Line #3 Film/AsterixAndObelixTakeOnCaesar


1	%%English-language quality swaps done here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1648933823047123100
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4	''Asterix & Obelix Take on Caesar'' (French: ''Astérix & Obélix contre César'') is a 1999 SwordAndSandal comedy and the first live-action theatrical film to be based on the popular ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' comics of Creator/ReneGoscinny and Creator/AlbertUderzo, directed by Creator/ClaudeZidi. It spawned a film series.
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6	In 50 B.C., Julius Caesar is celebrating his victory over all of Gaul, but Lucius Detritus has kept from him that one village has managed to resist them. Detritus travels to the garrison near the village where Caius Bonus, the garrison's commanding Centurion, explains that the Gauls have a magic potion made by the druid Getafix, which makes them invincible. Detritus decides to capture the potion for himself, and hearing that the clever Asterix and permanently invincible Obelix are the backbone of the Gaulish forces, attempts and fails to eliminate them, then captures Getafix.
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8	It stars Creator/ChristianClavier as Asterix, Creator/GerardDepardieu as Obelix, Creator/GottfriedJohn as UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar, Creator/RobertoBenigni as Lucius Detritus and Creator/MichelGalabru as Vitalstatistix, amidst a [[AllStarCast huge cast]] of both up-and-coming and veteran French actors.
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10	A sequel, ''Film/AsterixAndObelixMissionCleopatra'', came out in 2002.
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12	!! ''Asterix & Obelix Take on Caesar'' provides examples of:
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14	* AdaptationalWimp: The movies' version of Geriatrix is much more played as a ButtMonkey than his comic counterpart.
15	* AdaptationAmalgamation: The movie cherry picks characters and plot point from various comics, and blends them together in a single story. The most obvious ones are: Obelix getting a crush on [[SheIsAllGrownUp Panacea]] as he did in ''Recap/AsterixTheLegionary'', the phony soothsayer from ''Recap/AsterixAndTheSoothsayer'', the {{Druid}} conference from ''Recap/AsterixAndTheGoths'', Getafix's [[KidnappedScientist abduction]] by the Romans to make the [[SuperSerum magic potion]] for them from ''Recap/AsterixTheGaul'' and the characters fighting in GladiatorGames like in ''Recap/AsterixTheGladiator''. There is also a number of smaller references from other comics, including a conversation between Brutus and [[UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar Caesar]] that is taken from ''Recap/AsterixAndCleopatra'' and the BigBad, Lucius Detritus is partially based on Tullius Detritus, the main antagonist of ''Recap/AsterixAndTheRomanAgent'' (Tortuous Convolvulus in the English translation of the comic).
16	* AdaptationDeviation: The comics never outright state how long the effects of the Magic Potion last, but it can be anywhere between a few hours to a few days. In the movie however, the effects last only ten minutes.
17	* AndYourLittleDogToo: After torturing both Getafix and Asterix fail to make Getafix agree to brew him some Magic Potion, Detritus finally gets the druid to comply by torturing Dogmatix. They barely start the torture before Getafix surrenders.
18	* AvoidTheDreadedGRating: It's quite possible that the random occurrences of swearing in the Pathé English dub are done so the movie wasn't rated U in the UK.
19	* AwardBaitSong: The end credits song "[[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2dr19 Elle ne me voit pas]][[labelnote:*]]She Doesn't See Me[[/labelnote]]" by Jean-Jacques Goldman, a slow, mournful ballad about Obelix's unrequited feelings for Panacea, which feels tonally at odds with a comedy film.
20	* BoundAndGagged:
21	** The Druids at the druid conference where Getafix is abducted by the Romans.
22	** In compliance with the comics, Cacofonix ends up like this twice while the rest of the village has a huge banquet.
23	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: The Soothsayer uses a combination of mushrooms and hypnotism to put Asterix in a trance where he imagines all his fellow Gauls to be Romans. He thus attacks Obelix, creating a distraction that allows the Soothsayer to steal the gold the Gauls stole from the Romans earlier. It takes Cacofonix's bad singing to finally snap him out of the hypnosis.
24	* CompositeCharacter: In the comics, Detritus was an agent of Caesar send to sow discord among the Gauls. Here, he has a role more similar to Crismus Bonus from the first Asterix comic.
25	* DarkerAndEdgier: The movie is notably darker in tone than the comics, especially the scenes where Getafix and later Asterix are tortured, and Asterix being sentenced to the arena. The latter covers phobias for all tastes since it features snakes being thrown into Asterix's cage, him escaping at the last second from lions and crocodiles and perhaps most disturbingly of all sinking into a pool filled with thousands of tarantulas which cover every inch of him. And let's not even get started on the deformed brute that almost strangles him...
26	* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: After Panacea rejects his marriage proposal, Obelix makes her drink some magic potion, so that a Doppelgänger of her appears. Obelix then starts flirting with the Doppelgänger.
27	* DressingAsTheEnemy: To infiltrate the Roman camp and rescue Getafix, Asterix has Obelix [[MuggedForDisguise mug a Roman]] for his uniform, and pretend to be a legionary who [[TrojanPrisoner captured Asterix]]. Asterix also specifically instructs Obelix to stay in his assumed role at all times, until Asterix gives him the signal to stop acting.
28	* EpicMovie: The most expensive French movie at the time of its release, with a cast full of stars and big sets. It was [[SequelEscalation surpassed in all of those departments by its sequel]].
29	* ExternallyValidatedProphecy: In the end, Detritus tells that he will give to UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar a list of traitors who plan to stab him in the back, which includes friends and relatives. This is an obvious reference to the assassination of Caesar.
30	* FoeTossingCharge: Wouldn't be an ''Asterix'' movie without the Gauls doing this at least once.
31	* GodzillaThreshold:
32	** When nothing else can undo the hypnosis the Soothsayer used on Asterix, Getafix sees no other choice but to use Cacofonix's singing. That finally does the trick.
33	** In the climax, even Obelix is allowed to drink the special Magic Potion since the Romans are on the verge of overrunning the village.
34	* IDontWantToRuinOurFriendship: In the end, when Obelix proposes to Panacea, she answers that he is her friend and he is like a brother for her. She does not want to make him sad, but she loves someone else.
35	* InsultBackfire: In the opening scene, Trolleybus tells that Detritus is even more despicable than himself. Detritus answers that he is a flatterer.
36	* KarmaHoudini: The Soothsayer and his two henchmen succeed in tricking the Gauls into robbing a Roman tax collector, and then steal the gold from the Gauls by drugging and hypnotizing Asterix to distract the other Gauls. They are not seen again afterwards and face no comeuppance whatsoever.
37	* MadeOfIron: Just like in the comic, Romans spring back to their feet after attacks that should have left them with multiple broken bones.
38	* MakeItLookLikeAStruggle: When Asterix and Obelix pretend to be [[TrojanPrisoner a Gaulish prisoner]] and [[DressingAsTheEnemy the legionary who captured him]], respectively, Obelix decides to make the ruse more plausible by punching Asterix and "capturing" him in front of the Romans.
39	* ManInTheIronMask: Detritus has Julius Caesar imprisoned with an iron mask on his head after he successfully usurps his throne. The Gauls encounter the masked Caesar while escaping from the camp, and bring him along. Only when they're back in the village do they discover whom exactly they just rescued.
40	* MesACrowd: In the climax, to overcome the Romans led by Detritus, Getafix uses a special version of the Magic Potion to create dozens of duplicates of Asterix and Obelix.
41	* MovieSuperheroesWearBlack: Downplayed, but the costumes in the film are noticeably more "realistic" and less "straight from the pages" compared to the later films.
42	* MsFanservice: Panacea/Falbala, who is played by Creator/LaetitiaCasta in low-cut, push-up outfits.
43	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: During the arena scene, Asterix keeps trying, and failing, to give Obelix his signal to drop the act and come to his aid, but he's out of hearing range. And then, just as Asterix is about to be killed, Detritus unknowingly helps Asterix give Obelix the signal because he is curious what exactly Asterix is shouting to Obelix and uses his skills of lip-reading to find out.
44	* PhonyPsychic: The soothsayer has no psychic power. He pretends to see the future to manipulate the villagers, so that they help him in his plan to steal money from the Romans.
45	* QuakingWithFear: During the initial CurbStompBattle, the Gauls end up encircling a bunch of Romans in ''testudo'' shield formation and start tapping with their fists in rhythm on the shields for fun (though without sending them flying, since they have SuperStrength). The Romans visibly quake with fear under the shields.
46	* TheStarscream: Lucius Detritus, who uses the magic potion he forces Getafix to make, and Obelix's assistance, to overthrow Julius Caesar and have him imprisoned.
47	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: When Getafix agrees to make Detritus Magic Potion, he tricks the Romans to bring Asterix (who's locked up in a cage) next to the cauldron to say the magic words with him so that Getafix can quickly feed him the potion. Unfortunately for them, the fresh concoction is simply far too hot for Asterix to drink, and the Romans quickly pull him away from the cauldron.
48	* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Centurion Caius Bonus' actor, was clearly chosen based on his ability to make faces that say "today is not going to be a very funny day", which get pulled out in every scene when he and Obélix interact, typically by means of Obélix punching him.
49	* TrojanPrisoner: With Asterix as the prisoner, see DressingAsTheEnemy above.
50	* UnwillingSuspension: The BoundAndGagged Druids at the druid conference are left hanging from a great tree by the Romans. Obelix gets them down by shaking the tree.

Context Film / AsterixAndObelixTakeOnCaesar