Sunday, May 25, 2014

Family Movie Night: The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec

Title: The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec
Director: Luc Besson
Original Release: 2010
Choice: My Wife's
My Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5
via Wikipedia
Okay, imagine combining Tintin with Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park.  Throw in a beautiful, take-no-prisoners female lead.  Set it all in a steampunky pre-Great War Paris and you've pretty much got The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec.  Based on the comic book series of the same name by Jacque Tardi, Besson's film introduces Adèle, a fearless reporter/adventurer.  Adèle travels to Egypt in order to exhume and resurrect Pharoah Ramesses II's personal physician so that he, in turn, can cure her comatose sister, out of commission for five years since a gruesome hatpin accident during a tennis match.  Meanwhile, a live pterodactyl hatches out of a 136 million-year-old egg at a paleontology museum in Paris.  Yes, the two stories are related.  Crazy, crazy movie...



I'd explain more of the plot but that would ruin the fun for anyone who decides to watch.  Suffice to say, the narrative is absurd without apology.  The film is well cast with quirky character-actor types.  The visuals - mostly live action but with CGI for the movie's supernatural and prehistoric elements - are dazzling.  Louise Bourgoin is infinitely charming in the lead.  This is really a very solid picture, but only a 3 for me.  I don't feel a strong need to watch it again, though I have a feeling it will come up again in our rotation.

8 comments:

  1. Now this looks so good to me. Count me in !
    Looks just from the clip like one of my favorite Poiret movies.

    cheers, parsnip

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The time period's definitely right for Poirot, though the story is more adventure than mystery. The movie's a lot of fun. I think you'd enjoy it.

      Delete
  2. Okay, I think I am intrigued. This isn't something that would otherwise have come up on my radar, (I don't think.) The only thing that keeps me from seeking it out for my family to watch is your three stars.

    Just watched the trailer. Not sure. Seems lightly hammy? Also, has a bit of a Jumanji vibe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, yes, definitely hammy, and not just a little! It's a lot of fun - a high 3. You should check it out.

      Delete
  3. Whoa. Tin-Tin meets Indiana Jones. Interesting combo!

    ReplyDelete