The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010)

Luc Besson’s 2010 film The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec is based on the popular comic book series by Jacques Tardi which began its run in 1976. Besson is a huge comic book fan.

I mostly avoid 21st century movies but I make an exception for Luc Besson’s movies.

And while I have zero interest in superhero comics or movies based on such comics I do generally enjoy European comic books and European comic-book adaptations.

The story is set in 1912. Adèle Blanc-Sec (Louise Bourgoin) is a reporter and adventurer. As the story opens she is raiding a tomb in Egypt. She is not however after treasure. She is after a mummy, a particular mummy, the personal physician of the Pharaoh Rameses II. She needs his help in order to save her sister. The physician in question has been dead for more than 3,000 years but Adèle has a plan for getting around that problem.

The plan involves an eccentric genius, Professor Marie-Joseph Espérandieu (Jacky Nercessian).

He has discovered a way to awaken the dead. He has tested his technique, successfully, on a 135 million year old pterodactyl. Unfortunately the pterodactyl escaped and is creating mayhem in Paris. That’s how Inspector Albert Caponi (Gilles Lellouche) becomes involved in the story. He has been assigned to solve the pterodactyl case. He has acquired the services of a big game hunter.

Adèle now has the long-dead physician’s mummy but she needs Professor Espérandieu’s help and he’s about to be sent to the guillotine (he is innocent but was blamed for an unfortunate incident for which the pterodactyl was in fact responsible).

Most of the subsequent crazy action involves Adèle’s wild plans to rescue the professor.

She acquires a useful assistant. The pterodactyl. Most girls would not attempt to tame and then ride a flying dinosaur but Adèle is not most girls.

This was by European standards a lavish production. I’m sceptical of movies that rely too much on special effects but in a Besson movie you know that the special effects will be genuinely stylish and witty and imaginative.

This is a gorgeous movie with very impressive sets and costumes. A lot of money was spent but it was money well spent. And Besson has a real feel for this sort of thing and he was clearly able to communicate his enthusiasm to everybody involved.

The makeup effects are excellent. Jacky Nercessian’s makeup took five hours to apply. Yes, while there is CGI there are old school effects as well.

And remarkably the CGI isn’t lame.

I like the fact that while Adèle is definitely an extraordinary heroine she is not obnoxious and she is not a girlboss. She’s a Feisty Girl Reporter and she’s more like an old-fashioned adventure heroine. She’s very likeable and Louise Bourgoin is a delight.

And this is an old-fashioned adventure movie. There is no messaging. Just lots of fun and excitement with the right touches of humour and Adèle’s relationship with her sister adds a little emotional depth.

It’s also a movie with old-fashioned charm.

It’s very Luc Besson. Lots of style. But I love that Besson goes all-out to make stylish movies. Highly recommended.

This is a movie that looks great on Blu-Ray and the accompanying “making of” featurette is very worthwhile.

I’m a major Besson fan and I’ve also reviewed La Femme Nikita (1990), Léon: The Professional (1994), The Fifth Element (1997) and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017).