Tragically for fans, the film ends with a clear setup for a sequel. The final shot teases Adèle’s next adventure, dipping into the lost world of Arthurian legend. Besson had planned a franchise, and Louise Bourgoin was ready to return. However, due to the film’s middling box office internationally and the high cost of the period CGI, the sequel never materialized.
But this isn’t a stuffy period drama. Besson infuses the world with his signature hyper-stylized energy, reminiscent of The Fifth Element . Colors pop. Dialogue is delivered at machine-gun speed. Transitions are snappy. And the CGI, while not on the level of a $200 million Hollywood blockbuster, is charmingly effective. The pterodactyl sequences are genuinely thrilling, and the resurrected mummies—particularly the 5,000-year-old pharaoh Ramesses II (a scene-stealing cameo by actor Philippe Girard)—are comic gold. The mummy doesn’t attack people; he demands a robe, a comfortable pillow, and a lawyer because, as he says, “This isn’t a civilization, it’s a madhouse.”
One of the film’s greatest pleasures is its loving recreation of 1912 Paris. Besson, working with production designer Hugues Tissandier, paints a picture of the city that is both nostalgic and fantastical. The streets are cobbled; the automobiles are puttering antiques; the fashion is sumptuous. It feels like a storybook come to life.
. One minute you're looking at an ancient mummy, the next you're watching a bumbling inspector fail to catch a prehistoric bird. The downside:
Tragically for fans, the film ends with a clear setup for a sequel. The final shot teases Adèle’s next adventure, dipping into the lost world of Arthurian legend. Besson had planned a franchise, and Louise Bourgoin was ready to return. However, due to the film’s middling box office internationally and the high cost of the period CGI, the sequel never materialized.
But this isn’t a stuffy period drama. Besson infuses the world with his signature hyper-stylized energy, reminiscent of The Fifth Element . Colors pop. Dialogue is delivered at machine-gun speed. Transitions are snappy. And the CGI, while not on the level of a $200 million Hollywood blockbuster, is charmingly effective. The pterodactyl sequences are genuinely thrilling, and the resurrected mummies—particularly the 5,000-year-old pharaoh Ramesses II (a scene-stealing cameo by actor Philippe Girard)—are comic gold. The mummy doesn’t attack people; he demands a robe, a comfortable pillow, and a lawyer because, as he says, “This isn’t a civilization, it’s a madhouse.”
One of the film’s greatest pleasures is its loving recreation of 1912 Paris. Besson, working with production designer Hugues Tissandier, paints a picture of the city that is both nostalgic and fantastical. The streets are cobbled; the automobiles are puttering antiques; the fashion is sumptuous. It feels like a storybook come to life.
. One minute you're looking at an ancient mummy, the next you're watching a bumbling inspector fail to catch a prehistoric bird. The downside:
