Astérix et Obélix contre César

The attempt at adapting the gags from the comic book to live action in a one-to-one fashion is admirable, but has uneven results. Not everything that works on the page works on the screen without some adjustments, and so many gags and sequences are rather dull or (worse) outright awkward to watch.

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Add to this that the plot has odd loose ends (notably the soothsayer seems to get away scot free without anyone caring much), and that some performances are underwhelmably wooden at best (Piéplu's Panoramix is particularly horrible), and the movie probably won't be a favourite even among the youngest audiences. But in fairness, some of it works, and most of the actors make the most out of what they're given -- notably Castaldi, Clavier, Depardieux and Prévost, and most of all Benigni, whose portrayal of the villain is by far the most entertaining thing in the film. I own this only from completionist tendencies because its direct sequel is an amazing piece of comedy art (the third one reverted to this level of unevenness, and I've never seen the fourth), but it's got its moments, and rewatching it with the right expectations, there is a lot to enjoy. Astérix' animal trials while trying to activate Obélix from his undercover position, for instance, is both exciting and fun, and appropriately insane.

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