Directed By Luc Besson
Starring Louise Bourgoin, Gilles Lellouche, Nicolas Giraud and Mathieu Amalric
It’s 1912 and intrepid adventurer/reporter Adele Blanc-Sec is on a grave-robbing expedition to Egypt in hopes of claiming the mummified remains of a pharoah’s personal doctor, intent on reviving him and using his expertise to cure her ailing sister. Meanwhile, the kooky professor she’s relying on to bring her borrowed mummy back to life has accidentally awoken a prehistoric pteradactlyl, which is causing havoc around Paris as dopey detective Capoldi and equally inept hunter Justin de Saint-Hubert attempt to track the beast.
Having misspent much of the last decade at the helm of the lacklustre Arthur & The Invisibles movies, Luc Besson makes a triumphant return with this delightful comic fantasy adventure, which adapts Jacques Tardi’s ’70s comic of the same name. Equal parts Amelie and Indiana Jones, with a dash of Night at the Museum (only, k’now, good), Adele Blanc-Sec wonderfully blends farcical French comedy with gripping old-fashioned, high-stakes adventure.
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Whether it’s the intense thrill of seeing her thwart her sinister French nemesis in a wonderfully executed Indiana Jones-style tomb raiding scene, or the immense giggles that come when she uses a variety of less-than-successful disguises (and a pterodactyl) to stage a guillotine-dodging prison break, Miss Blanc-Suc’s escapades are incredibly infectious fun. So much fun that the film loses a little of its spark as it leaves her to dart between subplots and set-ups.
That’s not to say the rest of the film is bad. On the contrary, the Clouseau-esque farce surrounding Inspector Capoldi brings a tonne of laughs thanks to Gilles Lellouche’s wonderfully deadpan performance, and the screwball hijinks are never less than entertaining. But the meandering reach of the narrative sometimes spends a little too much time jumping between characters or setting up dominoes to be nudged in sequels, and feels like it’s losing a focus that’d be better spent on its plucky lead.
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Consider it a testament to how bewitching a character Adele Blanc-Sec is and how beautifully the delectable Louise Bourgoin brings her to life. In what should be a star-making turn, former weather girl Bourgoin exhibits a magnetic presence, crackerjack comic timing and is equally adept at injecting emotional heart into the film’s dramatic dalliances. Then there’s Adele Blanc-Sec herself. Stubbornly feistly, unflappably cool and deliciously droll, she’s the most enchanting French heroine since Amélie and should be nipping at Lisbeth Salander’s heels on top ten lists of modern cinema’s most captivating female heroes.
A picturesque, high-energy romp through Paris and parts beyond, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec is a wonderfully whimsical fantasy adventure full of thrills, giggles, pterodactyls and talking mummies. Besson might spend a little too much of the film setting up possible sequels, but after tagging along on Adele Blanc-Sec’s first adventure, you’ll be instantly clambering for more.
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As well as a lovely HD transfer which makes the most of the film’s gorgeous period visuals and a great 5.1 DTS Master Audio track (there’s a 2.0 LPCM track, too), Optimum’s Blu-ray includes the following special features:
A 26 minute-long look at the making of the movie. While half of it’s the usual fluff piece interviews in which the actors chat about their character and how great it was to work with Besson, there’s some interesting behind-the-scenes stuff, including a section on the CGI and practical work that went into recreating 1912 Paris and some side-by-side comparison shots showing how faithfully the comics were recreated for the screen.
Solo interviews with the major cast and director Luc Besson. At 15-20 minutes apiece, there’s a lot of content here, but much of it is recycled from the Making Of documentary. An additional solo talk with Besson – a 25 minute episode of Cinemoi’s interview show ‘Mise en Scene’ – is more enjoyable and in-depth and a nice inclusion.
A five minute look behind the scenes as actress Louise Bourgoin hesitantly records a song for the film’s soundtrack.
The Film:
The Blu-ray:
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec is out on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK from 15th August 2011.
Click here to order the Blu-ray set from Amazon.co.uk.
A Limited Edition Steelbook Double Play version of the Blu-ray is also available here.
(Note: The images above were captured and saved at a reduced quality, and though they give an idea of how the film looks, they aren’t intended to reflect the true quality of the Blu-ray image itself.)