Astérix & Obélix: L'Empire du Milieu

This is an enjoyable, popcorn-friendly comedy, that will help you relax and forget some of your problems. Marion Cotillard becomes more prominent in the second half of the movie. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a secondary character, to my surprise, but he elicits a few laughs. The new casting is likeable, but it doesn't quite live up to the old actors' talent and charm, meaning Gerard Depardieu and Christian Clavier were far better as Obelix and Asterix, respectively (too bad they' re too old), and the script is what you'd expect from a standard "Asterix and Obelix" movie. It's not super original, but it can hold your interest, and younger kids' as well. Overall, it's not a masterpiece, but it's not a waste of money and time, and it's a generally family-friendly movie, that it's funny enough.

Some funny moments but too many long sequences without jokes and, to be frank, not interesting. One kungfu fight would have been enough.

Totally useless cameo by soccer player Zlatan Something.

I liked the new Obelix, Gilles Lelouche gave to the character a lot that was missing in the lazy Depardieu acting. Canet was rather ineffective as Astérix. The character is supposed to be smart and funny, he played him as a bumbling idiot. A vegan Astérix ? What a stupid idea.

Cotillard was a very nice Cléopatre for the whole minute she is on screen. Cassel was, as usual, quite convincing as César. But his entourage was lackluster.

The year is approximately 50 B. C, Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans commanded by Julius Caesar. Well, not entirely..One small village of indomitable gauls still holds out against the invaders. 4 Roman camps surround the village and still unable to conquer it. Asterix is worried about the long-term health impact of using the magic potion excessively. But he knows that the Gauls cannot fight the Romans without it. And the life is not easy for the Roman legionaries whose garrison surrounds the fortified small village located in Armorica. There live our friends, the intelligent hero Asterix (Guillaume Canet replaces Christian Clavier, Clovic Corlillac, Edouard Baer), the menhir delivery man and addicted to wild boar Obelix, the venerable aging druid with his potion which gives the drinker incredible energy, the majestic, hot-tempered, brave chief of the tribe, among others. As always, the perilous missions that eventually emerge are immediately trusted to shrewd, cunning Asterix . And Obelix (Gilles Lellouche stand-in Gerard Depardieu), ready to drop everything and go off on a new adventure with Asterix, this time towards China and fighting, as usual, against the stupid Romans, pirates and a mean Julius Caesar. The village has Unhygienix (Jason Chicandier) the fish monger, Cacofonix (Philippe Katerine) the guy who cannot sing, Vitalstatistix (Jérôme Commandeur) the village chief, Getafix (Pierre Richard), the honorable druid who brews magic formulas, his speciality is the potion which gives the drinker superhuman strength, Panacea (Angèle) the damsel and so on. There arrives Princess Fu Yi (Julie Chen), the only daughter of the Chinese Emperor Han Xuandi (91-48 BC), escaped from a rogue prince, Deng Tsin Qin (Bun Hay Mean), and fleeing to Gaul, seeking help from Asterix and Obelix .

Full of fights, noisy action, chases, jokes, customs critical about way of life and modern anachronisms that's common thing in the classic comic books. This is a nice adventure with big fun and comical incidentes here and there, and has Asterix and his inseparable friend battling, as usual, against silly Romans. Plenty of action, amusement, fun fights, battles and punches, adding modern anachronisms. The flick brilliantly captures spectacular adventures, tongue-in-check, irony, satire , absurd humour from original comic books drawn by Albert Uderzo and writing credits by Rene Goscinny. As always, on the finale the village people celebrating a wild party and eating boars in a gargantuan lunch, though here adding an unappropriate parody to ¨Dirty dancing¨movie .

Packs sympathetic first appearance of Cleopatra acted by Marion Cotillard -who formerly performed Monica Belucci married to Vincent Cassel-, along with Julius Caesar played by Vincent Cassel and previously interpreted by Gottfried John, Alain Chabat, Alain Delon. Several notorious French secondary actors appear, such as José Garcia, Philippe Katerine, Audrey Lamy, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ramzy Bedia, Linh-Dan Pham of Indochina. And, of course, the likeable pirates and their damned sinking ship show up as well. The movie was regular but professionally directed by Guillaume Canet, being lavishly budgeted with a cost 65 million euros, which is enormous for French cinema: at the time of its release, it was in the top 10 of France's most expensive movies. This passable fifth entry shot in live acting was preceded by ¨Asterix vs. Caesar¨ directed by Claude Zidi with Christian Clavier, Robert Benigni , Laetitia Casta , Arielle Dombasle , ¨Asterix and Cleopatra¨ by Alain Chabat with Monica Belucci , Jamel Debbouze, Claude Rich , Marina Fois , Gérard Darmon and ¨Asterix and the Olympic Games¨ by Frederic Forrestier with Clovis Cornillac , Santiago Segura, Monica Cruz , Jean Pierre Castaldi and Janel Debouzze; ¨Astérix & Obélix: Au service de sa Majesté¨ by Laurent Tirard with Gérard Depardieu, Edouard Baer, Vincent Lacoste, Valérie Lemercier, Catherine Deneuve. The film will appeal to Asterix and Obelix fans , it's an enjoyable entertaining for kids, grown-ups and nostalgics.

I am French, although my current place of residence is not within France's borders. Just recently, I had the opportunity to watch the film that had eluded me until now. Interestingly, I was blissfully ignorant of the critiques that had swirled around its release in France. As it turns out, the film proved to be a delightful comedy upon viewing-a fact that left me puzzled by the seemingly relentless criticism it had garnered.

While I won't go as far as to dub it the cinematic masterpiece of the year, it unquestionably provides an enjoyable and pleasant viewing experience. The film, while not soaring to the heights of cinematic greatness, manages to carve out a space for itself as an evening's entertainment. In light of this, I remain perplexed by the intensity of the backlash it faced upon release.

The ensemble cast brings a mix of talents to the screen, with some actors shining brighter than others. I must admit that my familiarity with all the actors is not exhaustive, but I can certainly vouch for the varying degrees of performance quality among them. It's a reminder that movies are, at their core, a collaborative art form, and the final product can be greatly influenced by the chemistry and synergy among the cast members.

In contrast to the latest offerings from the Marvel universe, I find myself leaning towards recommending this film. Not because it boasts the grandeur of a superhero epic, but because it delivers on the promise of a well-crafted and enjoyable comedic experience. So, if you're in the mood for a light-hearted cinematic journey that doesn't demand the investment of an expansive interconnected universe, this film might just be the perfect choice.

This film is an insult to Goscinny's work, which has already been well damaged.

Some people think that the film is offensive or incorrect and that this is the reason for the negative reviews, but let me reassure you, it is not. It is a pretext. The movie sucks, plain and simple. The story consists of a series of scenes that aim to place as many people as possible who are known (only in France for the most part) and who have no acting skills. Even the well-known and usually professional actors pale in comparison.

I didn't retain a single positive point. Oh yes, among the jokes, each one more desolate than the other, the lengths that are not funny at all (personally I would be ashamed if I had made such a lousy movie, I would have hidden and would never have assumed) and the script that would have been better if it had been written by a 9 year old.

Finally, this film is everything that is wrong with French cinema, plus the budget. You put your buddies, celebrities, you ask for a maximum of subsidies for a null result, and you take advantage of your knowledge in the media to inflate the box office and talk about this film every day as if the French cinema depended on it.

And personally, what I found most lamentable is that Guillaume Canet (the director) has arrogated to himself the role of the main character when he is not at the level.

It doesn't make you laugh, it makes you cry.