353. Tad the Lost Explorer and the Curse of the Mummy; movie review

 

TAD THE LOST EXPLORER AND THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY

Cert U

89 mins

BBFC advice: Contains very mild threat, violence, rude humour, language

How have the makers of Tad The Lost Explorer got away with such an obvious parody of Indiana Jones?

Its lead character wears the same gear as Indy, has pals who echo his and, in the original Spanish version his surname is Jones!

No matter - the success of the Tad movies at luring in kids is self-evident. In 2022, The Curse Of The Mummy has been one of the more successful films at the British box office.

Its hero is Tad Stones (voiced in its English-dubbed version by Trevor White) - an unheralded archaeologist who is unpopular with the establishment because of his unconventional methods.

Tad means well and is supported by his best pal, mummy (Joseph Balderrama), picked up from a previous adventure along with his dog and parrot.

Meanwhile, there is a frisson of romance with a fellow archaeologist (Alex Kelly).

Crazy stuff ensues with treasure, curses and the inevitable races against time as the good guys try to win the day.

Enrique Gato's film doesn't make an awful lot of sense but for children who enjoy vibrant adventure, it will tick a box.

However, I still can't see how they get away with it being so close to the Indiana Jones stories.

Reasons to watch: Fast-moving animation

Reasons to avoid: Not enough laughs

Laughs: Chuckles only

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? Tadeo Jones – or Tad Stones in English – is a character initially created by Enrique Gato for a short film in 2004.

The final word.  Enrique Gato: "It was clear to me that it was not going to be a bed of roses to find a new adventure for our hero. It took nearly two years of scriptwriting to put together a new story that would guarantee that Tad would have a well-deserved sequel.” The Writing Studio

Share this post