Astérix et Obélix Mission Cléopâtre (2002)
Directed by Alain Chabat

Film Review

After the comparative disappointment of the first live action Asterix film - Astérix et Obélix contre César (1999) - virtually no one was prepared for the phenomenon Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre which hit the French cinemas in Januaray 2002.  The film was an out and out success, attracting almost 15 million spectators in France alone, and unleashing a merchandising phenomenon which looks set to make it the most successful film ever made in France.  In the original comic books of Goscinny et Uderzo, Asterix the Gaul was France's last hope against an all-conquering Roman Empire.  In a similar way, Asterix the Film appears to be France's best chance of standing up to that all-enveloping giant that is Hollywood cinema.

This is all very well providing the French film industry does not sacrifice its diversity and end up as a bland imitation of American cinema.  Fortunately, if Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre is anything to go by, that outcome is unlikely.  It may be a blockbuster movie (at 55 million Euros, it was the most expensive film to have been made in France), it may rely greatly on special effects, but, for all that, it is inherently a fine piece of cinema.   Avoiding the pitfalls of other recent French big budget films (such as Taxi 2), it does not rest on its laurels and it positively froths with the boundless wit, imagination and individuality which best characterises French cinema.

The film was directed by the multi-talented Alain Chabat, an actor / comedian / writer / director, whose previous films La Cité de la peur: une comédie familiale (1994) and Didier (1997) were popular successes.  Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu reprise their roles as Asterix and Obelix and are joined by cult comic Jamel Debbouze (playing the architect Numérobis) and veteran actor Claude Rich in the role of Panoramix.  Gérard Darmon makes an impressive villain as Numérobis' rival Amonbofis, whilst Monica Bellucci has the beauty and charisma to make a convincing Cléopâtre.

One possible drawback with Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre is that many of the jokes are targeted at a home audience and may not translate well into other languages for other markets.  This is a pity, since the satirical jokes are undoubtedly the best part of the film (slave workers' demanding a shorter working day, the Itineris "l'SFR joke",  the Cartapus joke, etc., etc.) - reflecting that the one form of comedy the French are particularly adept at is satire (hence the enduring success of shows like Les Guignols and Nulle part ailleurs).  In a similar vein, several of the cast are chosen more for their current popularity in France rather than for their superlative acting talent (notably, Jamel Debbouze and Edouard Baer).  Such considerations will probably lessen the impact of the film's success outside of France, but the film offers so much more that it is still likely to be a box office hit in most countries where it is marketed.  For one thing, some of the visual jokes are universally accessible and the film would still be hilarious even if all the dialogue were removed: dim Roman centurions being pulverised by Asterix and his chums, Japanese tourists buying models of the pyramids, Obelix disfiguring the Sphinx, the Scooby Doo sequence where the dog Idéfix rescues Asterix, and much, much more.

Unquestionably, Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre should stand as one of cinema's best adaptation of a comic book adventure.  Although the film relies on special effects, these are used to serve the film and do not, as is increasingly the case in big budget films, take over the film.  Watching the film is very much like reading a comic book - you have the same sense of fun and anticipation, and you are kept constantly laughing.  It is rare that a film combines visual comedy and comic dialogue so effectively, but what is most pleasing about the film is its perpetual self-mockery and sense of irony.  It not only laughs at itself, it laughs at contemporary issues in France, and also at cinema in general.  References to other films abound, from Star Wars ("l'empire contre-attaque") to Titanic ("je suis le roi du monde"), even taking in a "borrowed" martial arts scene from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Intelligent, self-referential, beautifully filmed and utterly hilarious in places, the film is just as appealing to adults as to children (who will undoubtedly delight in the comic exploits of Asterix and company).  After the threadbare diet which was the first Asterix film, many reviewers were dreading a sequel.  Having feasted to excess on Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre, we await the next instalment with eager anticipation.

Film Synopsis

Cleopatra is the queen of Egypt.  She is the proud ruler of a proud people, and there is nothing that infuriates her more than Julius Caesar's continual belittling of her country and its inhabitants.  Just who does he think he is?  To prove the superiority of her race, she bets Caesar that she can build the most fabulous palace he has ever seen in just three months.  Confident she will win the wager, Cleopatra puts her best architect, Numérobis, on the job.  If he succeeds the architect will be showered with gold; if he fails he will become intimately acquainted with the gastrointestinal tract of crocodiles - from the inside.  Numérobis's only hope is to use the magic potion that the druid Panoramix gives to his Gaul friends to increase their strength and thereby fend off those pesky Romans.  To that end, he invites the druid and his friends, Astérix and Obelix, to Egypt to help him out of his spot of monomaniac one-upmanship.  Unfortunately, Numérobis has a bitter enemy in the rival architect Amonbofis, who will go to any lengths to ensure that Numérobis will fail - even if it means forming an alliance with the Romans...