The new Asterix installment was as funny and cute as its predecessors, and it's a good time guaranteed, especially if you are a child or a child at heart. The movie follows Asterix and Obelix as they try to win the Olympic Games in order for their friend, Alafolix to win the hand of Greek Princess Irina in marriage.
It's been a while since an Asterix animation film has been released in cinema's, and as a fan of the series I was very thrilled when I heard the news about a new one. But with the last two live-action movies about this crazy yellow moustached Gaul, my hopes weren't that high. Well, let me first put your minds at ease, this movie is way WAY better than the live-action flicks about asterix! It's been a while since I laughed more than 10 times with the humour in an animation film, but this one did the job exceptionally well.
There is a good mixture of jokes, both for kids and adults. The story is based on comic-book nr. 17 (Le Domaine des Dieux). The story isn't very original, but is stays interesting enough and it is fast-paced, without any dull moments. However, I recommend that you know something about the world of Asterix before seeing this movie, because you get literally thrown in to the movie without any background-story. It is truly a movie for the fans of the comic books, viewers who never heard of Asterix will not always get the jokes or puns because they don't know the background-story. The visuals are stunning and the look of the characters are very recognizable without any unnecessary changes to them.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Asterix, Obelix and the rest of the gang again in such a positive way, and I hope to see a sequel of the same quality soon:)! It does an great job in catching the spirit of the comics and the older animation films. I recommend it! It's everything a movie about Asterix should be. The spirit found in Uderzo & Goscinny works breathe true this movie. The subtle humor and those sweet eye winks like the authors always did in their books. The best Asterix animation to this day and trust me i've been a fan for 40 years.
A total delight for the family and even for people who don't know Asterix world and the characters it will be easy to get to know them and have a lot of good laughs. I have been really please and surprise by this animation as all movies done about Asterix were not as authentic and enjoyable like this. I definitely wishing they do another one soon!!! It's a truly funny funny film. The spirit is exactly like the books, the humour goes right to the point of them, where we have lots of social reflections (about economy and tourism, or being happy just for having things) while we laugh at them. The animation is pretty good too - i'm not the biggest fan of their faces while drinking the potion, but it's just a small detail. The fact is: the humor that makes these books so good is completely here.
They didn't try to over complicate or anything, they finally made a Cesar that is clever and has a refined strategy, they grabbed what it was funny about the people of the village - the fish and metal owners fighting, the old guy screaming, the importance the chief gives to himself.we get to see a few village fights in this! Even the gags of the musician were awesome, even thought they were predictable!
I don't know, it just worked. I laughed my ass off, and you can watch it with your whole family. A great surprise i had.
Go and watch this movie, i'm sure you won't be able to see it without laughing in lots of bits. Really great stuff. Asterix and the gang ventures into 3D animated waters for the first time, and I must say it was quite delightful to watch them breathe alive on the big screen. All those big shiny noses and their clumsy acts look just brilliant in CGI.
Asterix and Obelix: Mansion of the Gods wouldn't disappoint you. It is funny, featuring slapstick comedy, more of a situational provocation brought to you by the Roman invasion and the debatable empty heads of the Gauls.
The plot is well written and is taken from the comic The Mansion of the Gods. The relentless Caesar walks in again with a master plan to ingest the Gaulish by building Mansion of the Gods, a new territory near their village for the Romans to populate. The story saunters around to and fro as both parties keep fighting with each other for the land.
A majority of the scenes in the beginning have been stretched, and sometimes the movie topples into the non-funny zone. But still the low comedy manages to beam up the down. Every character in the movie is a hoot. Caesar brings in the grim but the people who surround him wouldn't make him look deadly. Someone or something would do something stupid every now and then and you would end up in fits of laughter. The fun doesn't stop at any point. A lot of fish slaps, cloud brawls, boar hunting and fake-fighting drive in the hilarious nail.
Although you feel the ending dies out pretty quickly, you still get a brilliant feast to devour, as you laugh your way out of the theatre with a contended look. A really entertaining flick. Kids are going to love it. It would be a great way to tell them the legacy of Asterix if they haven't come across the comic hero hitherto. Like I said in 'Song of the Sea' review, its a 3D animation dominated world. That's mainly in Hollywood, but trend spreading so fast everywhere. Even the Japan shifting gear from anime to 3D anime, I saw it in 'Space Pirate: Captain Harlock'.
From a comic book to 2D animation is easy because they are much alike, but it's different when it comes to the 3D. I have seen Micky Mouse and Co transformed into 3D characters that I did not like, because some characters do not suit for that kind of leap.
In Micky Mouse, the ears were the biggest drawback. But 'Tintin' was a success and so expecting 'Popeye' would do the same magic which is due next year (2016). I have seen all the 'Asterix & Obelix' movies so far from both the format, live-shot and animation, but this is the first 3D animation. I'm so happy that it came overall very well, every detail was retained. Even those mud-smoke/dirt-smoke (whatever it's called) shown exactly as it to be which forms during their fight after the consumption of magic potion.
That concept is for comic book, to make understand the readers the situation because the picture is still. But in a motion picture you can show the whole action, if they make that change the trademark will lose.
So I must praise the technical side of the movie for the lossless transformation. It's like a new beginning in the series in the 'Asterix & Obelix' franchise. Especially this story was not freshly written for the screen, but taken straight from one of the comic books in the series called 'The Mansions of the Gods'. In 3D animation, emotions, violence, comedies would be a little realistic. That's why the movie like 'Brave', 'Frozen', 'Up' appealed strongly on the sentimental side.
Gaul's favourite food, the wild boar hunting was compromised, because children would be watching the movie and it might disturb on the softer side of them. Just like the filmmakers avoided the Giant's children and women in 'Jack the Giant Slayer'. One of the best things in 'Asterix & Obelix' movies is that the movie might not be awesome, but still it entertains and keeps you engaged. You can't spot the flaws, in animation all are relevant. A man can jump 1000 feet high and leap a mile away.
So if there should be something, that must come from the technical side. Since it (Gauls in 3D) is new and so much fun, you can't concentrate finding those faults or you will miss the actual enjoyment. 'It's weird that the house looks like a box.' ' As usual the story set in the first BC. The Gaul's enemy the Romans comes with a new strategy to defeat them. They begin to build the large mansions near to their village and later to invade by seducing the community by the Roman culture.
So the fight begins between them where the innocent civilians and black slaves get affect more. But Gaul's main intention is to keep the ecosystem unaffected, especially they're against the Romans modern fancy civilization. What happens to the Julius Caeser's 'Veni, Vidi, Vici' is the movie's final battle to disclose. Probably a best 'Asterix & Obelix' movie compared to the previous couple of movies. Good to see a non-Hollywood 3D animated movie with a great quality and doing well commercially as well. A whole family together watchable movie, not only for the children.
Hoping for the a sequel, I mean very soon. All the above it was short and sweet which runs about 80 minutes. If you are a fan of this comic, you will love it, because lots of the frames look alike. Must be dedicated to the fans. I have to admit that I am generally ignorant of the Asterix Series. I can remember reading the comics in French class, growing up in Canada and trying to figure out what the stories were about, but that was about the limit of my exposure to this popular Francophone.
I was pleasantly surprised with this little adventure comedy for kids! The characterization of one of history's greatest rivalries; between the Gauls of Britannia and Caesar of Rome, is hilariously represented in this film. Each person was a caricature of itself, Asterix and his nobility, Obelix and his strength, the Druids deep intelligence, Caesars tyranny, and even the hard working slaves. Each one as funny as the last. The story is fun as well, full of jokes for everyone. Children I'm sure will laugh throughout at all the silly little events, fights that break out, and of course the cute Dogmatix who runs amok throughout.
What really surprised me were the number of slightly adult jokes. Not crude or dirty, but jokes that required a little bit of thought. The hedonism of the Romans, the gluttony of the Gauls, the unionization and unique disposition of the slave leader, not to mention whose bed he sleeps in;) All around a great kids movie, and lots of fun along the way. Certainly as good as most Pixar films from recent years. This is how you do it! D.c,Marvell and the rest, class is in session. I am big comics fan and I grow up reading Asterix and Obelix and I can tell the movie is spot on.the drawing,the characters the cynical dialog.
This the first ever for that a comic book came to life exactly as it was written. The way the village is portrayed the fights scene and even the way they run. I saw the movie in the original French audio and it fits perfectly I have a little girl who doesn't understand a word in French and yet this is her favorite movie! If you are a comic-book fan don't miss this movie its really that good and the subtitles are worth it. I was a big fan of the original 'Asterix' comic books when I was a kid.
Still am, as a matter of fact. So when I came across this French computer animated adaptation of the Asterix comic book 'The Mansion of the Gods' on Netflix, I was curious to see how well it would be done. I still remember very well the particular Asterix comic book this movie adapted, and I have to say this adaptation is pretty well done. The second half of the movie pretty much stops following what happened in the comic book in order to do its own thing (and to stretch the story to feature length), but the changes to the story do feel straight out of a typical Asterix comic book.
The humor (and there's plenty of it) has the exact tone, and happens to be pretty funny. The computer graphics don't quite have the Hollywood polish, but they are colorful and acceptably detailed. The only caution I would deliver to potential viewers is to inform them that they should read some of the original Asterix comics first before watching this movie, since there are some (minor) details that might be confusing for those not familiar with the comics. While younger Asterix readers generally prefer the episodes involving a travel in some place in the world, the more mature ones prefer the sedentary stories, as they often reflect a relevant (and comical) aspect of French society through its great incarnation: the Gallic village.
On that level, 'The Mansion of Gods' is one of the best Asterix adventures, which is saying a lot. It all starts with a clever idea from Julius Caesar: if the Gauls don't surrender to the Army because of the magic potion, then he'll make them surrender to progress. He'll build a vast mansion inside the forest, near the village, in order to attract Roman tourists and Romanize the Gauls in the process. The first act of the story consists on the Gauls preventing the Romans from taking the trees, thanks to Getafix' treated acorns, trees grow back faster than they're uprooted by Romans. Finally, the Gauls let the Romans build the mansion because it is the only way to free the slaves.
Roman civilians come, their presence affect the Gauls' business habits and lifestyle, and just when the village was about to become a Roman colony, Asterix brings Cacofonix the bard in the mansion. The civilians leave, and their replacement by Roman soldiers seals the mansion's fate. But the story ends on a rather lucid tone. Asterix asks Getafix if they can really stop the progress, like they did, Getafix replies 'of course not, but we have time', we get it, the forest is just given a suspended sentence. It is truly one of the best stories because it questions our relationship to our environment and our culture, especially in these days where frontiers have been erased and the world seems caught in such a perpetual evolution it is almost dizzying. There's a part in the film where Vitalstatistix, imitating De Gaulle, says 'I understood you'.
Clearly, this is a line that could apply to Alexandre Astier. Not only he understood Asterix (and you can tell this is the work of a fan), but he rewrote the story in such a way that he clearly understands the world we live in. It goes without saying that neither 'Asterix Conquers America', nor 'Asterix and the Vikings' were made by people who understood what Asterix was about. One tried too much to imitate Disney while the other thought it could catch the 2000's audience by inserting many anachronistic jokes and adding a useless romantic subplot (the one heart-warming relationship in the film is between Obelix and a little Roman boy, and it works very well).
Astier does inject in his film a form of humor that is extremely relevant to 2010's audience, especially the way, he pretends not to take it seriously, but it is a seriously made film, one that respects the spirit of the original albums, one that would have made Goscinny proud, and according to Uderzo, the best adaptation to date. What more endorsement can you need after that?
I had a few doubts though, Astier was known for his TV parody of King Arthur's epic parody 'Kaamelot' but then the casting list, made me wonder if it wasn't just another star-studded film, where we'd care less for the story than the voices we'd hear. But then again, Alain Chabat's 'Mission Cleopatra' was the best adaptation of Asterix (on any format) and the casting was part of the magic potion. But the real ingredient, one that the two films have in common, that extra spice so severely lacking in the other adaptations, is their love for Goscinny's humor, and its compatibility with their own humor, so their instinct pays off, they don't waste the good gags and remove those that won't, necessarily work on a big screen. For instance, one of my favorite lines in the book is when a senator notices Caesar talking of himself at the third person, he says 'he's great', 'who?' Asks Caesar, 'well, you', 'ow, him', Caesar says. Good for the book, not so in a film. Astier knows it and makes Caesar laugh like a manic villain and the senators wonder whether its devilish or malefic, which is typical Astiers humor deviation from the story and let characters talk for the sake of talking, but when it's such great writing, no one can refuse it, even the character of Duplicatha, the African slaves' leader is given much more magnitude than in the book.
And that's all to the credit of Astier who finds new comical elements to add in every scene, and let also give the credit to the director, Louis Clichy, who made his bones in Pixar, and knew how to enrich rather banal scenes with the sort of slapstick humor only CGI can provide efficiently, making Asterix finally compatible with the Third Millennium. Of course, I feel like a blasphemy saying the film improves the book, but you'd be surprised by how incredibly creative the film gets. In fact, the original book only inspires the first act of the film. In the second act, the Gauls start to enjoy the presence of the Romans, and end up living in the Mansion, then we have a splendid montage sequence, with a 80's Italian hit-song, showing the Gauls trying to fit within Roman lifestyle, wearing sandals, eating grapes, taking sauna baths and so forth. The third act is the climactic fight inside the Mansion, and for the first time since 'Cleopatra' you really feel you watch something new, where even the process of making the potion is not taken for granted, when the Gaul's strength show its limitations. Even the climax of 'Twelve Tasks' didn't leave much suspense in the outcome. This is a school-case of adaptation with three separate acts, totally different one another, and each one providing different kind of thrills and excitement, which made me wonder if it's not a sign of fate that there is Astier in Asterix, I guess the Gods of Animation were with him.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this film. With the years of the unique style of the animated movies deteriorating into some sort of tacky Disney-rippoff and the general awfulness of the live-action films, I expected the worst. I thought a 3d version would resemble every DreamWorks or Pixar movie that I can't stand, but found instead a unique style which was faithful to the Comics. The movie overall was faithful, well made and funny, not to mention beautiful enough to make someone who is not a fan of CGI love it.
However the voices in English do not have the charisma of the iconic characters they are attached to. Nevertheless, I still loved it and I am glad that Asterix and Obelix are still alive to entertain new generations. I did always followed Asterix's animated movies. This one catches the mood of the first adaptations of the 60s and 70s. Lots of gags, in-jokes, modern turnouts, puns, anachronisms, fill this movie with fun and laughs all the way. Synopsis: Caesar wants to annihilate by all means the small village which resists the Roman occupation in Gaul by imposing a modern Roman housing project in their backyard. Soon, chaos among the villagers forces them to move out to the new project.
Asterix and his remaining friends (Obelix, Getafix, and an evicted Roman family) must find a way to get rid of this 'bourgeois' project and foil Caesar and the Romans' scheme. Note this was the talented voice master Roger Carel's last project of voicing Asterix in French after close to 60 years of voice dubbing the little warrior (and many other projects like Hanna-Barbera cartoons and dubbing movie actors for so many motion pictures) A movie not to miss, whether language you watch it! I should start off by saying that I used to read the Asterix books when I was a child so I really like these stories. Anyway, I watched the newest English version of the Mansion of the Gods movie and have to say it is just as good as the book. The animation was good, the story and plot stayed true to the book and moreover, my three year old son loved it as well, so I think we have a new Asterix fan.
If you have not read any of the books and you like the movie then please read the books as I think you will love them, regardless of your age. I just hope that they make more films of this standard which stay true to the books. All in all a great film that I will watch more than once without a doubt. After for many years of the disappointing of live action Asterix and Obelix movies and asterix and the vikings we finally got a movie of Asterix and Obelix which is not only totally awesome and they put work here for this one but it finally based of the comic books. I had doubts about this film adaptation of 'Le domaine des dieux' because of the 3D animation. Watching it, I was impressed by how faithful to the original drawings the 3D graphics are.
They did a really good job. If you know Alexandre Astier, you'll notice his personal touch in the dialogues. But that never hurt anything, on the contrary! And he stayed faithful to the spirit of the original work.
I've never read this particular album, but I'm very familiar with Asterix comics in general, having read them during all my childhood (and beyond). If Astier had betrayed Goscinny's work in this movie, I would have been very disappointed.
The scenario is very good, and the jokes never stop coming. I hope that the foreign adaptation(s) do this movie justice, but it's visually good enough so that I don't really worry. In conclusion, I recommend that you watch this movie even if you've never read an Asterix comic.
Just go for the ride and you'll have a good time. Caesar comes up with a new plan to wipe out the huge threat that is a Gaulish village by adapting them to Roman life by building huge apartment complex's nearby. A comic book that's just over 40 pages long being adapted into an 85 minute long film? It can't be done can it?
Well Asterix: The Mansions Of The Gods proves that this can be done while remaining faithful to the original material. This film is genuinely like one of the comics has come to life. And even better it will entertain both kids and adults with something for all ages to laugh at. It's got lighthearted slapstick and gags both of the visual and spoken variety. It's a surprisingly funny film and also very entertaining.
At one point halfway through it seems to look like it might drag but it picks itself back up and continues on the same form it was originally from. It does look like it might be a cheesy film due to it's mixture of a very British cast from all different areas of Film and Television, etc but it is successful and is actually a good film.From watching the trailers it does seem to look like another dodgy foreign film with a bad English dub done by some big names to sell it better and that is possibly what has been done but it pays off well because this adaptation is a good one. The plot is well done and there is potential for gags throughout as the events unfold and the writers take advantage of nearly every opportunity to do this and these grabs for laughs usually end up with a few chuckles from the audience no matter what age they were.
The script and plot are both very well done and clearly remain faithful to the source material and all the original Asterix comic books. And then it ends. From start to finish 85 minutes goes by very quickly and having been thoroughly enjoyed by most of the audience.
Funny and very entertaining Asterix: The Mansions Of The Gods is a very well done adaptation that stays faithful to the original material. It has something for kids but will also entertain the adults taking them. It's another one of this summers pleasant surprises.
You'll love this too then. Actually I almost wish this had been made when I was younger and reading all those comics. I would have enjoyed this even more. One thing that is for sure, that this translated the humor from page to screen (pun intended). You feel like those pictures are moving and apparently they only used one comic book for the whole story (which is the first time they did that on a feature length Asterix movie ever). I can't relate to local translations, but I reckon the humor will not be lost there.
I know that the characters get the treatment they deserve and the movie really has much respect of the history of the comics and the readers it build and whom grew up with that. Some additions to the story or extensions have been made, but if you haven't read the comic lately you probably won't even realize which they are.
Which is a testament to the movie itself. I have been learning French for a while and reading Asterix comics was one of the most fun ways of learning. Their language is simple and they are hilarious. When I saw this movie on Netflix, I didn't realize it was available in both English and French as the default language was French only. For whatever reasons, I enjoyed it far more in French with English subtitles, even after learning that the film was available in English.
The best thing about this movie is that it has kept the soul of the comic book intact. The characters, the voices etc behave exactly as you would imagine them while reading the comics.
The story, of course, has a familiar plot and just like the comics, I could not stop laughing at all the silly sequences transpiring before my eyes. If you have zero knowledge of French, then you might be better off watching it in English but if you are fairly familiar with the language and can construct a few sentences, then watch this film in French and you will probably find it more enjoyable. All in all a great movie for the fans of the comic books. There have been many movie adaptations of Asterix's adventures. But none of the ones I have seen have ever come close to this movie in capturing, to the 't', the true spirit, character and sheer joyfulness of the original comic books.
What makes the Asterix comics so special is the witty repartee back and forth between the various characters, the often ill timed and hilariously disastrous shenanigans of Obelix and, of course, the wonderful artistry of Goscinny and Uderzo in giving life to the many characters with their funny noses, moustaches, costumes and expressions. This movie is the first one I have ever seen which captures ALL of these attributes of the original comics. It does so by not diluting or modifying in the slightest the original storytelling or art.
I mean, the original comic books are works of art and masterpieces of storytelling. Anybody trying to 'improve' upon the original works, as so many previous animated and live action works have attempted to do, will only fail. My deepest thanks to the makers of this beautiful movie which brings to life the characters of my childhood. For those unfamiliar with the Asterix comics (there are such people? Seriously?), this is a hilarious, beautifully animated movie which will be enjoyed by viewers of all ages.
Apart from a few moments of minor creative-additions in-between scenes in cells in the comic, and a little Disney roller-coaster style theatrical movements not really needed for the plot progression creeping into the production, this is a very well done adaption of the comic. There's enough time spent contrasting scenes between the unpreparedness of the village, compared to the predictions used by Caesar, and enough forest-magic or the utilisation of it, for plenty of contrast of what you get, from roman-civilisation, compared to what is in it's way. Also, quite a lot of height, interestingly, was used in some of the scene-setting, which was good, since there needed to be height UNDER, canopies / tall-trees, compared to the condominiums, which was definitely in the art of the original comic. Not missing touches like that, make this one one of the better adaptions, even if the plot is simplistic / offensive to some. Why read Asterix, if you would find the characterisations of the romans, offensive? Asterix is simple FUN!! It represents the Fight against the Empires and what I mean for Empires are all types of empires in the world.
For example: Democracy was created in the Classical Greece CITY States. Rome created the Representative Democracy and The Concept of Republic (Public things). Today Countries and Specially USA have too much Govern Secretes. Like Europe Union. And all Countries Democratic Armed Forces stand to Defend their Capital City Democracy and NOT the LOCAL People Democracy!
Is this a Democracy or an Empire of Marketing?? I have all Magazines of Asterix, I am a Big FAN!! Even the way Politicians wear today. They all have suit. In this multicultural environment??
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March 2023
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