TV Review: Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight (2025)

Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight (2025) created by Alain Chabat based on the comics by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

This CGI-animated short series (5 episodes that are 30-40 minutes each) tells the tale of another attempt by Caesar's Romans to take over the last independent village in Gaul. The Romans haven't conquered it because the village druid, Panoramix, has invented a potion that temporarily gives the villagers superhuman strength. One villager, Obelix, fell into a pot of potion as a child and permanently has super-strength. He's a menhir merchant, selling large stones (like the ones at Stonehenge). The villagers are tough and regularly beat any legion that comes to conquer.

The Roman plan is two-fold. First, they kidnap Panoramix so the villagers won't have the potion. Second, they get one of the other Gaulish chiefs to challenge village chief Vitalstatistix. The Gauls have an ancient law that one chief can challenge another to combat and whoever is victorious becomes chief of both villages (the titular Big Fight). Without the potion, Vitalstatistix (a chubby little fellow) is sure to lose. Caesar himself comes from Rome to witness the ultimate triumph of the Romans.

The story is based on one of the original comics by Goscinny and Uderzo, but this version throws in a lot of other stuff. The flashback story of Obelix's accident is shown. The big fight at the end has the Romans building an arena and fun fair for the event, enabling them to make fun of sports commentators and Disneyland. The creators of the show throw in some new characters with punny names, like Tenmillionclix (whose name gets changed to Tenmillionviyus to be more Roman), Annabarbera, and Fastanefurius. The usual puns and comic interactions work really well with the animated style. This series captures the fun and entertaining spirit of the original comics.

The series was made in French and I watched with subtitles but there is an English-dubbed version. As I write (June 2025), this is only available streaming on Netflix.

Recommended, highly for Asterix fans.

Movie Review: Asterix & Obelix: L'Empire du Milieu (2023)

Asterix & Obelix: L'Empire du Milieu (2023) directed by Guillaume Canet, based on the comics by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

Chinese Princess Sas Sa (Julie Chen) has fled from China where her mother the Empress (Linh-Dan Pham) has been imprisoned by Deng Tsin Qin (Bun-Hay Mean) who wants to marry the princess and rule all of China. Sas Sa travels to Gaul, where she's always wanted to visit, and enlists the aid of Asterix (Guillaume Canet) and Obelix (Giles Lellouche) to free her mom and restore the kingdom to its rightful ruler. Asterix has decided he eats too much meat so he's gone vegetarian, creating a rift between him and Obelix (who loves to eat boar for every meal). He's also sworn off using the village potion that gives him super-strength though he takes a bottle with him "just in case."

Meanwhile, Deng Tsin Qin visits Julius Caesar (Vincent Cassel) to get extra troops to finish the conquest of China. At first Caesar is reluctant but merciless mocking by his wife Cleopatra (Marian Cotillard) convinces him to go conquer a land that has heard of Cleo but not of Caesar. They march east while Asterix and company also head east, having adventures along the way and an ultimate confrontation in China.

The movie has the spirit of the classic comic series of which I am a big fan. I chuckled every time someone said Deng Tsin Qin's name because it's pronounced "Dancing Queen." Not the most macho of names! It's the best of the ubiquitous comic names, though the princess's body guard Ka Rah Tay is a close second. Caesar and Cleopatra communicate via pigeons in a way that imitates Twitter, so the show has fun anachronisms too. 

On the other hand, the comic violence does not work quite as well in a live action setting, though Ka Rah Tay has some fun Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon wuxia moves. Canet does not have the clever sassiness of the comic book version of Asterix and he's too tall, so he is not as satisfying. Caesar and Obelix are spot on, though Obelix is not as big as he is in the comics (again, a limitation of live action). The plot feels a little stretched out, like there's not quite enough to fill the 112 minute running time. I watched it in the original French with subtitles, so I was distracted when some of the pun-names did not match between the spoken French and the captioned English.

Mildly recommended--this is more for fans of Asterix than for the general public.

As I write (June 2023), this is available streaming on Netflix.

Book Review: Asterix in Corsica by R. Goscinny et al.

Asterix in Corsica written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo

Asterix has another adventure as a Roman centurion brings a prisoner from Corsica to one of the nearby Roman forts. Unfortunately for the centurion, it's the anniversary of a Gaulish victory over the Romans so the locals celebrate by beating up the local Roman garrisons. The fort is emptying out as the centurion approaches. The prisoner winds up freed by Asterix, who then joins him on the return trip to Corsica. The Romans in Corsica have a tradition of taking most of the valuables from the local people each year to send to Rome. The Corsicans have a tradition of liberating the confiscated goods just before they are sent. Asterix and Obelix (his trusty sidekick) join in the fun times the Corsicans have with their annual ritual.

The book is another entertaining bit of adventure with the usual characters, the usual Latin puns and other fun jokes, and some good old friendly fights.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Asterix and the Falling Sky by Albert Uderzo

Asterix and the Falling Sky by Albert Uderzo

The village chief's worst fear comes true when the sky does fall on the Gaulish village. An alien spacecraft comes to claim the village's secret weapon. Will the magic potion fall into the wrong hands? Will the Romans finally have a chance to move in and squash the rebellious village?

The adventure is far fetched even by Asterix standards. The comedy is fairly average and is not up to the high standards of previous Asterix stories.

Just okay.

Book Review: Asterix and the Secret Weapon by Albert Uderzo

Asterix and the Secret Weapon written and illustrated by Albert Uderzo

Cacofonix, village bard, has sung too badly and the women of the village hire another bard to come and teach the children properly. But the new bard isn't just any bard--it's a woman from the big city of Lutetia (present-day Paris). She has some revolutionary ideas and gets the women of the village wearing pants and taking charge. As the men are slowly driven out of the village, Julius Caesar sends a secret weapon to conquer the last remaining unconquered Gaulish village. Who will win out in the end?

In addition to the usual puns and word play, the story has a fun "battle of the sexes" vibe that's executed appropriately for a kids' comic. It's another fun and comic adventure with Asterix.

Recommended.

Book Review: Asterix and Obelix's Birthday The Golden Book by R. Goscinny and A. Uderzo

Asterix and Obelix's Birthday The Golden Book written by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, illustrated by Albert Uderzo

This Asterix story celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the first publication of an Asterix story in 1959. Rene Goscinny died in November 1977, but material that he had developed prior to his death has been included in this story.

The story starts with a look at what Asterix and Obelix would be like if they actually aged and were in their retirement years. It's a comic nightmare that soon ends as a dream sequence. Their Gaulish village sends Asterix and Obelix off on a boar hunt. Meanwhile, the villagers plan a birthday party for the two. Different people come up with different presents, including Laurensolivius's film treatment of their lives!

The book is an entertaining tribute to the pair of adventurers but not a great adventure in and of itself. There's a lot of mock art, like a statue of Obelix as Rodin's The Thinker and one of the village ladies as Mona Lisa, an interesting and different thing for an Asterix comic.

Recommended for Asterix fans--you need to have a little background to appreciate this.

Book Review: Asterix the Gaul by R. Goscinny and A. Uderzo

Asterix the Gaul written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Alberto Uderzo

Julius Caesar's Roman Army has conquered all of Gaul (modern-day France) except for one village on the coast. That village is the home of Getafix, a druid who brews a magic potion to make the villagers incredibly strong. The village is consequently unconquerable, though it is surrounded by Roman encampments. In desperation to find out the village's secret, the Roman commander Crismas Bonus sends a spy into the village. Will the Romans finally be able to conquer all of Gaul? The best warrior in the village, Asterix, is a clever trickster who is also unstoppable when he's got the potion. A better question is, will the Romans have a chance?

This is the first volume of the highly popular Asterix series. The story is entertaining and the comedy is laugh-out-loud funny. The creators clearly set a pattern for their comics that they consistently follow throughout the series. The characters are already well-defined and have their typical behavior found in later stories. The plots are an excuse for poking fun at the ancient Romans and making lots of clever puns. It's light, quick, fun entertainment.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield by R. Goscinny et al.

Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo

Chief Vitalstatistix has had one too many banquets, so the druid orders him off to a spa for a healthy dose of exercise and boiled vegetables. Asterix and Obelix go for the journey, if not for the treatment. They run into a Roman envoy whom they beat up. The envoy reports that the Gauls are as rebellious as ever. Julius Caesar decides to come show who's boss, especially by showing off the Shield of Vercingetorix, the Gaulish chieftain who was the last to surrender, thus completing the conquest of Gaul (never mind Asterix's village). But the shield is missing. The envoy is sent in search of it. When Asterix and Obelix get wind of the scheme, they also search for the shield.

The plot runs around in a great big circle with plenty of comedy along the way. This particular volume has lots of Latin puns (one drunk fellow is always going, "Hic, haec, hoc!"). It's a lot of fun.

Recommended.

Book Review: Asterix at the Olympic Games by R. Goscinny et al.

Asterix at the Olympic Games written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo

Things are quiet in the Gaulish village that is home to Asterix. The nearby Roman encampment Aquarium is full of excitement. Their finest athlete, Gluteus Maximus, has been selected to represent Rome in the Olympic Games in Greece. He trains in the forest where his confidence is shattered by Asterix and Obelix, whose magic-potion enhanced powers make them faster and stronger. Once the village chief finds out about the games, he wants his tribe to go too. They'll easily be victorious thanks to druid Getafix's magic brew. The whole tribe goes off to cheer on Asterix and Obelix as they compete against the Romans, the Greeks, and the occasional Egyptian, for Olympic glory.

The story is quite funny, with gags about their travel and tourism during their trip to Greece. Also, their conflict with the Romans is smartly handled, as is the gags about the Olympics. This book is among the best of the Asterix stories.

Highly recommended.

Sample text: The Roman lament...

Book Review: Asterix and the Golden Sickle by R. Goscinny et al.

Asterix and the Golden Sickle written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo

Village druid Getafix has a big problem. He's broken his golden sickle and can't harvest mistletoe for his potions. He's about to go to the annual conference of Gaulish druids. Asterix and his friend Obelix volunteer to make the journey to Lutetia (modern day Paris) to buy a new sickle from famed artisan Metallurgix. The trip is full of perils (wolves, bandits, Romans, bad puns, etc.). The city has even greater perils, as they discover a sickle-trafficking gang has kidnapped Metallurgix. Comedic adventures ensue.

The story is fun and quick, a typical Asterix adventure. Recommended.

Book Review: The Mansions of the Gods by R. Goscinny et al.

Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo

The Romans' latest scheme to conquer that village of pesky hold-outs in Gaul is to tear down the forest surrounding the village and put up a town center, complete with apartments, gardens, shops, and a circus. Architect Squareonthehypotenus heads off to start construction. Neither Asterix and his friends nor the Romans camped around the village are impressed with his plan. As the new arrivals start to tear down trees, Gaulish druid Getafix gives Asterix and Obelix some magic seeds to regrow the fallen trees. Comedy antics ensue.

I've read both funnier and less funny Asterix stories. As usual, the jokes are all over the place--making fun of Julius Caesar's ego, punning on people's names, fighting ridiculous fights. The premise is fun though the Romans don't get very far in their plans. They use slave labor to tear down the forest, including some Numidian slaves that look a bit too blackface for contemporary sensibilities. Otherwise the story is harmless fun.

Book Review: Asterix and the Banquet by R. Goscinny et al.

Asterix and the Banquet written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo

The ancient Romans decide to wall off the renegade village that is home to Asterix and Obelix. To prove that they can't be cut off from the rest of Gaul, Asterix makes a bet with the Roman leader--Asterix and Obelix will escape and get culinary delights from all over Gaul to show the Romans how great Gaul is. Or something like that. The plot is the thinnest ever, even by Asterix standards. The book has the standard jokes, punny names, and silly fights.

Overall, it's entertaining but forgettable. If you are going to start with Asterix, don't start here, there's lots of other better material out there (Asterix in Britain is still a favorite of mine).

Book Review: Asterix the Gladiator by R. Goscinny et al.

Asterix the Gladiator written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo

The village bard Cacofonix is captured by the Roman Prefect for Gaul. The prefect needs a unique present to offer in Rome to Caesar. Cacofonix's singing is indeed unique (happily so--he is quite terrible) and the villagers aren't so worried when he's disappeared. As soon as they discover he's been kidnapped by the Romans, they start a rescue mission. The mission will take Asterix and Obelix all the way to the Circus Maximus in Rome to save their fellow villager.

The story is the standard mix of puns and jokes along with the mild, ridiculous violence that comes from an ancient tribe with a potion of undefeatable strength. This provides the standard good fun of an Asterix comic.