''The Extraordinary Adventures of '' (french: link=no, Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec), released as ''Adèle: Rise of the Mummy'' in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, is a 2010 French fantasy adventure feature film written and directed by

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), ''The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Besson is associated with the ' ...

. It is loosely based on the comic book series ''

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec ''The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec'' (french: link=no, Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec) is a gaslamp fantasy comic book series first appearing in 1976 written and illustrated by French comics artist Jacques Tardi a ...

'' by

Jacques Tardi Jacques Tardi (; born 30 August 1946) is a French comic artist. He is often credited solely as Tardi. Biography Tardi was born on 30 August 1946 in Valence, Drôme. After graduating from the École nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon and the Éco ...

and, as in the comic, follows the eponymous writer and a number of recurring side characters in a succession of far-fetched incidents in 1910s Paris and beyond, in this episode revolving around

parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...

and ultra-advanced

Ancient Egyptian technology Ancient Egyptian technology describes devices and technologies invented or used in Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians invented and used many simple machines, such as the ramp and the lever, to aid construction processes. They used rope trusses to sti ...

, which both pastiche and subvert adventure and speculative fiction of the period. The primarily

live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

film, shot in

Super 35 Super 35 (originally known as Superscope 235) is a motion picture film format that uses exactly the same film stock as standard 35 mm film, but puts a larger image frame on that stock by using the space normally reserved for the optical anal ...

, incorporates much use of

computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...

to portray its fanciful elements and contemporary

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

and

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...

within the form of the older-style adventure films they have largely superseded.

Plot

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, Professor Espérandieu is experimenting with

telepathic Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

techniques, and he unintentionally hatches a 136 million year-old

pterosaur Pterosaurs (; from Greek ''pteron'' and ''sauros'', meaning "wing lizard") is an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order, Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 to ...

egg within the ''

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...

''. This results in the death of a former

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

(scandalously sharing a taxicab with a ' showgirl) which though witnessed only by the then-drunk sparks an epidemic of claimed sightings of the creature. The

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...

orders the case be considered of utmost urgency by the

National Police National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: Cuban National Police *East Timor: National Police of ...

, only for it to be handed down to the bumbling Inspector Albert Caponi. Adèle Blanc-Sec, a journalist and travel writer of some fame, finds herself involved after returning from

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, where she was searching for

Ramesses II Ramesses II ( egy, wikt:rꜥ-ms-sw, rꜥ-ms-sw ''Rīʿa-məsī-sū'', , meaning "Ra is the one who bore him"; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Along with Thutmose III he is oft ...

mummified A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay furt ...

doctor/physician Patmosis. She wants to revive the mummy with the help of Espérandieu so the doctor can save her sister Agathe, who is comatose following an unfortunate tennis incident involving a

hatpin A hatpin is a decorative and functional pin for holding a hat to the head, usually by the hair. In Western culture, hatpins are almost solely used by women and are often worn in a pair. They are typically around in length, with the pinhead bei ...

. After a brief struggle with her nemesis, the mysterious Professor Dieuleveult, she retrieves the mummy and returns home. Her mission is complicated further by Espérandieu being on

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...

, having been blamed for the pterosaurs attacks, in lieu of Inspector Caponi and celebrity

big game hunter Big-game hunting is the hunting of large game animals for meat, commercially valuable by-products (such as horns/antlers, furs, tusks, bones, body fat/oil, or special organs and contents), trophy/taxidermy, or simply just for recreation ("spo ...

Justin de Saint-Hubert having any success in taking down the beast itself. Andrej Zborowski, a researcher at the Jardin des Plantes who is enamored with Adèle, is able to lure the pterosaur into hiding. Adèle, riding the pterosaur, rescues Espérandieu moments before his execution. Saint-Hubert fatally shoots the pterosaur along with Espérandieu, but not before Espérandieu is able to revive the mummy. The mummy reveals itself to be the

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

("I'm a nuclear physicist. I deal in figures, signs and equations.") and is unable to help her sister medically. Instead he accompanies Adèle to the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, where they revive the rest of the Pharaoh's mummified court on display there, including the Pharaoh himself. The Pharaoh's doctor uses their advanced medical techniques to revive Agathe. The Pharaoh then decides he wants to see Paris, so the entire court wanders out into the night, scaring the ever-hapless Choupard yet again. Adèle decides she needs a vacation to relax. As she boards the ship, the name RMS ''Titanic'' is revealed. Dieuleveult is then shown, sarcastically wishing her a "good journey". In a

mid-credits scene A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...

, Ménard pursues Saint-Hubert with a rifle, still outraged that Saint-Hubert shot the pterosaur. Ménard is arrested by Caponi as two

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

s stare menacingly at Saint-Hubert.

Cast

Louise Bourgoin Louise Bourgoin (; born Ariane Louise Bourgoin, 28 November 1981) is a French actress, model and television presenter. Life and career She was born on 28 November 1981 in Rennes. Bourgoin's parents, both secondary level teachers, encouraged ...

as Adèle Blanc-Sec *

Mathieu Amalric Mathieu Amalric (; born 25 October 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker. He is best known internationally for his roles in the James Bond film ''Quantum of Solace'', in which he played the lead villain, Steven Spielberg's ''Munich (2005 film), ...

as Dieuleveult *

Philippe Nahon Philippe Nahon (; 24 December 1938 – 19 April 2020) was a French actor. Best known films Nahon was best known for his roles in French horror and thriller films, including '' I Stand Alone'', '' Humains'', '' Calvaire'', ''The Pack'' and ''H ...

as Professor Ménard *

Gilles Lellouche Gilles Lellouche (; born 5 July 1972) is a French actor. He started his career as a director. Lellouche has appeared in more than fifty films since 1995. He was nominated twice for a César Award; in 2006 for Most Promising Actor and in 201 ...

as Inspector Albert Caponi *

Jean-Paul Rouve Jean-Paul Rouve (born 26 January 1967) is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He is a member of the troupe "Les Robins des Bois". He has appeared in more than thirty film and television productions since 1993. Personal li ...

as Justin de Saint-Hubert *

Jacky Nercessian Jacky Nercessian (or ''Nersessian'' ( hy, Ժաքի Ներսեսյան), born November 16, 1950) is a French actor who is ethnically Armenian. One of his most known roles is Apkar in '' Mayrig'' by Henri Verneuil. Biography Nercessian was born ...

as Professor Espérandieu *

Nicolas Giraud Nicolas Giraud (born 12 November 1978) is a French actor and filmmaker. Among the various films roles in which he has appeared in, he was one of the kidnappers in the 2008 film '' Taken''. He is the writer, director and editor of the short film ' ...

as Andrej Zborowski *

Frédérique Bel Frédérique Bel (born 24 March 1975) is a French actress and model. A native of Annecy in the French Alps, she became known for her role as Dorothy Doll in the ''La Minute Blonde'' sequence from '' Le Grand Journal'' on Canal+. She has since pl ...

as The Bourgeois * Laure de Clermont as Agathe Blanc-Sec *

Swann Arlaud Swann Arlaud (born 30 November 1981) is a French actor. He has appeared in films such as '' Romantics Anonymous'' (2010), ''Les Anarchistes'' (2015), ''The Wakhan Front'' (2015) and '' Baden Baden'' (2016). Career In 2020 Arlaud won the César A ...

as The Elysée

crier A town crier, also called a bellman, is an officer of a royal court or public authority who makes public pronouncements as required. Duties and functions The town crier was used to make public announcements in the streets. Criers often dress ...

* Youssef Hadji as Aziz * Bernard Lanneau as the narrator

Production

The film incorporates characters and events from several of the ', in particular the first, "Adèle and the Beast", first published in 1976, and the fourth, 1978's "Mummies on Parade," within an overall plot of 's construction and takes place primarily in

, .

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

the film has a score of 85% based on reviews from 26 critics, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "''The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec'' is an old-school adventure yarn with a distaff European - and generally rather delightful - spin." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine called the film a "polished comicbook adaptation" and praised the performance of Louise Bourgoin's as the titular heroine. The reviewer complains that Besson's work is uneven, and the reviewer suggests that Besson would benefit from fresh collaborative voices, and a scissors for the overlong third act. Angie Errigo of ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' magazine gave the film 4 stars, proclaiming that "Besson is back". Matthew Turner of ''ViewLondon'' gave the film 5 stars, writing: "impressively directed and beautifully designed, this is a highly entertaining and frequently funny action-adventure romp with a witty script, great special effects and a terrific central performance from rising star Louise Bourgoin".

Home media

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

released a censored PG-rated version of the film in the United States on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

in August 2013. The original unedited version was released on Blu-ray in October 2013.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Extraordinary Adventures Of Adele Blanc-Sec, The 2010 films 2010s French-language films 2010s fantasy adventure films 2010s historical fantasy films French fantasy adventure films Films about dinosaurs Films scored by Éric Serra Films based on French comics Films directed by Luc Besson Films set in 1912 Films set in Egypt Films set in ancient Egypt Films set in Paris Films shot in Egypt Films with live action and animation Mummy films Live-action films based on comics Pterosaurs in fiction Science fantasy films EuropaCorp films French historical fantasy films 2010s French films