Las doce pruebas de Astérix

In the past couple of days I've been speedwatching all major cartoons of asterix and obelix, and I must say that this one is at par with the great classic ones of Disney. Sad that nowadays Disney renounced their old masterpieces, which is obviously a stupid (at the very least) thing to do. This is the best Asterix animation right until mansions of gods and might be even better. Highly recommended for all!

The best of the several movie adventures of Asterix, Obelix, Vitalstatistix and Co., our heroes are given a series of increasingly difficult tasks by Caesar, with the future of the village at stake - ranging from crossing a ravine by an invisible bridge ("Which you do not see over there") through avoiding the lures of the sirens, combating a champion javelin thrower and getting a permit for the next task (something that will strike a chord in anyone who's ever had to face red tape) to facing a celestial challenge by a god who asks them to... actually, that last one is so funny you have to see it for yourself.

There is a book out, but it's the adaptation of the movie, making "The Twelve Tasks Of Asterix" the only one to date actually written for the screen first. Perhaps the makers of the later animated movies and the live-action ones could take the hint? (Or is adapting them properly beyond 'em?) Sheer pleasure throughout, with moments that still make me laugh years after seeing it and some surprisingly strong satire, all the movies should have been like this. Right, let's tie up the bard and bring on the boar...

The year is 50 B.C. , Gaul is entirely occupied by the Roman. Well , not entirely..One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders . And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps . In the village are our friends : ¨Asterix¨, the hero of this adventure , he's a shrewd , cunning little warrior , all perilous missions are immediately entrusted to him .¨Obelix¨ his inseparable friend , he's a menhir delivery-man by trading and addicted to wild boar , he's always ready to drop everything and go off on a new adventure with Asterix , so long as there's wild boar to eat , and plenty of fighting .¨Panoramix¨, the venerable village druid , gathers mistletoe and brews magic potions , his speciality is the potion which gives the drinker superhuman strength although also has other recipes up his sleeve . ¨Abraracurcix¨, the chief of the tribe , majestic , brave and hot-tempered , the old warrior is respected by his enemies , he has only one fear , he's afraid the sky may fall on his head tomorrow , but as he always says , 'Tomorrow never comes'. And of course ¨Cacofonix¨ , the Bard , opinion is divided as to his musical gifts , he thinks he's a genius , everyone else thinks he's unspeakable , but so long as he doesn't speak , let alone sing , everybody likes him.....

The film concerns Julius Caesar who offers the Gauls a covenant , they must prove if they're Gods by making twelve extremely hard works , similar to 12 works of Hercules , which are the following ones : Hercules vanquished the Amazons warriors , captured a wild boar and a bull of island of Crete , killed the Hydra , swept the stable of Ujias , murdered Gerion and Diomedes , he had apples of garden of Hesperides, he won a race against the clock to a deer , strangled Lion of Nemea , he shot arrows to birds at the lake Stinfano , he took Teseo from the inferno . Asterix and Obelix will be able to resolve twelve similar tasks that Caesar chose and if they fail they would turn slaves and the Gaul village would hand over the Roman empire . Among the dangerous missions our friends have to suffer are the following ones : the fighting a winner javelin thrower and against a judo-man , the lures of mermaids , taking on a celestial challenge with a God, combating a ghost army , the crossing an invisible bridge and confronting public officials , adding an extreme critique to the state bureaucracy , among others , and along the way including a lot of anachronisms , entertainment and fun . The picture will appeal to Asterix and Obelix comic-books fans.

I've been laughing at "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" for about 20 years now. Early on, I laughed hardest at the slapstick comedy segments. Now, I laugh hardest at the history-based jokes and sly sexual references. So you see, like all the best children's entertainment, this can be enjoyed on several different levels - some for the kiddies, some for the adults.

(The slapstick comedy is still cool to my adult self, by the way. Nothing beats watching an unruly mob of Gaulish villagers tear through a phalanx of hapless Roman dudes...)

The plot is very episodic, centering around the efforts of wily Asterix and oafish Obelix to perform twelve tasks and, if successful, become gods in the eyes of the Romans. Inevitably, some of the tasks are more interesting than others. The best one is set in the Place That Sends You Mad, a spot-on satire of bureaucracy and red tape. Probably the lamest task involves alligators and an invisible string, but even that's okay.

The animators did an excellent job capturing the style of the Asterix comic books. Oddly enough, though, the quality of the drawing is variable. Sometimes the characters look quite rough and sketchy, and other times the lines are much cleaner. However, the task set in the Beast's cave is undeniably very well-animated and even a bit creepy.

The ending is outrageous, and therefore brilliant. It brings the Asterix saga to a satisfying close (of course, the little guy's adventures continue in various formats). Speaking of the ending, pay especially close attention to Caius Tiddleus's cup when he's getting tickled by the priestess in the closing moments. It's a good, naughty sight gag.

This movie was my first exposure to Asterix, and thus I have a soft spot for it. Sentiment aside, though, I do think it's easily the best of the Asterix films, and is only rivaled by the very best comic adventures. Hey, I honestly haven't got tired of it during these twenty-odd years of occasional viewing - that's about the best endorsement I can give a film!

The best Asterix film at the time of its release and certainly one of the best overall. "Twelve Tasks" was always a favorite of mine and watching it now, close to 20 years later, it's still as funny and imaginative as it ever was.

As an Asterix movie it's a bit of an anomaly. It isn't based on any of the comic-books (are they graphic novels?) and doesn't follow any of the continuity or logic of any of the other stories. But since it's by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo themselves you could hardly call it unofficial.

Julius Caesar calls a truce with the village and says that Gaul can rule Rome if they can win Twelve impossible tasks in the vein of Hercules a few thousand years ago. If they fail, they must surrender to Caesar. But with Asterix and Obelix as their chosen champions do you really think they will fail? The plot lends itself to lots of visual humor and irreverent satire. How can a kid's animated movie have this much depth and wit and still be relatively unknown in the wider world of Toy Stories and Ups? It's insane.

Definitely a great treat for Asterix fans and the perfect way to introduce new people to the franchise.