In both French (with English subtitles) and English (with Chinese subtitles) versions
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Director: Luc Besson
Cast: Louis Bourgoin, Mathieu Amalric, Gilles Lellouche, Jean-Paul Rouve, Jacky Nercessian, Philippe Nahon, Nicolas Giraud, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
RunTime: 1 hr 45 mins
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films & InnoForm Media
Rating: PG (Some Disturbing Scenes)
Official Website: http://www.adeleblancsec-lefilm.com/

Opening Day: 4 November 2010

Synopsis:

The year is 1912. Adele Blanc-Sec, an intrepid young reporter, will go to any lengths to achieve her aims, including sailing to Egypt to tackle mummies of all shapes and sizes.

Meanwhile, in Paris, it’s panic stations! A 136 million-year old pterodactyl egg on a shelf in the natural history museum has mysteriously hatched, and the bird subjects the city to a reign of terror from the skies.

But nothing fazes Adele Blanc Sec, whose adventures reveal many more extraordinary surprises

Movie Review:

The movie world’s interest in comic book adaptations does not seem to wane anytime soon with the latest one to reach our shores being Adèle. Now before you fan boys start wondering whether she’s from Marvel or DC, just know that she’s a hugely-popular Franco-Belgian comic book character and no, she doesn’t have any superpowers. However, she does make up for it with feistiness, and gung ho courage that would give Indiana Jones a run for his ancient gold. Those who grew up on a childhood staple of Tintin and Snowy’s adventures could definitely appreciate Adèle.

In fact, the movie itself is more of a funny action-adventure flick than a contemporary comic book adaptation, so those who are looking forward to a gritty dark tone a la the recent batman movies or whatever Zack Snyder comes out with (minus that owl cartoon) would not find it here.

But don’t let the title fool you into thinking that the movie uses the predictable plot of Mummy horror where a long-dead associate of some Pharaoh is foolishly awaken and immediately wreaks havoc and unleashes curses on humanity, because it’s not. Director Luc Besson attempts to really carry the audience through its own adventure with several unpredictable plot twists that are hilariously quirky and surreal and also quite typically French. Famous for shooting a young Natalie Portman and Milla Jovovich to fame in ‘Léon: The Professional’ and ‘The Fifth Element’ respectively, Besson’s choice of heroine this time is Louise Bourgoin – a former weather girl of France’s popular night talk show, Le Grand Journal. Far from her days of looking good on TV while reporting on rain and sunshine, Bourgoin is easily likeable as she plays the heroine’s spunk and resourcefulness like a true spunky and resourceful heroine should – without the use of feminine wiles.

Except for one scene early in the movie where she desperately needed to escape the evil clutches of a villain, Adele does not suddenly turn sexy to squirm her way out of a sticky situation. Considering the slapstick comedy and witty humour ever present in the movie to appeal to children and families, Adele’s neutered sexuality is not really out of place. In fact, Adèle is acted out with such endless tomboy aggression that at times, one feels that it’s Indy himself in an early 20th century dress.

The costume and look of the characters are also other things to be enjoyed. Trust the fashionable French for taking particular care in choosing beautiful period dresses for Adèle herself to ruin with her lack of fear for pterodactyl rides or dusty mummy coffins. For those who have watched Golden Globes 2008’s Best Foreign Film, ‘The Diving Bell and The Butterfly’ and remember Mathieu Almaric, the actor who played stroke-paralyzed Elle French Editor, it would be a challenge trying to identify him under the ugly villain makeup. Adèle herself is transformed under multiple hilarious yet realistic disguises that include a fat grumpy prison cook and a male lawyer among others as she attempts to jailbreak a comrade.

Overall, the movie is just simply family fun. Even though the whole thing would be forgotten after that post-movie toilet trip, the laugh out loud comedy and fantasy element are enough to remind us why most of us bother to spend a few dollars for a few hours of sitting in the dark – to escape.

Movie Rating:



(Good enough to rise from eternal slumber for 107 minutes and not more)

Reviewed by: Siti Nursyafiqa