Summary
Only one tiny village in Northern France can resist the mighty Roman Empire. This
happy band of Gauls have a magic potion which gives them super-human strength, enabling
them to fight off any Roman soldiers. When the Gauls manage to seize a chest containing
tax revenues, the Emperor Julius Caesar demands action. His unscrupulous aide, Tullius
Destructivus, dreams up a scheme to kidnap the druid Panoramix and force him to make the
magic potion for the Romans…
Review
Having entertained generations of adults and children, Astérix and Obélix
have certainly taken their time getting to the big screen in the flesh (as it were),
and it is not hard to see why. The super-human strength of the pint-sized Astérix
and his rotund pal Obélix would be difficult to convey in a live-action movie without
the kind of special effects technology which has become available in recent years.
Advances in computer-generated effects now mean that virtually any effect can be achieved
on screen, enabling the once unfilmable to become film. Unfortunately, this is not
always a good thing.
Claude Zidi's film is in many respects a worthy film adaptation of the world-famous Goscinny-Uderzo
strip cartoons, but it falls far short of the genius of the original strip cartoon series.
Visually, the film is quite impressive, fast, furious, full of wit and energy. Some
of the special effects are astounding – particularly the scenes where Astérix
and his chums decimate the battalions of Roman soldiers (easily the funniest scenes in
the film).
Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu are surprising choices for the film’s
lead characters, but the casting works surprisingly well, even if Clavier is a bit too
tall and a bit too smug to be totally convincing in the role of Astérix. Obélix’s
dim-wittedness is a little trying towards the end of the film, but Depardieu’s intensely
physical performance, with dumb, rolling eyes, is a pleasure to watch.
Where the film falls down most noticeably is in its clumsy plotting. Rather than
having a strong central narrative, what the film attempts is a series of half-thought-out
ideas which, whilst momentarily amusing, are never fully satisfying. There really
is just too much material in the film and it is often a struggle to keep up with it.
This is not helped by the film’s over-reliance on special effects, which often breaks
the spell of realism which is necessary to sustain interest, particularly in an adult
audience. With a much tighter, less rambling storyline and effects used only where
necessary, this could have been an amazing film. Unfortunately, in its attempt to
impress us with all its digital wizardry, it falls way short of its intended mark.
It is also not clear who the target audience would be for this film. The comic-book
over-acting and excess of colour would suggest a family audience, principally targeted
at young children. However, some strong language and bawdy comedy ought to put the
film safely in the over 12 classification. This is the most unpardonable instance
where Claude Zidi has departed from the winning Goscinny-Uderzo formula at his peril.
© James Travers 2000
|
