Astérix & Obélix Meet Cleopatra | Review

Big-budget french production suffers from a whiplash of gimmick overload.

After raking in the first quarter dough, or should I say, Euros at the French box-office, we finally get the bigger-than-life accounts from the popular Albert René creation, yes Astérix is making waves and making it way to this side of the Atlantic with a comedy adventure based on the two popular French potion drunkards which have won over audiences who are recognized for their love of escargots, Brigitte Bardot and smelly cheeses. It is rare that a sequel will outperform or garner more critical acclaim than a part 1, but the displeased reaction from French critics with Claude Zidi’s Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar is perhaps why director Alain Chabat is being applauded for his vision and take on the popular comic book. Not only has he saved the franchise, but- he has quite possibly given this film the green light push into theatres of the U.S market.

Astérix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra features the popular odd couple of the beluga whale waist-line of Gérard Depardieu (CQ) as Obélix and the his miniature sidekick with wings Christian Clavier (Les Visiteurs) as Astérix. Surrounded in a set design which is reminiscent of another comic-book big screen family-The Flintstones; the true magical touch for the film comes from the on-screen presence of the hubba-bubba delicious Cleopatra Monica Bellucci (Malèna) and the gymnastically charged vocabulary and comedic humour from Jamel Debbouze (Amélie) as Numérobis the man with only 3 months to live.

This is a rainbow colour-ed affair, a grandiose production with plenty of visual and audio graffiti-and this is mostly done without the industry-dominated computer animation, but rather with actual, flamboyant built sets and art decor. The narrative is as straight forward as the tales found in the comic books-intended for the young and the young at heart, the good versus evil clash is answered by lessons in life rather than bloodshed, and Chabat doesn’t stray to far away from the cartoon-ish film text. His adaptation includes a target-market trendy modernized feel to the film with a bunch of slapstick pop-culture references in the form of gags, visuals, and ideas that make director McG’s Charlie’s Angels feel authentic. Unfortunately, Chabat’s creativity and originality ends at I-bet-you-can’t-say-that-five-times-fast-dialogue and a bunch tiring mini episodes that lack the spunk and edginess to fill up an otherwise uneventful two-hour movie. This approach will most likely appeal to the summer blockbuster seeking fewer plots and more gags movie crowd, but for the rest of us this is an Astérix comedy that is served up unadorned. I suggest putting your money into some toilette seat literature with one of the many volumes that are available in print. Happy reading!

Original French Language under the title: Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre

Rating 1.5 stars