Asterix Conquers America (1994)
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Asterix Conquers America Movie Review
Asterix Conquers America is a 1994 German animated adventure comedy film directed by Gerhard Hahn. It’s a very uneven, but fun flick.
When Getafix, the sorcerer of Gaul, is kidnapped by Julius Caesar after losing a war, Asterix and his sidekick, Obelisk, set out on a mission to bring back their friend and defeat the mighty Romans. ‘Asterix and the Great Crossing’ is one of my favorite Asterix comics, but the movie adaptation ended up being one of the weakest unfortunately.
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It’s still a pretty good movie, but it just couldn’t compare to the original source material or to the best movies in the franchise. One of the best parts of the comic was the arrival of the Vikings. Those sequences near the end were very funny and entertaining. Here however, gone were the Vikings and instead we got some other elements and characters included with varying results of success.
The journey to America was actually much more memorable and better handled here than in the original work. Trying to rescue Getafix and Dogmatix from the Romans and chasing them on a boat made for such a thrilling adventure. The beginning was also solidly altered and the first half really had a lot going for it.
But then the second half was messy. While the Native Americans were overall solidly developed and some of the scenes with them were quite amusing, they were also overly extended and not as engaging as I’d hoped. The biggest issue was the ending. Reminiscent somewhat to the comic ‘Asterix and Son’, the gang returns to find chaos in Gaul, so they go to rescue their friends. It was unnecessary to add this very dark and dreary plot development to this otherwise highly lightweight and fun storyline.
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Most importantly, Asterix Conquers America differs from the rest of the movie franchise in the fact that it wasn’t a French production at all. In fact, it was the Germans who made this movie, which was odd, but even stranger was the decision to make an English-language version of this story. Maybe they tried to appeal to a wider demographic, but these movies were never properly released in North America, which makes this decision even more puzzling.
I was at first aghast at the idea of these famously Franco-Belgian characters speaking English, but eventually I came to appreciate most of these voice performances. Howard Lew Lewis was a terrible choice for Obelix as this is the guy who should sound buffoonish and never like this stuck-up British gentleman. It was very odd. Craig Charles fared much better as Asterix and all the others were actually solid in their casting and voices.
Getafix got a much bigger role here, which is always a plus in my book as I love the character. The Romans with their pronounced Italian accents were quite funny as well and Caesar was great in this movie. The animation is also stellar and particularly memorable in some of the backgrounds that were so gorgeous. The soundtrack is fittingly American and a couple of songs were actually quite charming and fun. Bonnie Tyler’s Say Goodbye made for a wonderful goodbye scene, and We Are One People was eclectic and so joyous. These songs definitely elevated what was otherwise a somewhat pedestrian adaptation.
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Asterix Conquers America has an uneven plot, some problematic adaptation choices and a weaker third act, but the first half is great, the animation is stellar, the voice acting is surprisingly solid and the soundtrack is a lot of fun. It’s a flawed, but very entertaining Asterix movie that is the rare English-language entry in the series.
My Rating – 4
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