A mixed adaptation of both Asterix and the Big Fight and Asterix and the Soothsayer. The arrival of a mysterious soothsayer test the beliefs of the village as Getafix loses his memory and more magic potion can't be made without him to stop the invading Romans.As a fan of Asterix this ranks with Asterix in Britain, certainly in terms of the balance of good animation, story and fun. Despite the musical number it's a very good outing. Voices include Andrew Sachs, Ron Moody and Brian Brian Blessed to name a few.Many complain about the voices of English VHS version, Bill Oddie as Asterix and Bernard Bresslaw as Obelix, I actually think they are perfect in tone, capturing the humour and rapport. They are the epitome of what I'd expect those characters to sound like. So much so I was disappointed with the release of DVD box set not containing the aforementioned. It's down to personal taste I suppose.One of the most Asterix rounded adventures that the follow ups Asterix Conquers America (1994) and Asterix and the Vikings (2006) and have failed to equal or surpass.Asterix and the Big Fight is fantastic family fun.
... View MoreI have always been a big fan of anything Asterix and Obelix. This movie in particular is one of my earliest memories of the series. I remember watching it on Sky Movies when I was very young and recently rediscovered it.Firstly, don't bother with the version that you get in the recently released box set. It has US dubbing which sounds rubbish. The UK version of this movie is the one to watch. You can pick it up on Ebay or Amazon pretty easily. As far I as I know the UK dubbed version was never released on DVD, only VHS. All of the voices in this movie are the ones I have always associated with the characters and classed as their original voices. Bill Oddie makes a great Asterix and 2 names I must mention are Brian Blessed as General Chaos and Ron Moody as Prolix. The cast are truly suited to each character. I may be a little biased as this is how I remember the characters voices from my childhood and they are my personal favourites.I am still confused by the actual intended plot/film. The artwork and detail on the VHS sleeve quotes this to be based on the comic book 'Asterix & The Big Fight', when in fact the actual film is based on 'Asterix And The Soothsayer' with various parts taken from 'Asterix & The Big Fight', such as Getafix getting hit by the menhir and losing his marbles. The rest of the movie is pretty much taken from 'Asterix & The Soothsayer'. This is not a big deal but the sleeve is misleading as it quotes the film to be based on the actual comic book title. So if you read it and then watch the movie don't be too confused if they don't match. You are actually watching 'Asterix & The Big Fight'. :) The film itself is very enjoyable. The plot is straight forward and easy to follow. For me personally the film doesn't drag in anyway, it is packed with humour and overall enjoyment. The animation looks superb for it's age and the voice work is fantastic. This is my personal favourite Asterix movie and I can watch it over and over.The plot is as follows, Getafix the village druid is injured by a flying menhir and loses his sanity and his ability to brew the magic potion that the Gaul's so heavily rely on. (With the exception of Obelix). The Romans get wind of this news and decide to play it to their advantage. The future of Gaul is uncertain and the Gauls live in fear of a Roman attack without the aid of any magic potion. Also amidst this, an untrustworthy soothsayer (wonderfully voiced by Ron Moody) arrives in the village, claiming he can predict the future of the various Gaulish folk, leaving *almost* everyone convinced apart from Asterix who is suspicious of the cunning soothsayer. The film events are mainly based around Asterix and Obelix trying to assist Getafix gain back his sanity and the also soothsayers various actions and his involvement with the Romans.The Cacofonix singing sequence takes Asterix away from the comic book style and for one moment puts you in the middle of a cartoon musical, a rather catchy 80's number. :) Overall a great part of the Asterix collection and a movie that any fan should not miss!
... View MoreWhen Getafix loses his memory the village loses it's defence in the magic potion. The arrival of a mysterious soothsayer further endangers the village as the Romans prepare to invade. There are several attempts to make Asterix films and none of them are very successful. This is a mix of stories - it is an adaptation of Asterix and the Big Fight and Asterix and the Soothsayer. However the two stories are not complete and in fact some of the situations contradict each other, the plot is such a mess that the big fight of the title that ends the book is not in the film at all! The main problem is that this could be any cartoon, there is none of the humour and wit of the books. It even ropes in a terrible musical number - something that would never happen in the books! The voices are mainly all miscast, Bill Oddie is a terrible, terrible choice for Asterix - too mousy and squeaky. Getafix, Obelix and the women characters are all miscast. The only good voice is Brian Blessed - but his presence begs the question why was he involved in this? Overall this is very boring with a terrible mixed up story, unlikeable versions of the characters and a total lack of comedy present in the books.
... View MoreI bought Asterix and the Big Fight expecting it to be a big screen recreation of one of my favourite Asterix books. I was sorely disappointed. To begin with, the plot was entirely different, and inferior, to the book of the same title. Bizarrely, it seemed to boast a glaring omission, namely a significant enough big fight to warrant the title. Also, the character of a soothsayer was added and many others dropped. On the subject of characters, for some reason the names of all but Asterix and Obelix had been changed from their usual English translations. Getafix became Vitamix, Vitalstatistix became Chief Bombastix! All very confusing. The voice characterization was way off the mark. Obelix, for one thing, should always be portrayed as a deep voiced dummy, but here it sounds more like he should be hanging in the 'hood! All in all, this film lacks the appeal of the Twelve Tasks of Asterix film, or the Asterix and Cleopatra film and an attempt at a musical number, a gimmick which worked well in the latter film, goes sourly wrong, with poor writing and the Gauls singing in voices drowned out by the music. I advice you not to buy Asterix and the Big Fight. From the patronising opening scene in which Asterix explains the term 'Gaul' to Obelix, it is clear that you are in for a tedious hour long slog.
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