Paramount Pictures Tad The Lost Explorer And The Curse Of The Mummy
“An entertaining movie for the whole family. The kids will enjoy the humor while adults will love the references.” We check out Tad The Explorer And The Curse Of The Mummy.
Ok, I admit it. Until recently, I hadn’t seen any of the ‘Tad The Explorer’ (Tadeo Jones) movies. The films are Spanish computer-animated movies and have been wildly successful in their native country. Although poorly received by American critics, the films are lauded in Spain. Children and families across the world have embraced the series and have made them a success.
After the first two movies ‘Tad, The Lost Explorer’ and ‘Tad, The Lost Explorer And The Secret Of King Midas’, we have a third entry into the franchise. Entitled ‘Tad, The Lost Explorer And The Curse Of The Mummy’ (or Tad, The Lost Explorer And The Emerald Tablet in certain countries), the film follows the first two movies in both style and adventure. And has a fun time doing it too.
THE PLOT
Clumsy archaeologist Tadeo (‘Tad’) breaks a sarcophagus and sets on a spell endangering his friends, and so they embark on an adventure that takes them to Mexico and Paris. And believe me, that’s all you need to know. The film goes from place to place, putting Tad into scenarios that he must overcome alongside his friends Mummy and Sara while avoiding the attention of Agent Ramirez and the hilarious Agent Pickle.
THOUGHTS
The film won’t be remembered for its originality. How could it be with a hero whose surname is Jones? As you would expect, the film pays homage to the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise at every opportunity but in variously hilarious ways. The ‘Hat’ running joke gets another airing here alongside nods to various scenarios that have appeared in the Harrison Ford-starring movies. But although we have seen them before, they add a nice dimension to proceedings throughout.
THE CHARACTERS
The various characters come at us thick and fast. Newly introduced into this adventure comes Ra Amon Ah (or Ramona as she’s constantly referred to during the film), a Pharoh that ruled for three days and doesn’t appear in any history book. She is a nice addition to the film and one that children will lap up instantly. Tad himself is his usual bumbling idiot, going from scenario to scenario as the story moves rapidly towards its predictable conclusion. Sara isn’t given much to do apart from being the voice of reason and appearing at just the right time to lend a steadying presence to things.
THE MUMMY
The character that all the kids will love is The Mummy. He is hilarious and one of the highlights of the film. His childish ways and charm won’t be lost on the audience as he appears at almost every turn. He is a character that will make us laugh along the way and is the one character that we will be cheering for. His obsession with his smartphone is pretty topical as I know many teenagers and children that act the same way as he does without his technological device. And his obsession with uploading everything to his social media during the film becomes a running joke that doesn’t manage to tire itself out.
THE DIRECTION AND WRITING
The film is directed well enough by Enrique Gato. He manages to keep things moving along pretty easily. The script by Josep Gatell and Manuel Burque does just enough to keep things light and entertaining. And does give the film many faithful nods to what’s gone before. The film series is mainly adapted and inspired by the Spanish graphic novel ‘Tadeo and the Secret of the Toactlum’, illustrated and co-written by Juan López Fernández (Jan) and written by Javier Barreira, Gorka Magallón, and Enrique Gato.
They have managed to keep the films light and entertaining and this one is no exception. However, Paramount Pictures is handling distribution in certain territories. At times, the English dubbing of the Spanish original dialogue gives the film a mismatch with the characters speaking on screen. It isn’t a major distraction but it is noticeable. We can see that this is an English dub of a foreign movie. And the lip movements of the animated characters don’t match up.
IN CONCLUSION
The film is an enjoyable time-waster. It certainly is an entertaining movie for the whole family. The kids will enjoy the humor while adults will love the references. It is predictable in parts but that adds to the charm. And at a brisk 89 minutes, it doesn’t wear out its welcome. The kids will laugh at the inevitable fart jokes and will be entertained by the chase scenes and a very mildly scary crocodile creature. A good family movie that will keep everyone entertained without causing any offense. As for me, I’m secretly hoping for a spinoff Agent Pickle movie. But I can see a fourth film in this franchise being produced sometime in the future. Switch off your brain, sit back and enjoy what is on offer here. Believe me, you’ll enjoy it.
“Tad, The Lost Explorer And The Curse Of The Mummy” Opens in UK Cinemas on Friday, September 9th from Paramount Pictures. Book your tickets NOW!
Author
Carl Roberts is the News Editor of The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
