It is a grand chance that could probably be enjoyed by people of all ages. Its an easy enough film to recommend, with one small caveat. Against the wishes of her publisher, novelist Adele Blanc-Sec (Louise Bourgoin) has taken an expedition to Egypt to dig the tomb of the repair of Ramesses II. She seeks to repair this mummified physician in order to get his service in reviving her sister, who lies comatose after a freak tennis accident. Unfortunately for Adele, Professor Esperandieu, the person meant to aid her revive this mummy has been arrested for setting a pterodactyl loose on Paris. Now, the fearless Adele must find a way to end the prehistoric animal and free Esperandieu before his battle with the guillotine. Adele isnt quite your average heroine. She is brave to a fault, never quite thinking things through. In one especially memorable sequence, she tries to go out Esperandieu by infiltrating the prison through a serial of absurd disguises, only to get caught and thrown out repeatedly. The head of the case is that shes just as likely to go as she is to succeed. But Adele is unflappable, and failure just means another chance to do something equally absurd. This is a ridiculous story, one viewed through a lens of childlike wonder. Mummies roam the streets, commenting on the aesthetic merit of the Louvres courtyard (and making a rather obtuse joke about it as well). Big cat hunters are licensed to cut down pterodactyls. And through all this lies a strong wind of subversion, the film but as cook to establish the inefficacy of bureaucracy. Besson appears to have been influenced by the action of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of among other things, Amelie. The film carries the same whimsical tone, and employs the same mode of narration. But Besson ramps up the pace, the whimsy never overpowering the films sense of adventure. Grand production design and decent special effects make the film a very visual spectacle as well. The one caveat I abide with this picture as it is in our theaters is that it is dubbed in English. One has to see the economic realities of releasing non-English films in the country, but theres no denying that the dub has a damaging effect on the film as a whole. Much of the verbal humor doesnt quite work, and there are times when the English simply cant keep up with the rapid-fire French dialogue. It certainly harms the performances. Newcomer Louise Bourgoin seems to be quite the capable actress, but her voice just isnt her own. Its especially bad in the films few dramatic scenes. The melodramatic sobbing of the English dub doesnt quite feel right. The dub does keep the Adeles characteristic unflappability, and it gets the job done well enough for the less humor intensive scenes. Taken apart from her voice, Bourgoin has every bit of the fearless heroine reflected on her face. She might be a gift worth watching. Im of two minds regarding Adele: Rise of the Mummy. The changed title actually says it all. The project isnt even really about mummies, though the promotional materials would pretty much have you remember that Adele will be battling bandaged monstrosities. The dub, much like the deceptive promotions, are all designed to come to the movie going public, which apparently cant be trusted to go see a movie with subtitles, or one without mummies in it. But the movie itself is really good, and while the dub is definitely inferior, it doesnt give the experience. Its still crazy high adventure. While its not quite Tardis comics, the film has a spell of its own. My Rating:
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