एस्टेरिक्स एंड ओबेलिक्स: द मिडिल किंगडम

This film is an insult to Goscinny's work, which has already been well damaged.

Some people think that the film is offensive or incorrect and that this is the reason for the negative reviews, but let me reassure you, it is not. It is a pretext. The movie sucks, plain and simple. The story consists of a series of scenes that aim to place as many people as possible who are known (only in France for the most part) and who have no acting skills. Even the well-known and usually professional actors pale in comparison.

I didn't retain a single positive point. Oh yes, among the jokes, each one more desolate than the other, the lengths that are not funny at all (personally I would be ashamed if I had made such a lousy movie, I would have hidden and would never have assumed) and the script that would have been better if it had been written by a 9 year old.

Finally, this film is everything that is wrong with French cinema, plus the budget. You put your buddies, celebrities, you ask for a maximum of subsidies for a null result, and you take advantage of your knowledge in the media to inflate the box office and talk about this film every day as if the French cinema depended on it.

And personally, what I found most lamentable is that Guillaume Canet (the director) has arrogated to himself the role of the main character when he is not at the level.

It doesn't make you laugh, it makes you cry.

This is an enjoyable, popcorn-friendly comedy, that will help you relax and forget some of your problems. Marion Cotillard becomes more prominent in the second half of the movie. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a secondary character, to my surprise, but he elicits a few laughs. The new casting is likeable, but it doesn't quite live up to the old actors' talent and charm, meaning Gerard Depardieu and Christian Clavier were far better as Obelix and Asterix, respectively (too bad they' re too old), and the script is what you'd expect from a standard "Asterix and Obelix" movie. It's not super original, but it can hold your interest, and younger kids' as well. Overall, it's not a masterpiece, but it's not a waste of money and time, and it's a generally family-friendly movie, that it's funny enough.

The first Asterix and Oblix movie was pretty much fun, but things went downhill from there with this as an absolute low. There are some funny moments but all in all it dragged on and on and on. None of the characters were really convincing, except for Oblix, Tatan and the empress. Asterix, who should be the leading hero, was exceptionally poor, really dull. The introduction of Ibrahimovic was useless with some predictable footbal jokes.

It may also have been the french humor, which isn't humor at all but just acting a bit silly and make it drag-on. Like Ceasar's writter who was a bit fun at first but become more and more anoying: "yes now we know, get on with it"

Of course I am well-familiar with the Asterix and Obelix characters, as I loved reading the comic books when I was a kid. I just never got around to watching the live action movies, for some reason, though I did watch the cartoons when I was a kid as well.

And thus, as I had the opportunity here in 2023 to sit down and watch "Astérix & Obélix: L'Empire du Milieu" (aka "Asterix and Obelix The Middle Kingdom"), I did so. And I have to say that I was genuinely and positively entertained by director Guillaume Canet's movie. It looked and felt very much like what you had and have in the comics, so that was quite good.

Writers Julien Hervé and Philippe Mechelen put together a rather enjoyable and funny script and storyline for the movie. Again, it felt and looked like what you get in the comics, so it was a hit right on the head. Lots of good entertainment throughout the course of the 112 minutes that the movie ran for.

The acting performances in the movie were good, and leading actors Philippe Mechelen (playing Astérix) and Gilles Lellouche (playing Obélix) carried the movie quite well. It was also good to see the likes of Vincent Cassel (playing César), Julie Chen (playing Tat Han) and Julie Chen (playing Princesse Fu Yi) on the screen. Even soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic (playing Antivirus) shows up in the movie in a funny role.

Visually then "Astérix & Obélix: L'Empire du Milieu" was good. Good special effects without going over into the deep end, thus letting children enjoy the movie as well.

Something that could have been better in the movie was the fact that everyone spoke French. It made zero sense why the Romans and the Chinese also spoke French.

I thoroughly and genuinely enjoyed "Astérix & Obélix: L'Empire du Milieu", and it is a movie that I will warmly recommend. My rating of "Astérix & Obélix: L'Empire du Milieu" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Some funny moments but too many long sequences without jokes and, to be frank, not interesting. One kungfu fight would have been enough.

Totally useless cameo by soccer player Zlatan Something.

I liked the new Obelix, Gilles Lelouche gave to the character a lot that was missing in the lazy Depardieu acting. Canet was rather ineffective as Astérix. The character is supposed to be smart and funny, he played him as a bumbling idiot. A vegan Astérix ? What a stupid idea.

Cotillard was a very nice Cléopatre for the whole minute she is on screen. Cassel was, as usual, quite convincing as César. But his entourage was lackluster.