked his apartment get them before him.

Herge's "The Secret of the Unicorn" is the eleventh story to come from the comic albums of "The Adventures of Tintin", and would be the third and fourth (in 2 parts) episodes of season 1. This would be the first half of the story too, which would be concluded in the follow up "Red Rackham's Treasure". Since I watched it in one full episode, I'll provide my review for both parts on this page.

The story for this premise is quite multi-layered and densely populated with neat twists, tight mystery and a comical sub-plot involving the Detective's Thompsons' clumsy shenanigans in trying to nab a crafty pick-pocketing wallet thief. This element has a nice touch of irony within it and eventually it crosses paths with the central story. We get to learn a bit about Haddock's ancestor and background too. Obviously Haddock is the main focus here, and he always steals the limelight with his steamed up antics and exuberant personality. He's on fire with his cursing for this adventure! "To be precise…". The narrow-minded and downright clueless Thompsons make for a great time as well. The well written exchanges between the characters worked nicely and the lingo provided has flair and freshness to it. There's nothing predictable about it. This one also provides us with the first appearance of the butler Lester, who would go on to be Haddock's butler at the Marlinspike Hall Estate. This is a highly riveting and unforgettable tale in the series, which has a great mixture of elements working in its favour.

Oops

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 16 December 2020]

I like the bit where the model boat falls on the floor and get broken

Captain Haddock's Journal

[injury-65447 · 4/10 · 19 June 2020]

This episode really didn't hook me at all compared to the first two.

The whole episode is basically just CH recounting a story from his ancestor's journal about pirates who stole his ship (which he then destroyed). I guess he got the treasure from the ship somehow (I don't know if they explained that part) and has now left maps in three model boats to lead to it.

Edit: oh I think he will just lead them to where the treasure sank? That makes more sense. We shall see in part 2.

I'm guessing the meat of the adventure will come in later episodes which are hopefully more engaging. This was just a lot of boring setup in my opinion.