Wonderful animated movie that gave me the same old feeling that I had as a kid while I was reading comics. Haven't expected at all to be this good. It is very funny as it made me laugh many times. All the characters are very well depicted. They look so natural and full of life. Story was as well very interesting. Recommended to all Asterix and Obelix fans. For new and old. I am hoping for more sequels in the future.
28 Reviews
Wonderful Entertainment
claudio_carvalho24 April 2019
When the Druid Panoramix falls from a tree on the floor, he breaks his foot and decides to find a young successor to teach the secret of the magic potion to keep the village protected. He travels through Gaul with Astérix, Obélix and his young apprentice Pectine seeking out a good druid to learn his secret. Meanwhile the evil Sulfurix becomes the advisor of the ambitious Teleferix expecting to learn the secret of the magic potion to negotiate with Cesar while the Roman troops attack the village that is protected only by the Gallic women.
"Astérix: Le secret de la potion magique" is a wonderful family entertainment. The stubborn Panoramix has a great participation in the film looking for an apprentice. The result is the usual, with the Romans helping the Gallic heroes against a greater evil. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Astérix e o Segredo da Poção Mágica" ("Astérix nd the Secret of the Magic Potion")
"Astérix: Le secret de la potion magique" is a wonderful family entertainment. The stubborn Panoramix has a great participation in the film looking for an apprentice. The result is the usual, with the Romans helping the Gallic heroes against a greater evil. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Astérix e o Segredo da Poção Mágica" ("Astérix nd the Secret of the Magic Potion")
It just lacks some spice but it's still good, it's still good...
ElMaruecan8218 December 2018
It's always difficult to judge a sequel on objective terms as the original always carries the edge of being "unprecedented" in a way or another.
Sure "The Mansion of Gods" wasn't a newcomer as the eight animated Asterix film but it was preceded by adaptations that belonged to the lesser category and movies that -despite their success- sowed incertitude over Asterix' adaptability in the minds of many fans... until Astier came.
And I loved his film because unlike its predecessors, it didn't try to emulate Disney or Pixar trends and that was the first credit I gave to the director and writer Alexandre Astier, a comedian who proved to be as much a fan of the little Gaul as Alain Chabat and a worthy successor. And it also helped that the film was a faithful adaptation of one of the best comic-book adventures, a sedentary one with an interesting commentary on deforestation, urbanism and its effect on environment, to put it simply an ecological and social view on the march of progress from the village's perspective.
While I was hoping a second Astier movie, I didn't know there was one in preparation so it caught me totally off guard. I came, I saw the trailer and then two fears conquered me.
First, the title "The Secret of the Magic Potion" gave the first major hint: it wasn't an adaptation, while this didn't prevent "The Twelve Tasks" to be a masterpiece, I was afraid Astier would get too carried away by the previous success and go a little overboard, making the kind of stories similar to the recent albums from Uderzo. Of course, one won't expect 100% realism for a series whose narrative is driven by a magic potion but it's pretty much handled like a McGuffin and only Uderzo is blamable for having gone as far as showing people getting bigger, turned into granite and worse, cows flying in the Atlantis or Alien invasion.
The second trouble was with the voices, for non-French speakers, Roger Carel is to Asterix what Mel Blanc was to many Looney Tunes characters, that he could voice the little Gaul during a time span of 47 years was a credit to his longevity and irreplaceability. But the lone survivor of a generation of voice-actors who shaped the childhoods of millions of children retired before the release, which prompted Astier to cast Christian Clavier. It wasn't the most unwise choice as Clavier is still the best live-action version of Asterix. I didn't have any problem with his voicing especially since Astérix isn't given a central role, the real focus is Getafix who must find a heir to transmit the secret of his most famous recipe, the magic potion that give a superhuman power to its drinker, except Obelix who "fell inside where he was little".
While indispensable in the series, the magic potion has catalyzed a few adventures such as "The Golden Sickle", "The Great Crossing" and "The Black Gold" which allows many fans to know a few ingredients, beside the mistletoe and the lobster (for the flavor) there must be some fish (reasonably fresh), some black oil, ultimately replaced by beetroot juice, for a better taste and the rest lies on Getafix' unique knowledge and can only be transmitted from druid's mouth to druid's ear.
The magic potion has always been a popular trope like the French equivalent of Popeye's spinach and the expression "to fall into something as a child" (meaning being good at it from the start) or "magic potion" (meaning a secret) has entered common language in French (like so many expressions coined by Goscinny). So the initial idea was good, though the fact that it was a broken ankle that pushed Getafix to contemplate his decline was rather far-fetched. Didn't he fall after saving a bird and making stunts that could have made Disney's Tarzan yodel with jealousy? He did act like a prima-donna that was so unlike his usual venerability.
Anyway, what Getafix wants, Getafix gets. So he is escorted by Asterix and Obelix to the quest for the right successor, he sends a small herd of boars to call his 'fellow druids' for a special meeting at the Carnutes forest. And the druids part restored my confidence in Astier's humor, except for one tiny detail, not so tiny but the size of a child actually.
The first film had a cute relationship between Obelix and a Roman child, one that wasn't overplayed and didn't make an underdog hero out of the child. Of course, once the little girl pops up in a school scene, my intuition anticipated everything and accurately so, I was afraid it would another of these Moana-Frozen "chosen one" things again. First of all, she doesn't belong to the film's canon. Not that it matters but who are their parents anyway? Aren't they worried over her disappearance? It doesn't take an Asterix fan to understand what she was doing, only being aware of most family-friendly movies trends. I suspect some marketing behind that choice, it didn't have the Astier zest in it.
Overall, the film provides a nice backstory of Getafix and an interesting rival in Sulfurix, the druid who's clearly more powerful and whose only flaw is not to have invented the magic potion, his alliance with the Romans and the fact that the Gauls left the village to pick before the journey, made the climax rather predictable but I guess it was spectacular enough to make for a positive impact, maybe because there's always that self-awareness in Astier that has a certain ring to it.
So I liked it in the sense that it stayed faithful to the first film's spirit and didn't take any major deviation, I only wish it could have deviated more for some stuff we've seen in so many animated movies, especially coming from Astier...ix.
Sure "The Mansion of Gods" wasn't a newcomer as the eight animated Asterix film but it was preceded by adaptations that belonged to the lesser category and movies that -despite their success- sowed incertitude over Asterix' adaptability in the minds of many fans... until Astier came.
And I loved his film because unlike its predecessors, it didn't try to emulate Disney or Pixar trends and that was the first credit I gave to the director and writer Alexandre Astier, a comedian who proved to be as much a fan of the little Gaul as Alain Chabat and a worthy successor. And it also helped that the film was a faithful adaptation of one of the best comic-book adventures, a sedentary one with an interesting commentary on deforestation, urbanism and its effect on environment, to put it simply an ecological and social view on the march of progress from the village's perspective.
While I was hoping a second Astier movie, I didn't know there was one in preparation so it caught me totally off guard. I came, I saw the trailer and then two fears conquered me.
First, the title "The Secret of the Magic Potion" gave the first major hint: it wasn't an adaptation, while this didn't prevent "The Twelve Tasks" to be a masterpiece, I was afraid Astier would get too carried away by the previous success and go a little overboard, making the kind of stories similar to the recent albums from Uderzo. Of course, one won't expect 100% realism for a series whose narrative is driven by a magic potion but it's pretty much handled like a McGuffin and only Uderzo is blamable for having gone as far as showing people getting bigger, turned into granite and worse, cows flying in the Atlantis or Alien invasion.
The second trouble was with the voices, for non-French speakers, Roger Carel is to Asterix what Mel Blanc was to many Looney Tunes characters, that he could voice the little Gaul during a time span of 47 years was a credit to his longevity and irreplaceability. But the lone survivor of a generation of voice-actors who shaped the childhoods of millions of children retired before the release, which prompted Astier to cast Christian Clavier. It wasn't the most unwise choice as Clavier is still the best live-action version of Asterix. I didn't have any problem with his voicing especially since Astérix isn't given a central role, the real focus is Getafix who must find a heir to transmit the secret of his most famous recipe, the magic potion that give a superhuman power to its drinker, except Obelix who "fell inside where he was little".
While indispensable in the series, the magic potion has catalyzed a few adventures such as "The Golden Sickle", "The Great Crossing" and "The Black Gold" which allows many fans to know a few ingredients, beside the mistletoe and the lobster (for the flavor) there must be some fish (reasonably fresh), some black oil, ultimately replaced by beetroot juice, for a better taste and the rest lies on Getafix' unique knowledge and can only be transmitted from druid's mouth to druid's ear.
The magic potion has always been a popular trope like the French equivalent of Popeye's spinach and the expression "to fall into something as a child" (meaning being good at it from the start) or "magic potion" (meaning a secret) has entered common language in French (like so many expressions coined by Goscinny). So the initial idea was good, though the fact that it was a broken ankle that pushed Getafix to contemplate his decline was rather far-fetched. Didn't he fall after saving a bird and making stunts that could have made Disney's Tarzan yodel with jealousy? He did act like a prima-donna that was so unlike his usual venerability.
Anyway, what Getafix wants, Getafix gets. So he is escorted by Asterix and Obelix to the quest for the right successor, he sends a small herd of boars to call his 'fellow druids' for a special meeting at the Carnutes forest. And the druids part restored my confidence in Astier's humor, except for one tiny detail, not so tiny but the size of a child actually.
The first film had a cute relationship between Obelix and a Roman child, one that wasn't overplayed and didn't make an underdog hero out of the child. Of course, once the little girl pops up in a school scene, my intuition anticipated everything and accurately so, I was afraid it would another of these Moana-Frozen "chosen one" things again. First of all, she doesn't belong to the film's canon. Not that it matters but who are their parents anyway? Aren't they worried over her disappearance? It doesn't take an Asterix fan to understand what she was doing, only being aware of most family-friendly movies trends. I suspect some marketing behind that choice, it didn't have the Astier zest in it.
Overall, the film provides a nice backstory of Getafix and an interesting rival in Sulfurix, the druid who's clearly more powerful and whose only flaw is not to have invented the magic potion, his alliance with the Romans and the fact that the Gauls left the village to pick before the journey, made the climax rather predictable but I guess it was spectacular enough to make for a positive impact, maybe because there's always that self-awareness in Astier that has a certain ring to it.
So I liked it in the sense that it stayed faithful to the first film's spirit and didn't take any major deviation, I only wish it could have deviated more for some stuff we've seen in so many animated movies, especially coming from Astier...ix.
Good jokes, weak plot
leonkosc18 January 2019
New Asterix movie has some great parts. A lot of really good slapstick, some adult jokes that really work, really good animation, fast paste, and again - it's just very funny, I will remember the Jesus joke, and a lot of other stuff for a while.
Unfortunetly I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to becouse the plot was just so boring, and so complicated. It was just way too much for an 80 minutes movie.
Don't get me wrong - I didn't went to the theater to see this movie for the plot, I just wanted to see some jokes, nice animtion and all that. If this plot was just generic - than that's by me. But it was just to complicated and often bothered.
It's still an okey movie and I still recomend to go see it, even if you don't have kids. It still has some great parts and great animation.
Unfortunetly I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to becouse the plot was just so boring, and so complicated. It was just way too much for an 80 minutes movie.
Don't get me wrong - I didn't went to the theater to see this movie for the plot, I just wanted to see some jokes, nice animtion and all that. If this plot was just generic - than that's by me. But it was just to complicated and often bothered.
It's still an okey movie and I still recomend to go see it, even if you don't have kids. It still has some great parts and great animation.
Fun to watch
juzer0315 April 2019
Entertaining adventure that isn't a version of the popular Astérix & Obélix comic books, being a free rendition
ma-cortes28 February 2019
Amusing and fun feats with Asterix and his faithful friend Obelix fighting Romans . The diminutive Asterix (Christian Clavier, who provides the voice and he previously starred Astérix y Obélix against Caesar 1999 and Astérix and Obélix: mission Cleopatra 2002 ) and his rather larger companion Obelix (voice by Guillaume Briat) , warriors of the last village in Gaul still free after the Roman invasion, set out on a mission to search for a talented successor in order to deliver the cauldron of their druid's famous magic potion to help villagers to fight off the invading Roman army . The year is approximately 50 B. C , Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans commanded by Julius Caesar . Wel l, not entirely..One small village of indomitable natives still holds out against the invaders . And the life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps. There a small village located in Armorica live our friends , the intelligent hero Asterix, the menhir delivery and addicted to wild boar Obelix, the venerable druid Panoramix with his potion which gives the drinker incredible energy, the majestic,hot-tempered , brave chief of the tribe Abraracourcix , the Bard singer playing harp ... As always the perilous mission is immediately trusted to shrewd and cunning Asterix . Obelix , ready to drop everything and go off on a new adventure with Asterix and this time accompanied by Panoramix and a little girl .Meanwhile , in order to wipe out the Gaulish village by any means necessary , Caesar plans a sinister plot . Following a fall during mistletoe picking up , Druid Panoramix decides that it is time to secure the future of the Gaul village . Accompanied by Asterix and Obelix , he undertakes to travel the Gallic world in search of a talented young druid to transmit the ¨Secret of the Magic Potion¨ usually brewed by druid Panoramix . As they set out to find a new druid to prepare the powerful potion getting superhuman strength . As Panoramix sends a small herd of boars to call his 'fellow druids' for a special meeting at the forest , while the invading Romans are attacking the surrounded village .Then Panoramix has to confront Sulfurix , the heinous and envious druid allied with the Romans , who results to be clearly more powerful and whose only flaw is not to have invented the magic potion .
Bemusing 3D computer generator movie about the immortal heroes , based on characters created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo , though this time the plot is not adapted from an already existing comic book , it stars Asterix and his inseparable partner Obelix , from French comic-books .This is a nice adventure with hilarious moments here and there , and has Asterix and his inseparable friend battling , as usual , against silly Romans as well as a nasty and moustachioed druid . Full of fights , noisy action , chases , jokes , customs critical about way of life and modern anachronisms that's common thing in comic books . The movie brilliantly captures the outrageous adventures , tongue-in-check , satire , absurd humour from original characters created by Albert Uderzo and by Rene Goscinny . Christian Clavier, who provides the voice for Asterix in this picture , formerly portrayed him in the first two Asterix live-action-movies . As usual , on the finale scenes the village people celebrating a wild party and eating boars in a gargantuan lunch . After this is the second animated Asterix movie that is based on the original characters by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny but not on a specific Asterix volumen .
This passable second entry shot in computer generator 3D , was preceded by several cartoon movies , such as : ¨Asterix the Gaul¨ (1967) , ¨The Twelve Tasks of Asterix¨ (1976) , ¨Asterix in Britain¨ (1986) . And various live-action movies as : ¨Asterix vs Caesar¨ directed by Claude Zidi with Christian Clavier , Gerard Depardieu , Robert Benigni , Laetitia Casta , Arielle Dombasle . ¨Asterix and Cleopatra¨ by Alain Chabat with Monica Belucci , Jamel Debbouze , Claude Rich , Marina Fois , Gérard Darmon . ¨Asterix and the Olympic Games¨ by Frederic Forrestier with Clovis Cornillac , Santiago Segura, Monica Cruz , Jean Pierre Castaldi and Janel Debouzze . ¨Astérix and Obélix: On Her Majesty's Secret Service¨ (2012) by Laurent Tirard with Gérard Depardieu , Edouard Baer, Guillaume Gallienne , Vincent Lacoste , Charlotte Le Bonn . The motion picture was professionally written and directed by Louis Clichy and Alexandre Astier . Both of them wrote and directed the prior entry ¨The Mansions of the Gods¨ (2014) in 3D that dealt with a Caesar's plan to absorb the villagers into Roman culture by having an estate built next to the village to start a new Roman colony . Director Alexandre Astier is a notorious actor , writer , producer and filmmaker . While Louis Clichy worked at the Animation department in 2009 : Up , 2008: Burn-E and 2008 : WALL·E as an animator . The film appeal to Asterix and Obelix fans , it's a funny entertaining for kids , grown-ups and nostalgics
Bemusing 3D computer generator movie about the immortal heroes , based on characters created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo , though this time the plot is not adapted from an already existing comic book , it stars Asterix and his inseparable partner Obelix , from French comic-books .This is a nice adventure with hilarious moments here and there , and has Asterix and his inseparable friend battling , as usual , against silly Romans as well as a nasty and moustachioed druid . Full of fights , noisy action , chases , jokes , customs critical about way of life and modern anachronisms that's common thing in comic books . The movie brilliantly captures the outrageous adventures , tongue-in-check , satire , absurd humour from original characters created by Albert Uderzo and by Rene Goscinny . Christian Clavier, who provides the voice for Asterix in this picture , formerly portrayed him in the first two Asterix live-action-movies . As usual , on the finale scenes the village people celebrating a wild party and eating boars in a gargantuan lunch . After this is the second animated Asterix movie that is based on the original characters by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny but not on a specific Asterix volumen .
This passable second entry shot in computer generator 3D , was preceded by several cartoon movies , such as : ¨Asterix the Gaul¨ (1967) , ¨The Twelve Tasks of Asterix¨ (1976) , ¨Asterix in Britain¨ (1986) . And various live-action movies as : ¨Asterix vs Caesar¨ directed by Claude Zidi with Christian Clavier , Gerard Depardieu , Robert Benigni , Laetitia Casta , Arielle Dombasle . ¨Asterix and Cleopatra¨ by Alain Chabat with Monica Belucci , Jamel Debbouze , Claude Rich , Marina Fois , Gérard Darmon . ¨Asterix and the Olympic Games¨ by Frederic Forrestier with Clovis Cornillac , Santiago Segura, Monica Cruz , Jean Pierre Castaldi and Janel Debouzze . ¨Astérix and Obélix: On Her Majesty's Secret Service¨ (2012) by Laurent Tirard with Gérard Depardieu , Edouard Baer, Guillaume Gallienne , Vincent Lacoste , Charlotte Le Bonn . The motion picture was professionally written and directed by Louis Clichy and Alexandre Astier . Both of them wrote and directed the prior entry ¨The Mansions of the Gods¨ (2014) in 3D that dealt with a Caesar's plan to absorb the villagers into Roman culture by having an estate built next to the village to start a new Roman colony . Director Alexandre Astier is a notorious actor , writer , producer and filmmaker . While Louis Clichy worked at the Animation department in 2009 : Up , 2008: Burn-E and 2008 : WALL·E as an animator . The film appeal to Asterix and Obelix fans , it's a funny entertaining for kids , grown-ups and nostalgics
Weak...
RosanaBotafogo31 May 2020
Much more interesting and cute than the "Domain of the Gods" ... But even so, the double protagonist does not please me, the supporting actors who won my heart ... Mainly the druid heiress girl ... But still, not very interesting, because from the middle to the final I got bored ...
Back to the roots
crejk16 December 2018
As a guy who grew up on Asterix comics, and I'm still buying new editions for my kid, I can say that quality of episodes declined with couple of last Uderso's episodes. New team has made last 3 novels, and they had their hits and misses, but it was good for the future of Asterix that new ideas came in.
It was the same with this movie. Completely new story, romans are not the main oponents, and the story is more about druid Panoramix (Getafix), than Asterix and Obelix. It was a risk, but in my opinion it payed off. The whole story was fun, with beautiful animation, and lots of stuff that even grown-ups can laugh to. I felt as happy as when I was as a kid watching my first Asterix animated movie. We also got the origin story of one of the most loved characters - druid Panoramix.
Very good addition to Asterix collection. A must watch for every true fan - young or old.
A good Asterix movie
aheaven200517 April 2021
Faithful to the type of humour of other Asterix movies, this one offers many funny moments. The story is simple but it serves the movie well. It's not as good as the old animated movies with the Gaulois, but still offers a pretty good time!
These druids are crazy
petra_ste5 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
As a huge Astérix fan, I believe this is a good follow-up to the hilarious Le Domaine Des Dieux by the same writing/directing team. Unlike the former cartoon, this is an original story not based on any existing Astérix comic book.
Characterization is on target, jokes amusing. Druid Getafix (Panoramix in the original) has his own day in the limelight and for the first time is arguably the main character. After an accident where he breaks a leg, Getafix starts worrying about getting old; the plot revolves around his attempts to find a successor to pass on the secret of the magic potion, much to the dismay of Astérix, while a rival druid tries to steal it.
Like in Le Domaine des Dieux, the ending goes a little overboard with a battle/action set-piece which could have been a few minutes shorter, but it's a minor issue. Overall very enjoyable.
7,5/10
Characterization is on target, jokes amusing. Druid Getafix (Panoramix in the original) has his own day in the limelight and for the first time is arguably the main character. After an accident where he breaks a leg, Getafix starts worrying about getting old; the plot revolves around his attempts to find a successor to pass on the secret of the magic potion, much to the dismay of Astérix, while a rival druid tries to steal it.
Like in Le Domaine des Dieux, the ending goes a little overboard with a battle/action set-piece which could have been a few minutes shorter, but it's a minor issue. Overall very enjoyable.
7,5/10
Pretty different compared to the old ones, yet somewhat similar (aka Gaul's next Topdruid)
Horst_In_Translation15 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
"Astérix: Le secret de la potion magique" or "Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion" is a new Franch movie from 2018 and even if it says Latin first language here I am pretty sure this is not true and French is also the first language. The film runs for 85 minutes, so it is not too long and that is perfectly fine because I'd take essential over filler material anytime. Alexandre Astier directed this film with Louis Clichy and Astier also adatpted the works and characters by Goscinny and Uderzo (rip to both of them) for the screen hier. It is the second film taking this new take on Asterix and I must say I have not seen the first, but that is not a problem by any means. It is still a fairly good watch whatsoever and if anything, it makes you curious about the first from a few years ago. The title of this new film here makes it very obvious of course that there is major focus on the magic potion this type that gives the village we love so dearly their strong power and invincibility and had them stand up to Julius Caesar and his forces for decades now. I must admit that it took me a little while to appreciate the animation style here honestly and I kinda struggled with it early on as well as with the beginning. I am talking about everything that happens before Miraculix (the druid, that is his German name) falls down from the tree. I mean he clearly was in way too good shape for his age jumping around like a spring chicken while using his tool in the most gifted and competenbt manner even that could make even Robin Hood jealous. I must admit I didn't like it and would have preferred him a bit more senile, even if it was nice the bird got rescued and reunited with his siblings.
But when I got used to it eventually, it turned more and more into a fun watch. The pirates who keep losing their ship as well as Caesar had brief cameos that added more fun, even if the story at the film's core was not a bad one either. Maybe they could have found a better reason for Miraculix than falling off a tree and breaking his foot/leg to have him think about a legitimate successor. But this is just how I felt while watching the movie, now I kinda like it. Same about the style, but to a lesser extent as I did not really mind the visual looks here and only if you like the Asterix films that date back to the 1960s, you should not like these new ones for looking modern. But back to the story, the main antagonist is not too shabby, reminded me of the seer in a much older Asterix comic. But he is an actual druid that possesses magical powers, even if these are fairly useless as we find out quickly. He is only able to hypnotize the simple-minded (not Asterix) and his lightning butterfly moment was really solid to look at, but just not effective whatsoever. His background story with Miraculix and their common past was interesting too. And then there is this new younger druid that plays a major role here, a bigger one than you might think of initially, but the second time we see him with his mentor, it becomes obvious he may be the one Miraculix is looking for. But is he really? Actually no he is not as we find out towards the end, even if I was a bit baffled by the explanation because the pointlessness of his approach was mostly due to the influence from the bad guy. And initially I thought that the young Gaul girl may be the one Miraculix is searching for (especially with the "no women" comment at the entrance of the druid forest), but I forgot that idea when the young ginger druid got more screen time. But guess my initial idea was correct here looking at the ending and how the girl canot forget the recipe for the magic potion and how Miraculix reacts to that. I think we will see a lot more from her in the next Asterix film and with this ending, there surely will be one, which I like for sure. I must say I struggled a bit initially with the girl because she was there most of the time, but had little impact on the story, but the last half hour changes everything and convinced me that she has a lot more to offer and is not just there because a kids' movie (if you want to call it that) needs a child that is seen frequently. Actually, the moment when she comes out of that barrel or whatever she is in, and mostly thanks to Obelix and what he has to say about her, was a hilarious scene that also shows she is fairly smart, even if her falling asleep explanation did not hold up. Now we are already talking about the comedy aspect, so lets pursue that a bit. I think it was a funny film on many occasions and there was lot of attention to detail. I am not sure how close these moments were to one or several books, but it certainly worked out. Be it the Jesus druid, the best from the worst, with all his bread, the chicken getting roasted or these chicken in general holding up the Gauls there near the end or everything involving Obelix, not just the scene with the tiny Roman soldier at the end or the question if he can get to drink the magic potion finally when there is a new druid in charge. His story about how he fell into the potion as a young child is one even reenacted by the upcoming generation of Gauls as we find out. And, I mean come on he did not say too much, but he was truly funny here. Hands down the scene when Asterix explains to Obelix that the Druids all have the same beard was probably the best moment of the film and yet it was such an irrelevant moment. Obelix' face expression was priceless. If there is anything to criticize here, then maybe that Asterix did not really have too much moments to shine despite having really a lot of screen time. I mean he is in it from start to finish. But I'd still have missed him otherwise for sure, just a bit minor he felt given he is the only title character here. Also fun was the casting show parody by the way with the several applicants to become Miraculix' new aide such as the magnetism guy.
Finally, a few more words on the villain. When we see him near the end as a gigantic version of himself, that was truly baffling no kidding. Certainly unexpected and I'd rather expect this transformation from a Pixar or Disney movie, but it worked well. And again this Asterix take on two gigantic monsters fighting each other in old Japanese movies was another triumph. The gigantic Roman shield machine or whatever that was supposed to be was a lot of fun to watch as well going up against the xxl druid. And Obelix in the middle of it all was solid fun too. Let me think, what else can I say here to make my 3rd paragraph slightly longer. Oh yeah, I watched the German dub, but it was still nice to see Clavier on board here, who also played Asterix in the live action films next to Depardieu. Depardieu is of course not voicing Obelix though, but it shows that the character really means a lot to Clavier. So it was a fun watch for sure for me this film and I recommend checking it out. Don#t give up on it early on if you struggle initially a bit with the story and the looks. They also bring all the beloved characters like the old guy who can('t) hear, the fish vendor, the iron smith and all their women of course too. And Troubadix (the bad singer), how can I forget about him. He did not do too much here, but there is a fun moment involving Majestix (the village chief) and him that made up for Troubadix' lack of screen time. Oh yeah, and one Roman character was named Tomcrus in the German dub. That was hilarious too I found. In general I think they did a good job with the dubbing here and voice acting. I have seen way worse in other animated feature films recently. I am definitely curious about Astier's (fitting name too with the similarity to the main character) next Asterix movie and I hope the gap won't be as lomng as between this one here and the previous. eventually, it was close to a ****/*****, but not quite there yet. maybe on rewatch. If you like Asterix and/or animation, then don't miss out on this one, perhaps my number 2 favorite animated film released in 2018 behind Isle of Dogs. Big thumbs-up, better than I expected, especially thanks to the really charming and funny take on comedy. It is never really a dramatic movie or even scary movie, not even when the bad guy is this big near the end. Watch it with your kids, pretty shameful how empty the cinema was during my showing, this film definitely deserves better, even if it is probably not necessarily one of these films that is a much better watch on the big screen than on the small screen.
But when I got used to it eventually, it turned more and more into a fun watch. The pirates who keep losing their ship as well as Caesar had brief cameos that added more fun, even if the story at the film's core was not a bad one either. Maybe they could have found a better reason for Miraculix than falling off a tree and breaking his foot/leg to have him think about a legitimate successor. But this is just how I felt while watching the movie, now I kinda like it. Same about the style, but to a lesser extent as I did not really mind the visual looks here and only if you like the Asterix films that date back to the 1960s, you should not like these new ones for looking modern. But back to the story, the main antagonist is not too shabby, reminded me of the seer in a much older Asterix comic. But he is an actual druid that possesses magical powers, even if these are fairly useless as we find out quickly. He is only able to hypnotize the simple-minded (not Asterix) and his lightning butterfly moment was really solid to look at, but just not effective whatsoever. His background story with Miraculix and their common past was interesting too. And then there is this new younger druid that plays a major role here, a bigger one than you might think of initially, but the second time we see him with his mentor, it becomes obvious he may be the one Miraculix is looking for. But is he really? Actually no he is not as we find out towards the end, even if I was a bit baffled by the explanation because the pointlessness of his approach was mostly due to the influence from the bad guy. And initially I thought that the young Gaul girl may be the one Miraculix is searching for (especially with the "no women" comment at the entrance of the druid forest), but I forgot that idea when the young ginger druid got more screen time. But guess my initial idea was correct here looking at the ending and how the girl canot forget the recipe for the magic potion and how Miraculix reacts to that. I think we will see a lot more from her in the next Asterix film and with this ending, there surely will be one, which I like for sure. I must say I struggled a bit initially with the girl because she was there most of the time, but had little impact on the story, but the last half hour changes everything and convinced me that she has a lot more to offer and is not just there because a kids' movie (if you want to call it that) needs a child that is seen frequently. Actually, the moment when she comes out of that barrel or whatever she is in, and mostly thanks to Obelix and what he has to say about her, was a hilarious scene that also shows she is fairly smart, even if her falling asleep explanation did not hold up. Now we are already talking about the comedy aspect, so lets pursue that a bit. I think it was a funny film on many occasions and there was lot of attention to detail. I am not sure how close these moments were to one or several books, but it certainly worked out. Be it the Jesus druid, the best from the worst, with all his bread, the chicken getting roasted or these chicken in general holding up the Gauls there near the end or everything involving Obelix, not just the scene with the tiny Roman soldier at the end or the question if he can get to drink the magic potion finally when there is a new druid in charge. His story about how he fell into the potion as a young child is one even reenacted by the upcoming generation of Gauls as we find out. And, I mean come on he did not say too much, but he was truly funny here. Hands down the scene when Asterix explains to Obelix that the Druids all have the same beard was probably the best moment of the film and yet it was such an irrelevant moment. Obelix' face expression was priceless. If there is anything to criticize here, then maybe that Asterix did not really have too much moments to shine despite having really a lot of screen time. I mean he is in it from start to finish. But I'd still have missed him otherwise for sure, just a bit minor he felt given he is the only title character here. Also fun was the casting show parody by the way with the several applicants to become Miraculix' new aide such as the magnetism guy.
Finally, a few more words on the villain. When we see him near the end as a gigantic version of himself, that was truly baffling no kidding. Certainly unexpected and I'd rather expect this transformation from a Pixar or Disney movie, but it worked well. And again this Asterix take on two gigantic monsters fighting each other in old Japanese movies was another triumph. The gigantic Roman shield machine or whatever that was supposed to be was a lot of fun to watch as well going up against the xxl druid. And Obelix in the middle of it all was solid fun too. Let me think, what else can I say here to make my 3rd paragraph slightly longer. Oh yeah, I watched the German dub, but it was still nice to see Clavier on board here, who also played Asterix in the live action films next to Depardieu. Depardieu is of course not voicing Obelix though, but it shows that the character really means a lot to Clavier. So it was a fun watch for sure for me this film and I recommend checking it out. Don#t give up on it early on if you struggle initially a bit with the story and the looks. They also bring all the beloved characters like the old guy who can('t) hear, the fish vendor, the iron smith and all their women of course too. And Troubadix (the bad singer), how can I forget about him. He did not do too much here, but there is a fun moment involving Majestix (the village chief) and him that made up for Troubadix' lack of screen time. Oh yeah, and one Roman character was named Tomcrus in the German dub. That was hilarious too I found. In general I think they did a good job with the dubbing here and voice acting. I have seen way worse in other animated feature films recently. I am definitely curious about Astier's (fitting name too with the similarity to the main character) next Asterix movie and I hope the gap won't be as lomng as between this one here and the previous. eventually, it was close to a ****/*****, but not quite there yet. maybe on rewatch. If you like Asterix and/or animation, then don't miss out on this one, perhaps my number 2 favorite animated film released in 2018 behind Isle of Dogs. Big thumbs-up, better than I expected, especially thanks to the really charming and funny take on comedy. It is never really a dramatic movie or even scary movie, not even when the bad guy is this big near the end. Watch it with your kids, pretty shameful how empty the cinema was during my showing, this film definitely deserves better, even if it is probably not necessarily one of these films that is a much better watch on the big screen than on the small screen.
A new recipe lacking a few basic ingredients.
leoxatzian19 January 2019
Much like "Asterix and the mansions of the gods", this movie delivers a ton of energetic movement, colourful animation and a really entertaining villain. Sadly, unlike it's predecessor, this movie's plot is rather weak and the comedy doesn't always stick the landing. The biggest problem however, is the fact that the main characters aren't given much to do, to the point where it feels like they are secondary characters in their own movie.
maybe, nice
Kirpianuscus1 March 2020
The good bad guy is the lead virtue. The irony, absurd and injust, against Christianity, the lead sin. A nice animation in which the lead characters are secondary ones, predictible for obvious noble cause and nice . And that is all.
A Fun, But Forgettable Watch
raffaellofilipus1 July 2021
Amazing how many little snippets are lost in the critics
wizofozk-212183 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
So lesse, Cesar gives a Mission Impossible to one of his advisors and asks him if he accepts it by calling his name - "Tomcrus" and NO ONE has picked this one?
There are so many of these little funny snippets in this movie it's beyond me how some idiots expect a "story" out of it...
So nice!
TheOvereducated29 October 2019
I had the best time watching it!
I grew up reading the comics. Then Astérix & Obélix contre César (1999) came out and I loved it, the comics came beautifully to life. Well, this one brings the comics to life once again, this time with beautiful animation!
P.S. a part of the story at the end is pretty inventive/not something you see in the comics, but ultimately didn't bother me.
P.S. a part of the story at the end is pretty inventive/not something you see in the comics, but ultimately didn't bother me.
A simple movie
selenastudios7 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is a movie when you see it you know that they did it just for the money. The scenario is weak! It is the old same story of Asterix, there is nothing new. But the 3D animation is not that bad but it is not more important than thé story. If you don't see the movie nothing will change for you. Same jokes, same scenario... The moral of the story is beautiful things are more important than things wich are useful ?What does that even mean ?
My conclusion is that this movie is just made for using the fans of the comics to earn some money.
A pleasant surprise
gav_c7 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I'm always a bit dubious when they try to modernise cartoons and I must say they did a really good job of it. The animation was close to Disney Pixar animation and they kept it close to the traditional cartoons with a tiny modern twist to it. I found it quite funny, even my wife who has never really liked Asterix enjoyed watching it.
Astérix: Le secret de la potion magique Review
margulanabutrlov2 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
France's favorite Gaul is back in this second CG-animated adaptation of the popular comic book series.
After successfully rebooting the Asterix franchise into a clever CG animation movie with 2014's The Land of the Gods, writers-directors Alexandre Astier and Louis Clichy offer up a lively if less-enlightening follow-up with Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion (Asterix - Le Secret de la potion magique).
Chockfull of gags and pop-culture references, this latest tale of France's favorite superhero suffers from a brand-new storyline that fails to convince in the way of the original comic books from the 1960s and '70s, which were written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Indeed, while Land of the Gods was adapted from a 1971 comic that humorously dealt with questions of urbanization and modern living, Magic Potion is much more of a cartoonish, kid-friendly affair without much depth.
Still, the film is playing big at home, raking in more than $2 million upon opening last Wednesday and nearly $7 million through Sunday night. With the holidays on the horizon, it should continue to dominate the local box office and could come close to the take of the first movie, which grossed more than $50 million worldwide.
Voiced by comedian Christian Clavier, Asterix is - as all French people know - a barrel-chested Gaul protecting his village (and by extension, his people) from Roman invasions during the first century B.C. Aided by the barrel-bellied Obelix (Guillaume Briat), Asterix and the Gauls are above all safeguarded by the wise magician Panoramix (Bernard Alane), whose magic potion allows them to pounce the better armed and better trained Roman army, which far outnumbers the Frenchies.
When Panormaix decides to retire, sending Asterix and Obelix on a quest to find his Druid successor, all hell breaks lose at home as the Romans - lead by the ridiculous Tomcrus (pronounced Tom Cruise) - start attacking. Meanwhile, an evil wizard named Sulfurix (Daniel Mesguich) does everything he can to steal the potion's secret recipe, which, for lovers of French cuisine, seems to contain carrots, salt, fish, honey and mead, as well as fresh mistletoe that can only be harvested with a golden billhook.
Packing their movie with one-liners, music cues (including the 1980s hit "You Spin Me Round") and plenty of slapstick, Astier (who created the cult TV sketch series Kaamelott) and Clichy (who worked as an animator on Pixar's WALL-E and Up) keep the jokes coming and the action nonstop, with Philippe Rombi's thundering score making it all meld together. Unlike other Gallic attempts at this kind of big-budget tongue-in-cheek cartoon, at least the directors know how to pull their effort off with slick efficiency and a fair amount of wit, even if the scenario itself feels far too simplistic.
Indeed, the original Asterix comics, which became popular during the "Glorious Thirty" years of postwar economic stability, were very much a reflection - and a sendup - of Charles de Gaulle's flag-waving enthusiasm and France-first policies. Here the filmmakers have unfortunately divorced the product from the context, removing any social or political references while making lots of nods to pop entertainment in the way that Hollywood does. The result is a movie that skirts buy on its energy, not to mention its cast of fun characters, but feels devoid of meaning.
Indeed, the original Asterix comics, which became popular during the "Glorious Thirty" years of postwar economic stability, were very much a reflection - and a sendup - of Charles de Gaulle's flag-waving enthusiasm and France-first policies. Here the filmmakers have unfortunately divorced the product from the context, removing any social or political references while making lots of nods to pop entertainment in the way that Hollywood does. The result is a movie that skirts buy on its energy, not to mention its cast of fun characters, but feels devoid of meaning.
watch asterix and cleopatra instead
surfisfun15 August 2019
I thought the soundtrack choice was disastrous.
the action / comedy so so.
overrated by many.
watch Kaamelott for awesome humor from director.
kids will like it. older french asterix fans like me, not as much.
I got the feeling the director didn't have movie control up to edit or like some say. maybe a bit of a cash grab. see Kaamelott on YouTube in frenh asap .
Another Enjoyable Asterix film
panicmose24 May 2020
Entertaining story, a bit darker than Asterix: Mansion of the gods. The Jesus druid was especially funny! The multiplication of the bread was a cute touch. Although I think they missed a huge chance at an even better joke. For a village of people who eat mackerel nonstop, they should have had the dru-ish Jesus (yes, I said it!) multiply fish as well. With a combined "HOLY MACKEREL!" thrown in by a crowd member, it would have been the pièce de résistance, rounding out the bit nicely. He didn't get a name either, and for a movie with Demonix (English version), Geriatrix, Magnetix, Antibiotix, etc., something along the lines of Crucifixus or Christianix would have been clever. Altogether, an amusing film for a slightly more mature audience.
Astérix: Le secret de la potion magique Review
Magow-Intermean22 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
France's favorite Gaul is back in this second CG-animated adaptation of the popular comic book series. After successfully rebooting the Asterix franchise into a clever CG animation movie with 2014's The Land of the Gods, writers-directors Alexandre Astier and Louis Clichy offer up a lively if less-enlightening follow-up with Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion (Asterix - Le Secret de la potion magique). Chockfull of gags and pop-culture references, this latest tale of France's favorite superhero suffers from a brand-new storyline that fails to convince in the way of the original comic books from the 1960s and '70s, which were written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Indeed, while Land of the Gods was adapted from a 1971 comic that humorously dealt with questions of urbanization and modern living, Magic Potion is much more of a cartoonish, kid-friendly affair without much depth. Still, the film is playing big at home, raking in more than $2 million upon opening last Wednesday and nearly $7 million through Sunday night. With the holidays on the horizon, it should continue to dominate the local box office and could come close to the take of the first movie, which grossed more than $50 million worldwide. Voiced by comedian Christian Clavier, Asterix is - as all French people know - a barrel-chested Gaul protecting his village (and by extension, his people) from Roman invasions during the first century B.C. Aided by the barrel-bellied Obelix (Guillaume Briat), Asterix and the Gauls are above all safeguarded by the wise magician Panoramix (Bernard Alane), whose magic potion allows them to pounce the better armed and better trained Roman army, which far outnumbers the Frenchies. When Panormaix decides to retire, sending Asterix and Obelix on a quest to find his Druid successor, all hell breaks lose at home as the Romans - lead by the ridiculous Tomcrus (pronounced Tom Cruise) - start attacking. Meanwhile, an evil wizard named Sulfurix (Daniel Mesguich) does everything he can to steal the potion's secret recipe, which, for lovers of French cuisine, seems to contain carrots, salt, fish, honey and mead, as well as fresh mistletoe that can only be harvested with a golden billhook. Packing their movie with one-liners, music cues (including the 1980s hit "You Spin Me Round") and plenty of slapstick, Astier (who created the cult TV sketch series Kaamelott) and Clichy (who worked as an animator on Pixar's WALL-E and Up) keep the jokes coming and the action nonstop, with Philippe Rombi's thundering score making it all meld together. Unlike other Gallic attempts at this kind of big-budget tongue-in-cheek cartoon, at least the directors know how to pull their effort off with slick efficiency and a fair amount of wit, even if the scenario itself feels far too simplistic.
Indeed, the original Asterix comics, which became popular during the "Glorious Thirty" years of postwar economic stability, were very much a reflection - and a sendup - of Charles de Gaulle's flag-waving enthusiasm and France-first policies. Here the filmmakers have unfortunately divorced the product from the context, removing any social or political references while making lots of nods to pop entertainment in the way that Hollywood does. The result is a movie that skirts buy on its energy, not to mention its cast of fun characters, but feels devoid of meaning.
Indeed, the original Asterix comics, which became popular during the "Glorious Thirty" years of postwar economic stability, were very much a reflection - and a sendup - of Charles de Gaulle's flag-waving enthusiasm and France-first policies. Here the filmmakers have unfortunately divorced the product from the context, removing any social or political references while making lots of nods to pop entertainment in the way that Hollywood does. The result is a movie that skirts buy on its energy, not to mention its cast of fun characters, but feels devoid of meaning.
It was going very good until the end...
benoyum11117 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
It was going very good until the end where the 'bad guy' became a huge/enormous lava guy and they kick him out to space!
Come one!
Asterix doesn't need this kind of Hollywood style action! It was well animated, funny and also fair to the original source. Please don't do things like this and dirty children's minds.
Amazing visuals and lots of laughs!
whatzup1233 January 2020
I have to admit that I went in with low expectations watching this movie. But loving the old classics, I wanted to give this reboot a chance.
The animation was spectacular. I really loved the director's vision of Asterix & Oberlix. The story was really cute. The ending was a bit predictable and there wasn't much to be learned about the characters or humanity in general, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Seeing the beloved characters on screen again in a fun adventure was enough for me.
I am really excited to see more!
The animation was spectacular. I really loved the director's vision of Asterix & Oberlix. The story was really cute. The ending was a bit predictable and there wasn't much to be learned about the characters or humanity in general, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Seeing the beloved characters on screen again in a fun adventure was enough for me.
I am really excited to see more!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
