Asterix and the Vikings

... but I laughed. A lot.

I saw 'Astérix et les Vikings' at a public screening during the World Cup. The sound was lousy, it was too bright to see the screen properly - but I still enjoyed myself immensely. The names of some of the characters had me rolling on the floor: Smsix, Abba, Vikea... All not very witty, but in good Astérix tradition. Some very good jokes, but also some that not everybody seemed to get.

The only thing I didn't like were the voices of Astérix and Obélix, in the German version at least. The voice actors are very well-known around here, which was the only reason they were casted, really. They don't fit the characters at all.

All in all, a good way to spend some time (and if it's free, like in my case, all the better) and to have a couple of laughs. 8 out of 10.

Based on Goscinny/Uderzo's "Astérix et les Normands" published in 1967, this movie roughly follows the plot of the cartoon book,but it introduces new characters :Grossebaf's daughter,Abba (a good innovation) ,a wicked viking and his muscle man half-wit offspring,and Goudurix's father.Another significant difference is that the album was called "Astérix ET (=and) Les Normands" and the heroes did not leave their village .Half of the flick takes place in the Vikings'land.The part of the bard ,Assurancetourix,which was prominent in the album , is reduced to the bare minimum,although it's finally he who...

It's pleasant to watch ,but it lacks the puns,the anachronisms,the word games ,in a nutshell,it lacks the magic the albums would bring when we used to read them in the sixties (the best Asterix albums were made in the sixties and early seventies) But the biggest mistake is the music:"eye of the tiger' is bad taste in that context ;the rest of the score is fake disco/funk and the last song and its "moral" so unbearable it's an insult to Goscinny's extraordinary sense of humor!Sorry but Elton John did much better with his "lion king" music.

This film is a perfect example that a movie can not be successful with a high budget alone. It's obvious that there was a lot of time and effort dedicated into this: the animation is fluid, detailed and superb- the soundtrack isn't too memorable except for the ending song by Celine Dion (at least I think it was her). The musical score is powerful full orchestra material. Kudos to the animators and music composers! 9/10. However, the story and characters fall flat. It feels very 'been there, done that', predictable and plain uninteresting. The characters have distinct personalities but nothing too likable. They annoyed me to no end. I tried really hard to like this, but I didn't care about the story- it was cliché action-adventure plot. There were 'jokes' that weren't funny. It was vomit inducing predictable from start to end. The dialogue was cliché and awful- especially the last line "It's not ... that gives you wings, it's love!" Whatever it was, I remember cringing. I was wishing it would hurry up and finish. I wasn't the only one either- the people I went with thought it was boring. Please watch the Asterix and Obelix Cleopatra film if you're going to watch any. This was a waste of time.

The animation is very good and the humor is very absurd; the plot could have been better, but it's enjoyable.

New adventure well paced, being a diverting animated feature to be lifted from the marvellous and attractive texts and drawings from Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo comic books . Vikings go the Gaul country and kidnap the chief's son called Justforkix. The normands abduct the fierce teen in the mistaken belief that he will be able to teach them to fly . After that , Asterix and Obelix are dispatched by their chief Abraracurcix to rescue the sympathetic young who is considered to be a Champion of Fear, while the terrified Vikings attempt to learn how to eliminate the terror . Later on, the friendly adolescent develops Stockholm Syndrome and falls for both, his captors and Abba, the Viking chief's daughter, an action girl and rights campaigner.

Loosely based on the album : ¨Asterix and the Normands¨, taking parts here and there. This amusing adventure has Asterix and his faithful friend Obelix set out in pursuit the vikings who have abducted a wimpish Gaul boy who was invited at their village by their chief . Here Asterix and Obelix are once more called upon to lay waste Romans , pirates and specially Vikings . It is a fun and funny Asterix movie including usual anachronisms , adding a couple of funky dance tunes are completed to traditional mix . The art direction as well as drawings of this kooky animated movie recreates admirably the comicbooks landscapes , backgrounds and foregrounds, including some brief images in 3D computer generator. The formula is still basically the same a good-natured punch-up heavy rescue-adventure with Roman puns for the adults . Apart from some questionable editing and the use of slightly watered-down colours, the film stays true to the roles , but partially faith to the original album. The animation, however, is good and while is low on the musical count , it all rushes by too fast to notice. The Nordic filmmakers, Stefan Fjeldmark, Jesper Moller, have done fine to keep Goscinny and Uderzo's word play to the fore and in first line. This is one of the best Asterix animated films along with Asterix conquers America , Asterix in Britain, Asterix and the big fight. Youngsters will no doubt enjoy it, but true fans prefer to stick with the pun-ridden books.

This acceptable outing was preceded and followed by several cartoon movies , such as : ¨Asterix the Gaul¨ (1967) , ¨The Twelve Tasks of Asterix¨ (1976) , ¨Asterix in Britain¨ (1986) , ¨Asterix and the big fight¨(1989) ,¨Asterix in America¨(1998) . And various live-action movies as : ¨Asterix vs. Caesar¨ directed by Claude Zidi with Christian Clavier , Gerard Depardieu , Robert Benigni , Laetitia Casta , Arielle Dombasle . ¨Asterix and Cleopatra¨ by Alain Chabat with Monica Belucci , Jamel Debbouze , Claude Rich , Marina Fois , Gérard Darmon . ¨Asterix and the Olympic Games¨ by Frederic Forrestier with Clovis Cornillac , Santiago Segura, Monica Cruz , Jean Pierre Castaldi and Janel Debouzze . ¨Astérix and Obélix : On Her Majesty's Secret Service¨ (2012) by Laurent Tirard with Gérard Depardieu , Edouard Baer, Guillaume Gallienne , Vincent Lacoste , Catherine Deneuve , Charlotte Le Bonn. And subsequently two 3D entries : ¨The Mansions of the Gods¨ (2014) in computer generator that dealt with a Caesar's plan to absorb the villagers into Roman culture by having an estate built next to the village to start a new Roman colony and ¨Asterix and the secret of the magic potion¨(2018) by Alexandre Astier and Louis Clichy . The film will appeal to Asterix and Obelix fans , it's a funny entertaining for kids , grown-ups and nostalgics .