A fun adventure called The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec is now available on Blu-ray. The exciting and very comical story does a very good job of reaching its target market pre-teen to twenties and the older crowd that likes a good Indiana Jones genre film. I found the movie fascinating at first then got caught up in all the action and excitement of the twisty storyline. The special features are a must watch following the feature for even more enjoyment.
Its 1912 and the hustle and bustle of Paris, France has been left behind for news reporter Adele (Louise Bourgoin) who has found the key to finding the entrance to the tomb of a Pharaoh. Entering the forbidden caverns of the pyramid with her guide the stalwart woman avoids peril as she stubbornly moves to the entrance. But, she’s not the only one searching for the treasures that lie in the tomb as she soon finds out when the sinister Professor Dieuleveult (Mathieu Amalric) shows up questioning her about a mummy.
The movie flashes to Paris where we find Adele and at her news agency being informed that a Pterodactyl is on the loose and that it was hatched from an ancient egg on display at the local museum. The prehistoric bird has been terrorizing the city and Adele wants the story. So starts an adventure of mummies, a flying prehistoric animal and some very nice twists that keep the film challengingly good.
The film has a wonderful cast that makes the thrills last, the story compelling and the adventure wickedly enjoyable. Director Luc Besson keeps his actors on point as he works with Bourgoin as the main protagonist. Adding some extreme characters creatively designed by the makeup artists to chill and thrill, Adele gets put through her paces trying to solve the puzzles laid before her. Bourgoin makes her Adele interesting, intelligent and a wise ‘Indiana Jones’ like getting into one scrape after another while solving the exciting mysteries set before her.
The film does have an edge but most of the family members should find no difficulty with it if their children watch Nickelodeon or The Disney Channel. The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec has been rated PG by the MPAA for some violence, language, brief sensuality and rude humor so if you have immature youngsters, please watch the film first and then make a judgment call.
The video quality of the Blu-ray is extremely good and the colorful landscapes, City of Paris in the early 1900’s and the flying Pterodactyl are all nicely presented. I found no distortion or any defects in the showing of the film. The camerawork, special effects and CGI are very good and make the film very realistic and adventurous.
The sound quality using the DTS-HD 5.1 or 2.0 on my Blu-ray really pumps out the dialogue loud and clear. The excellent musical soundtrack provides a nice background for the film and plays very good through my sound system. Necessary special effects sound and street noise can be heard and the screeching sounds from the Pterodactyl are loud and clear.
The special bonus features are necessary after viewing the film as they give more information about the characters.
- “Making of Featurette” This very good not too long look at how the film was made and some of the challenges is lead by Director Luc Beason and some of the main stars of the film.
- “Music Featurette” Goes over the music from the film while scenes play.
- “Deleted Scenes” In some cases the scenes should have been left in the film as in the deleted one that gives more insight into Adele’s sister.
Specifications and additional film information:
Cast: Louise Bourgoin, Mathieu Amalric, Gilles Lellouche, Jean-Paul Rouve, Philippe Nahon, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre and Nicolas Giraud
Directed by: Luc Besson
MPAA Rating: PG for some violence, language, brief sensuality and rude humor
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Action, Foreign
Running Time: 1 hr 47 min
Video Release Date: August 13, 2013
Original Film Release Date: April 14, 2010
Language: French or English Dubbed
Format: Blu-ray and DVD
Audio: Blu-ray- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0, DVD- Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: 1080p Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Number of Discs: Blu-ray Combo Pack 2 Discs
Distributed by: Shout Factory
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
