Good news for all fans of ‘light’ historical films such as The Mummy, Return of the Mummy and 10,000 BC. Even greater news for fans of the – sublime – comic (although BD, ‘bande dessine’ is more correct) series by Tardi. ‘Les Aventures Extraordinaires d’Adle Blanc-Sec‘ has been made into an adventure movie by Luc Besson (Taxi, Kamikaze, Leon, The Fifth Element), which will star lots of Mummies, at least one Pterodactyl and enough demon worshippers and mad scientists to keep the film going. Indiana Jones, beware emancipation! 😉
Set in 1912, before the Great War, the adventure starts when a 136 million-year-old pterodactyl egg within the Museum of Natural History mysteriously hatches, with the bird bringing disaster upon the city of Paris. Novelist and journalist Adle Blanc-Sec, will go to any lengths to stop the creature – and to save her sister. Luckily for us, those (highly entertaining, looking at the trailer) lengths include battling crooks, corrupt politicians, demon-worshippers and mad scientists, as well as taking on mummies of all shapes and sizes. And the humour? Definitely ‘sec’.
Trailer: Les Adventures extraordinaires d’Adele Blanc-Sec (with English subtitles)
Although Louise Bourgoin is a beautiful (and talented) actress, for me, the star of the movie will be the mummy of Patmosis – enquiring for directions to the exhibition of Ramesses II.
On the ‘ancient Egypt’ menu as well: ‘Egyptomania’ inspired occultism and violations of pharoah’s tombs (and the necessary curses that go with that).
The only thing lacking to put all archaeological clichs in one splendid movie? Nazis. But, as the story is set in pre-WWI era, I won’t hold that against Tardi &Besson for to long. The film will be first released in April in France, but I can’t wait to catch it in London (or Belgium) – whichever plays it first!