The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Fresh in the footsteps of Tintin this year and Indiana Jones in the, erm, past, comes Edwardian adventuress Adele Blanc-Sec in a new film which is clearly a franchise attempt.

The engimatic Louise Bourgoin plays Blanc-Sec, an intrepid young reporter whose MO appears to be adventure. Set in Paris in 1912, Blanc-Sec finds herself in a world of excitement when she's caught up in a case involving an escaped pterodactyl, problems with an attempt to find an Egyptian mummy and a professor whose involvement in all of the above signifies mayhem for all. Plus behind all the goings on, there's a sense of sadness for Blanc-Sec as the real reason for her quest is revealed...

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec from director Luc Besson is a real surprise, an eye opener for adventure and fantasy films and seriously good fun.

Bourgoin is great as Blanc-Sec with a touch of sexiness, intelligence and a pinch of guile as the adventuress in this adaptation of a series of French novels. There's a real deftness to the story and a light touch from Besson gives this the look and feel of something cartoonish and something very much for a light Sunday afternoon viewing.

It ends with the promise of a sequel (set on the Titanic) and I hope it's forthcoming as this is tremendously watchable good fun.

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