Les Aventures Extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010)

Directed by Luc Besson. Starring Louise Bourgoin, Mathieu Amalric, Philippe Nahon, Gilles Lellouche, Jacky Nercessian, Jean-Paul Rouve, Nicholas Giraud, Laure de Clermont, Frédérique Bel. [PG]

Quirky and comical fantasy-adventure set about a hundred years ago, inspired by a French comic book series by Jacques Tardi; over-stuffed, to be sure, but sometimes good fun. Bourgoin’s titular reporter is also an intrepid adventurer, convinced that reviving an Egyptian mummy is the key to saving her comatose sister, but first she needs the expertise of a psychic professor (Nercessian) who, gosh darn it, is about to be executed for his involvement in a series of attacks by a pterosaur he accidentally awoke. Yes, it’s that kind of movie, but director Besson is too enamored with its arch, chatty weirdness to push the story through the clutter and deliver the outlandish, goofy thrills an idea like this is starved for. Despite the erratic momentum, overuse of unimpressive CGI over practical effects, and self-conscious nature of the writing (including narration that just goes on and on during the prologue), it still manages an agreeable balance between the old-fashioned and the contemporary, and is loony enough to inspire interest in what the heck is gonna happen next without being so loony it stops mattering. Denouement rouses a laugh; pity, though, the movie doesn’t provide a satisfying climax before then. Released as Adèle: Rise of the Mummy in some international markets.

60/100