Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar

I love the intelligent humour of the Asterix comics, though it loses a lot with the movie adaptation, it’s still watchable. Interestingly, the animated Asterix movies didn't turn out very well, either. That smart humour from the comic books can’t be translated. (06/12/2002)

The whole idea of making a real-life actor adaptation of an Asterix adventure is bordering on madness. But surprisingly the end result is not that awful. The cast is quite good, and it works pretty well visually, but its infantile humor puts it on a completely different level than the books, which even have something to say to adults. And that’s something that cannot be said of this adaptation, not even in one single scene. Ideal for youngsters. But this is disappointing from Zidi. Shame - Asterix and Obelix really didn’t deserve this. (01/30/2007)

The first live-action Asterix or Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar. It was a big deal in its day. All countries influenced by Francophone comics were waiting to see if Goscinny's characters and Uderzo's humor could be translated into a new medium. Animated films were very popular, although by then the newest installment, Asterix Conquers America, already heralded the end of an era. Personally, I'm happy with the big European co-production that brought Benigni and Gottfried John to Gaul in 55 BC alongside Depardieu, Clavier, and Galabru. Laetitia Casta played Halabala, and while the other Asterix franchise is very uneven, there's no reason to condemn her. For the first director of such a monster project, they chose a very suitable Claude Zidi, a classic of such series as Rookies Run Amok or My New Partner, who had worked with Pierre Richard, Louis de Funès, and Belmondo. Through this lens, Asterix can be seen as the next generation of the classic French comedy school. (08/24/2019)

It's nice to look at, and visually it's a good take on the comics, but it's still a patchwork of basic motifs from several separate stories, which is bad for the quality of the narrative. The story often more or less stumbles in place, spouting jokes that rely on the fact that fans of the Asterix comics and animated films simply want to hear them. And since I'm definitely one of them, I'll defend my mediocre three stars and go from there. If only for the actors, who sold their roles quite admirably. (04/30/2011)