Les Aventures Extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec (Luc Besson, 2010)

After a decade mostly spent writing substandard action screenplays for the legions of his directorial proteges, Luc Besson now seems to have taken the reins again. It's uncertain how much of a blessing this is: it's years since the prime of his deft if daft high-octane signature pieces like Nikita or Leon, and on the evidence of this comic-book adaptation, while the zippiness is still there, the punch is missing.
Louise Bourgoin plays Adèle Blanc-Sec, a sort of a proto-Indiana Jones with a feminist twist in the Paris of 1911, feistily excavating Egyptian mummies and cocking a snook at the patriarchal authorities as they bumble after a pterodactyl on the loose. It's certainly jaunty, but although the bande dessinée series may have preceded Raiders of the Lost Ark, the film feels a rip-off of Spielberg's blockbuster at every turn, from the cod Egyptology through the supernatural elements to Adèle's grotesque archrival. There may be more emphasis on comedy, but unfortunately this is not Besson's forte and the pratfalls mostly pall.

4/10