2023-07-05 14:35:00
She is back. The comedy with 14.6 million spectators, Asterix and Obelix: Cleopatra mission, released in 2002, returns to French cinemas. The opportunity to rediscover this little gem imagined and shot by Alain Chabat, in a restored version adapted to current technological standards, with 4K image and Dolby Atmos sound. The film, which has become cult, remains a reference in terms of adaptation of a comic book universe. Last February, it was Guillaume Canet who tackled the little Gallic hero in a fifth version of his cinematographic adventures, with Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom. Only one lesson to learn from the very uneven saga devoted to Asterix and his friends: the adventures of the village of diehard Gauls are not so simple to transpose to the big screen. Not to disappoint lovers from the first day while satisfying the new generations less oriented towards nostalgia… Whoever wants to is a druid: the recipe for the magic potion is not within the reach of just any master chef of the 7th art.
So yes, to carry out this palmarix, we dove back into each of these adaptations, without erasing the impressions they left us at the time of their release. And we’ve ranked them, from worst to best. To attack !
5. Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008)
Little debate on this point: Asterix at the Olympic Games, the third film adaptation of the adventures of the Gallic warrior is the biggest failure of the saga. A turnip which cost a whopping 78 million euros, one of the most expensive films in French cinema. In this opus produced by the duo Frédéric Forestier and Thomas Langmann, Asterix and Obélix almost take second place: the main character here is rather Brutus, the son of Caesar who tries to kill his father. And the whole plot revolves around a romantic rivalry, the Gauls coming to help Alafolix to “conquer” the heart of Irina, also coveted by Brutus. And what about the addition of the mad scientist Docteurmabus (Santiago Segura)…
Casting-wise, it must be admitted, Clovis Cornillac as Asterix doesn’t spark, even if Gérard Depardieu remains a touching Obelix. Only Benoît Poelvoorde, as Brutus as stupid as he is brutal, manages to get a few laughs from us. For the rest, even if we have not skimped on the means, no one manages to pull off the toga. And especially not Alain Delon, embroiled in a pathetic caricature of himself, adorned with the aura of Julius Caesar. His antics prove futile when they aren’t just embarrassing. Around him, Stéphane Rousseau, Jean-Pierre Cassel, José Garcia, Alexandre Astier and Élie Semoun seem to have been hired only to add a line to the credits. Not to mention the irritating Franck Dubosc stuck somewhere between the lira of Assurancetourix, the famous bard with the rattling voice, and the underwear of Patrick Chirac of Camping.
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The dish is intended to be hearty – the last quarter of an hour of the film resembles a DVD bonus in which Zinédine Zidane, Amélie Mauresmo and Tony Parker suddenly appear – but ends up becoming indigestible, which means that it doesn’t boil in the pot . Apart from a spectacular chariot race (in which Michael Schumacher doubles Flames of love), the gags often fall flat, the scenes follow one another too quickly, drowned in special effects. In short, despite their 6.7 million spectators, these Olympic Games do not appear on the podium.
The note of Point : 3,6 / 10
Intrigue : 2,5 / 10
Humour : 3 / 10
Casting : 3 / 10
Decors: 6/10
4. Asterix and Obelix: the Middle Kingdom (2023)
Here again, we come close to an overdose with a casting stacking up more stars than Obélix can swallow wild boars (that’s saying something). For the 5th opus of the saga, released on February 1, Guillaume Canet casts a wide net: from Vincent Cassel’s unpayable César to Marion Cotillard’s pale Cleopatra (meet us Monica Bellucci!) via Jonathan Cohen’s Graindemaïs, the Panoramix by Pierre Richard, Ri Qi Qi by Manu Payet, and, while we’re at it, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Angèle, Bigflo and Oli… Guillaume Canet hardly convinces as Asterix, only Gilles Lellouche surprises with his touching interpretation of Obélix, he who had the heavy responsibility of succeeding the genius Depardieu.
In this new adventure, it is about saving the Empress of China imprisoned by a felon prince. The whole thing is a pretext for a few gags and a lot of special effects which mask a laborious plot, unsurprisingly. It’s not easy to invent a new Asterix without an original comic strip, even less so when the film is mainly a series of sketches where everyone comes to recite their part without worrying about the coherence of the whole. At 65 million euros, further proof that money is not everything… Except perhaps the decorations, which are magnificently well-kept. Result: 4.6 million spectators died.
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The note of Point : 4,9 / 10
Intrigue : 5 / 10
Humour : 3 / 10
Casting : 2,5 / 10
Decors: 9/10
3. Asterix and Obelix: in the service of His Majesty (2012)
The Queen of England charged Jolitorax with bringing her the magic potion of Asterix and Obelix, to save her kingdom which had fallen under the territorial ambitions of Julius Caesar. To create this fourth part of the adventures of the little Gaul, Laurent Tirard skillfully combines the intrigues of two albums, Asterix among the Bretons et Asterix among the Normans – we love the meeting between the Viking barbarians and the stuck-up British.
On the casting side, it’s solid: Édouard Baer, ex-scribe of Cleopatra Mission, offers a lively Asterix although a little talkative, Depardieu always ensures as Obélix a good complexion, touching as can be desired. Around them, all the actors for this year 2012 happily respond to each other, without displeasure but without great conviction, in tailor-made roles allowing them to navigate on autopilot: Vincent Lacoste as Goudurix, a rough-hewn teenager not so far from Beautiful kids, Valérie Lemercier as Miss Macintosh, a lady boss no less uptight than Lady Palace, Guillaume Gallienne, as an elegant British courtier, Dany Boon in the role of Têtedepiaf, a Norman who is not shrewd, Catherine Deneuve as Queen of the Bretons, close to the monarch of Palais Royal and Fabrice Luchini as megalomaniac Julius Caesar and power 1,000 mutt.
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Nothing very new under the Gallic sun, but a good-natured comedy, often in natural settings, which reconnects with the world of Uderzo and Goscinny, calming down a little the indigestible overbidding of the previous opus (Asterix at the Olympic Games). On the menu: fights and slaps, nice sentiments and humor that will make the little ones laugh (perhaps forgetting their parents a little too much). A Asterix nice but which, in wanting to combine admiring respect and marketing too much, gets lost a little, especially with a useless and very average 3D.
The note of Point : 5,9 / 10
Intrigue : 6 / 10
Humour : 5,5 / 10
Casting : 5,5 / 10
Decors: 6.5/10
2. Asterix and Obelix against Caesar (1999)
Call us Gauls resistant to change, but yes: Asterix, it was better before ! The first adaptation of the adventures of Goscinny and Uderzo for the cinema is a big challenge for the efficient Claude Zidi, who combines no less than seven albums to build a rhythmic plot that is rather faithful to the spirit of the comic strip. A good introduction to the live-action franchise.
The casting is five stars. The nervous Christian Clavier is perfect as Asterix, just like the enchanting Gérard Depardieu in Obélix’s blue and white breeches. Joining our two Gauls is a merry band: Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Michel Galabru, Daniel Prévost, Claude Piéplu, Roberto Benigni and Lætitia Casta. All set to an epic soundtrack.
The note of Point : 6,4 / 10
Intrigue : 6,5 / 10
Humour : 6,5 / 10
Casting : 6,5 / 10
Decors: 6/10
1. Asterix and Obelix: Cleopatra mission (2002)
We won’t surprise you as the cult adaptation by Alain Chabat is revered by the French. At the end of January, more than 20 years after its release, the film still attracted 5 million viewers on TF1. The pitch? In Egypt, a modest architect (Jamel Debbouze) is commissioned by Cleopatra (Monica Bellucci) to build a sumptuous palace for Caesar (Alain Chabat) in less than three months. If he fails, he will be thrown to the crocodiles… Distraught, he leaves for Gaul to ask for help from the druid Panoramix (Claude Rich). Rather than trying to twist the story, we stay faithful to the album and focus on the gags, with success!
This big production worth more than 50 million euros (it will bring in 115), built on a parodic scenario, seduces with tasty dialogues, full of puns and hilarious anachronisms. The replies come out and leave an impression, continuing to fuel dinners with friends. Alain Chabat portrays a demented Caesar and puts his touch in this new adaptation of a cult comic strip. Result: a clever mix of action, humor and exoticism. With his gang, Jamel Debbouze, Gérard Darmon, Édouard Baer, joined by Jean Benguigui, Jean-Paul Rouve, Marina Foïs, Chantal Lauby (the spy Cartapus), Isabelle Nanty (the incredible trade unionist Itinéris), the spirit and the The humor of Dummies triumphs. An Asterix with more than 14.5 million entries, rightly considered by its fans as the best in the series. Mission accomplished.
The note of Point : 8,4 / 10
Intrigue : 9 / 10
Humour : 9,5 / 10
Casting : 8,5 / 10
Decors: 6.5/10
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