''The Extraordinary Adventures of '' (), released as ''Adèle: Rise of the Mummy'' in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, 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 filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...

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

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec ''The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec'' () is a gaslamp fantasy comic book series first appearing in 1976 written and illustrated by French comics artist Jacques Tardi and published in ''album'' format by Belgian publisher Caster ...

'' by Jacques Tardi 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, teleportation, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry (paranormal), psychometry) and other paranormal cla ...

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 inclined plane, ramp and the lever, to aid construction processes. They used rope t ...

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

live-action 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 feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...

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 a ...

, incorporates much use of

computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating Film, moving images. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both still images and moving images, while computer animation refers to moving images. Virtu ...

to portray its fanciful elements and contemporary

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

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 * Special police forces ...

and

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as 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 fo ...

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

Plot

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, 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 135 million year-old

pterosaur Pterosaurs are 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 million to 66 million years ago). Pterosaurs are the earli ...

egg within the ''

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) 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. With 4.4 ...

''. 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' ...

(scandalously sharing a taxicab with a ' showgirl) which, though witnessed only by the then-drunk passerby Ferdinand who is detained by the police, sparks an epidemic of claimed sightings of the creature. The

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...

orders the case be considered of utmost urgency by the National Police, only for it to be handed down to the highly decorated but bumbling Inspector Albert Caponi. Adèle Blanc-Sec, a journalist and travel writer of some fame, finds herself involved after returning from

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, where she was searching for

Ramesses II Ramesses II (sometimes written Ramses or Rameses) (; , , ; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was an Pharaoh, Egyptian pharaoh. He was the third ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Nineteenth Dynasty. Along with Thutmose III of th ...

's mummified 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 bein ...

. 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 execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...

, 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 Trophy hunting, trophies, taxidermy, meat, and commercially valuable animal product, animal by-products (such as horn (anatomy), horns, antlers, tusks, bones, fur, body fat, or special o ...

Justin de Saint-Hubert having any success in taking down the beast itself. Andrej Zborowski, a researcher at the

Jardin des Plantes The Jardin des Plantes (, ), also known as the Jardin des Plantes de Paris () when distinguished from other ''jardins des plantes'' in other cities, is the main botanical garden in France. Jardin des Plantes is the official name in the present da ...

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 shoots the pterosaur with the wound simultaneously mimicked in Espérandieu. The shot is ultimately fatal, but not before Espérandieu is able to revive the mummy. The mummy reveals itself to be the

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

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 cau ...

("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 a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, 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 (also known as a stinger, end tag, or credit cookie) is a short teaser clip that appears after the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV show, or video game has run. It is usually i ...

, 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 primarily herbivorous, terrestrial 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 five su ...

s stare menacingly at Saint-Hubert.

Cast

* Louise Bourgoin as Adèle Blanc-Sec *

Mathieu Amalric Mathieu Amalric (; born 25 October 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker. He has won several César Awards and the Lumière Awards. He is best known internationally for his roles in the James Bond film '' Quantum of Solace'', in which he pla ...

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 '' ...

as Professor Ménard *

Gilles Lellouche Gilles Lellouche (; born 5 July 1972) is a French actor and director. He was nominated twice for a César Award; in 2006 for Most Promising Actor and in 2011 for Best Supporting actor for his performance in '' Little White Lies'' (2010). Earl ...

as Inspector Albert Caponi *

Jean-Paul Rouve Jean-Paul Rouve (; born 26 January 1967) is a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. He is a founding member of the Les Robins des Bois comedy troupe, active from 1996 onwards. He has appeared in over 70 film and television pro ...

as Justin de Saint-Hubert *

Jacky Nercessian Jacky Nercessian (or ''Nersessian'' (), 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 in 1950 in Saint-Etienne. He g ...

as Professor Marie-Joseph Espérandieu * Nicolas Giraud as Andrej Zborowski * Frédérique Bel as The Bourgeois * Laure de Clermont as Agathe Blanc-Sec *

Swann Arlaud Swann Arlaud (born 25 March 1981) is a French actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Romantics Anonymous'' (2010), ''Elles (film), Elles'' (2011), ''Les Anarchistes'' (2015), ''The Wakhan Front'' (2015), ''Baden Baden (film), Baden Baden'' (2 ...

as The Elysée Crier * Youssef Hadji as Aziz

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 aggregator, 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 ...

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, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'' 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, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...

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

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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 ki ...

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 the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt Films set in Paris Films shot in Egypt Films with live action and animation Mummy films Live-action films based on comics Fiction about pterosaurs Science fantasy films EuropaCorp films French historical fantasy films 2010s French films Films with screenplays by Luc Besson