A 1912 Paris adventure where pterosaurs fly and mummies roam the Louvre

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Luc Besson’s 2010 fantasy adventure brings the whimsical comic series by Jacques Tardi to life. Starring Louise Bourgoin as a daring journalist, the film blends steampunk aesthetics with historical mystery, following a quest to revive an ancient Egyptian physician to save her sister while a prehistoric creature terrorizes the city.

Set in 1912 Paris, the film follows Adèle Blanc-Sec, a famous travel writer and journalist, on a desperate mission to heal her comatose sister, Agathe. After a freak tennis accident involving a hatpin left Agathe in a vegetative state for five years, Adèle travels to Egypt to retrieve the mummy of Patmosis, a physician to Pharaoh Ramesses II. She intends to use the telepathic techniques of Professor Marie-Joseph Espérandieu to resurrect the mummy, hoping he can provide the medical miracle her sister requires.

The narrative takes a chaotic turn when Professor Espérandieu accidentally hatches a 135-million-year-old pterosaur egg in the National Museum of Natural History. As the creature wreaks havoc across Paris, the government assigns the bumbling Inspector Albert Caponi to the case. Adèle’s journey is further complicated by her nemesis, the mysterious Professor Dieuleveult, and the fact that the mummy she revives turns out to be a nuclear physicist named Semothep rather than a physician. Ultimately, Adèle must navigate a series of bizarre encounters, including a climactic scene at the Louvre where the Pharaoh’s court is brought back to life.

Director Luc Besson secured the rights to Tardi’s acclaimed comic series in January 2008 after years of negotiation. The production, which cost €31.9 million, prioritized location shooting in Paris to capture an authentic early 20th-century atmosphere. While the film was a commercial success in France—selling over 1.6 million tickets—and earned praise for its visual style and Bourgoin’s performance, it received mixed reviews regarding its complex plot. Despite initial plans for a trilogy, no sequel has materialized, though reports in 2018 suggested a potential television adaptation was in development.

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