In 1995, the movie "le hussard sur le toit" was released and it had a record; it was the most expensive movie ever made. This record was beaten seven years later with this film. But once again, this enormous budget was worth to be spending. Alain Chabat controls perfectly the huge incomes to his disposition (for example, sceneries are carefully restored and the crowd movements are wide) and he succeeds in recreating the fanciful atmosphere of the Astérix'albums. His making is very inventive, full of clever visuals and ringing brainwaves. Moreover, he doesn't only emphasize on the special effects of the movie and this was one of the faults of the first Astérix' film made by Claude Zidi in 1999. On the other hand, what a casting! It's very similar to the Sacha Guitry's film "si Versailles m'étais conté" and you can have fun by guessing which actor epitomize which character of the album "Astérix et Cléopâtre". As far as Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu are concerned, they're better managed than in the Zidi's film: they don't ham it up and are more credible in their respective roles even if Depardieu isn't fat enough. The other actors are excellent, (especially Gérard Darmon) rightly chosen even the minor actors in whom Chabat grants a big importance. Nevertheless, this one doesn't fit in the Caesar's role: he is a bit listless and not authoritarian enough. At last, let's notice that the characters' names are successful and funny puns (Menubestofplus, Numérobis, Itinéris), but they're only easily understood for French people. At the end, a successful adaptation of the Astérix's comic strip on the screen and a pleasant entertainment.
