I used to read the comics as a kid... by now, I only vaguely remember them, and those of the animated attempts that were produced that I watched, but a lot of things do seem to fit with what I remember. And hey, at least it's produced by the French, featuring the French, France being where the comic is actually from. There are many details that ring true as far as the source material goes... the first few moments contain a well-known image from the comics, reproduced in live action. This also has an interpretation of the singing of the village musician(I can't claim to know the original French names). Also seen is a recreation of the village leader on his shield. Whether or not you particularly care for seeing this, and whether or not you agree with this envisioning of it, it's there to take in. The small dog is there, as well, and he gets used some for comedy(if in fairly morbid and grotesque ways). The production values are of high quality. The acting is pretty good, if some is overacted, more or less intentionally. Depardieu isn't bad in his native language, either(and he is a fairly logical choice, as far as physical type goes, for Obélix, and Roberto Benigni(who, I guess, speaks French...?) is one of the best additions(although one could argue that he wasn't up against much), and gets several laughs. Ceasar was done well, the actor looks and performs as he should. The humor isn't bad, if at times childish, much of it derived from the comics(more or less well-integrated in the film) and some of it is run right into the ground. I did laugh at this film, if not terribly often. I watched this in the original, French language(not a fan of dubbing... actually, that's a powerful understatement), but some of the material still worked. The pacing is reasonable, well, it runs fine, at least. The plot isn't too bad, and works, if some more or less minor points don't make sense once you think about them(and one sub-plot is never fully resolved, characters not seen in the film anymore once they've done what they were there to do). Some things are lifted from the comics, though perhaps too much material from there was used, leaving too little time for development of what there is, as others have pointed out. This is a cartoon brought to life, obvious in the action(which I'm honestly not sure I've ever found particularly intense... entertaining, occasionally, maybe, but not intense). One particular character shows that the French, too, know of, and stoop to, the lowest common denominator(though I suppose it could have been more gratuitous, but this is at least partially a children's film... torture sequences and such notwithstanding). Most of the characters from the comics seem to be there(again, whether or not they're properly done or well-integrated can be debated). The effects are quite good, and help with the cartoon-y action that we know from the original stories by Goscinny(R.I.P.). Some ideas could have been explored in what the plot does, in particular something near the very end, but are not. There is one reference that could be considered clever... but by the second time it's made... yeah. The music isn't bad. The casting and costumes aren't bad. I guess fans might enjoy it, if they aren't too attached to the original. Making live action productions of drawn source material is seldom a good idea. I recommend this to those who want a live-action version of Astérix and Obélix, but not those looking for a good one. Whether or not the second one would fulfill that need, I can't say. 6/10

Version: French audio, English subtitles (by SBS) It had been years since I read any Asterix books or seen the animated films when 'Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar' popped up on World Movies (an Australian cable channel specialising in foreign films). I had no choice. I had to watch it. After all, Asterix was, and always will be awesome.It is the peak of the Roman Empire, and Rome rules over nearly all of Europe, save for one little village in Gaul. A group of Roman soldiers led by Lucius Detritus (Roberto Benigni) has made numerous attempts to subjugate the village, but our heroes Asterix (Christian Clavier) and Obelix (Gérard Depardieu) foil all attempts (with help from Getafix's magic potion...). When the villagers embarrass a Roman tax-collector, Julius Caesar (John Gottfried) becomes personally involved in the campaign to take out Asterix and co. for good.'Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar' was incredibly funny. I had no expectations about how would it fare as a comic-to-film transfer or how it would stack up against the classic comics. I hadn't read Asterix in years, so I really couldn't expect anything. but after watching it, I have to say that the only thing that could beat watching Roman soldiers be thrown around in a live-action is reading the Asterix comics again. The sets, costumes, and special effects could be better, but this is still a very fun movie. I've previously recognized Gérard Depardieu as being "that guy who turns up in movies that I have to watch for a history class", but after his role as Obelix, he may just be one of my favourite actors.'Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar' is an enjoyable screen interpretation of the comics. I thought it was great, and it introduced my little brother to Asterix. He has since picked up a few Asterix books, I should go read them now - 8/10

I thought this production had the best of both worlds in capturing the spirit of the original comic strip as best as could be achieved by a movie, but adding the extra ingredients of three lovely comic performances from Clavier, Depardieu and Benigni. The plot is made up of several strands from different Asterix story lines, but holds together very well. I saw it originally dubbed in English, but prefer the original French, Clavier and Depardieu dubbed just doesn't work for me! Suitable for all ages, my six year old daughter loves it, although one or two scenes might be a bit scary, particularly if you don't like spiders!

This was a film I was curious about. My childhood has fond memories of the adventures of the brave little Gaul and his pals. This film was perfect in capturing those memories.The essence of the film seems to be fun. In fact this one of a few films I would dubb a family movie. All ages can view this and come away with something. Personally the slapstick humour I enjoyed. Also the dub for English translation was excellent, hats off to Mr Jones.The one bad point, and this is a minor point, is that the film is actually four books mixed together. If you know the books you can have a good idea about whats coming up, which is a bit unfortionate. An original script may have served the film better.However overall it proved to be entertaining. May that little village in Gaul always remain free.