"Astérix et la surprise de César" or "Asterix and Caesar" is a French animated movie from 1985, so I was not even one when this got released. I can also mention the German title here because I watched the dubbed version tonight and literally everybody knows Asterix here in my country. That would be "Sieg über Caesar", which means "Victory over Caesar", and is in my opinion more fitting than the English international title because Caesar is a key supporting player here, but it's never about him at the film's core, but more about the victory over him that they won't have him let the two lovebirds feed to the lions. Then again, Caesar pardons them in the end, so it is not a 100% victory really or maybe it is if he does not want to be beaten up himself. But let's look at the basics. This film series here began in the 1960s already and this is the fourth movie, which shows you that they did not constantly release new ones. It is of course based on the books by Goscinny and Uderzo, but it can also be said that these two had more crucial roles in the production of previous films when they themselves were in charge of screenplay and direction. Here they only wrote the two books that this film references story-wise. May they rest in peace. This was directed by twins Gaëtan and Paul Brizzi, who want on to become Emmy nominees in the early 1990s. The one in charge of the screenplay here was Pierre Tchernia, who is also no longer with us, but had an equally long life like Uderzo luckily. This one here also stays under the 80-minute mark, comfortably actually if you don't count credits, so it is not a long movie we have here, but this is nothing unusual because these old animated Asterix films really weren't long at all. Not a bad thing. No need to stretch them for the sake of it. It is as essential as it is entertaining.

As I stated earlier already, I watched the German dub, so I cannot comment on the voice work of the French cast here, but I am sure Carel and everybody else did a pretty good job as usual. This film was a huge commercial hit too here in (West) Germany as it managed to enter Golden Screen territory. Today was definitely not the first time I saw this, but I did not remember it that funny to be honest. The key story is good, but where it really shines is the entertainment factor and these small hilarious moments that happen oh so frequently in here. Many of those are taken from the books of course, like we have the fish vendor from the village who is very eager to convince everybody that his fish is fresh and even if it means that he has to knock out some Roman soldiers with it. There are so many great moments. I will just do some brainstorming for the rest of the review about everything I enjoyed here and there is literally nothing that bothered me really here (okay the chariot race did not do much for me and Obelix could have freed the prisoners on his own without Asterix having magic potion I guess),so pretty cool I can entirely focus on the positive aspects. One thing I want to say is that I genuinely hope they will not censor this film in any way because of the depictions of slavery in here. I know it has happened with classics even that they added "smart information" how slavery is wrong. Duh. But it's really taking away from the artistic impact. Looking at the slave trader, he is one fella who gets his fair share anyway, namely with how miserably he fails to make some money. This is a parallel between the influential Roman fella who buys the two prisoners and between our two heroes who want information from the man. Another hilarious parallel is how Obelix's misadventures result in the druid hanging down from something and eventually at the end, even the big Caesar almost falling down there. Epic inclusion on what happened to the Colosseum as well. Just like with the sphinx's nose in the second movie. And how Obelix says that it was just a wee little colosseum.

Then we can compare the two bosses as well, with the Gauls' leader in the end and his speech and how he unintentionally makes fun of himself and his folks and in contrast to that Caesar not being happy at all about how the big show went and the guy who organized it will be in for quite some trouble. He lets him know that he belongs in the arena as well and that his generosity is not gigantic for everybody. But I must talk about Obelix. By then, they really understood already how he is the comedic center of it all, how he crashes the druid down from the tree, how he runs around carrying a fictitious menhir (is that the right word for Hinkelstein?),how he actually wants to give Falbala (played by Laetitia Casta of course in the later live action movie) a menhir etc. So many moments. The big fella is a riot for sure. This also includes the running gag how he keeps asking Asterix if these people are friends or not. And how he does not understand the difference between Asterix's take on friendliness and his own on one or two occasions. I do remember that I found the part pretty scary and dramatic when there is this gigantic amount of rain and Asterix is in danger of drowning down there in his prison when I watched this movie at a younger age. Also these three fellas who kidnap Asterix, even if they had no intention to kill him. But it's Obelix to the rescue right on time, even if he loses his little dog in the process. So Idefix has his very own adventure here as he tries to bring the magic potion to Asterix which eventually saves Falbala's man's life in the arena. There we had a funny moment too when the lions are announced as the most wild and strong creatures before they are released and Idefix enters the arena with them and Obelix mentioning his dog's name made it even more entertaining. Asterix has a very small bit of comedy in the end too when it seems to be him now who's falling for Falbala the moment Obelix is over her. The music is also once again very nice in this movie and this already starts at the very beginning. I really like the German Asterix song, so uplifting and catchy.

I also found it interesting here that we see Asterix and Obelix dressed up as Romans for once. They join forces with them in order to find the abducted characters and it sure isn't a fun time for those who have Asterix and Obelix as their recruits. Same applies to the cook, not only because of the guy landing in his soup, but also because Obelix wants some real food there, which turns into a challenge for the cook and how accidentally something ends up in his kitchen was a moment I found truly funny because he mistook it for another attack from our two heroes. The scenes with the fella who does not want to let them in were hilarious too. Also a bit of a funny joke on Britain again and their food with how the English fella is the only recruit who thinks the food is actually delicious. One of these many really funny small moments we got here. Others include Obelix again with how physical clashes do not seem to have an impact on him whatsoever, no matter if it is the crashing with trees or some fairly strong Romans trying to knock him out on several occasions. Also funny how he reacts when one guy shows up to tell him he is arrested. Bad idea. Obelix still is the most sensitive fella as we find out not only through his unrequited love, but also through the love to his dog that by the way is not too happy at all about trees coming out of the soil. There are some serious moments in here of course if we think about the nature of people being fed to lions, but it's all comedy and for the entire family. The lions for example are also not one bit scary, but rather clumsy the way they are depicted in the end. The most beautiful thing about this movie was probably Falbala's singing, which was indeed a joy to listen to when she was up there in prison. No need to see her to appreciate her there. Another really small character with only one scene was the guy working at the thermae (that still exists today from the Latin word) telling our two heroes to undress and he tries to watch them. Did we have here a very early display of homosexuality in animation? Possible, but not safe of course. Still interesting how he reacts and how they depicted him certainly way more on the feminine side.

Oh yes, one more thing I found interesting and actually pretty smart was how the leader of the fellas who abduct Falbala and her man was not too happy at all about this act, even if they got some of the invincible Gauls. It totally made sense why he was angry about the overly ambitious soldier in charge. He knew already revenge would be inevitable and bringing them away might have been the best choice indeed. The revenge does happen nonetheless. The scenes that involves Falbala and her man directly are basically the only truly dramatic moments like with the horny Roman at the taverna and how the two flee into the desert afterwards where they are picked up by slave traders. Oh and speaking of these slave traders again, I want to know more about the fella who stuffed feathers into pillows. He seemed hilarious and his background story could have made for his own (short) film I believe. Obelix's gigantic physical strength is also always awesome to watch, like how he tears down big wooden walls or how he opens Asterix's prison window (and not just that) to get his friend back to safety. Well, to us in the audience it is. To the Romans not so much as we see from one fella's reaction when he realizes he has to turn these exact two into gladiators. The ones who don't have to experience Obelix's strength this time are the pirates. Unless I missed them, they were not in this movie for a change. But the Romans getting their fair share here constantly really makes up for that. Okay, I guess this is pretty much it then, even if I am sure I could talk about a dozen more scenes and moments that made this a great watch. Unless you hate animation, you should experience it yourself. One of 1985's very finest.

Spanning a glorious decade from 1967 to 1976, the first 'Asterix movies' period made all the fans worry about the little Gaul's ability to survive the untimely death of his creator René Goscinny, and that went for the books, too. The first solo albums written and drawn by Albert Uderzo almost proved them wrong but the recent Asterix Adventures were dreadful, overly sentimental, disasters.

Now, to have a look back on the movies: except for "Asterix the Gaul" which was more of a warm-up for the animators, both "Cleopatra" and "The Twelve Tasks" were pretty successful thanks to the careful supervision of both Uderzo and Goscinny. Their hard work reached a peak of excellence with the "Twelve Tasks", an original creation that transcended the slapstick and satire so typical of the albums to the more ambitious requirements of big-screen entertainment.

Sadly, Goscinny died, one year after the film's release, and couldn't even live to see the release of Lucky Luke's animated-feature "The Ballad of the Daltons". Asterix then remained absent from theaters for a whole long decade, until 1985, when both Pierre Tchernia and Albert Uderoz probably felt mourning time was over and the greatest tribute to their late beloved friend was to keep on making Asterix films. It was "Asterix vs. Caesar" (in French "and Caesar's Surprise'),and this is how the 'Gaumont' period started.

If "Asterix vs Caesar" isn't necessarily my favorite, I know it from early enough to be able to recite it line by line. Yet I still have a slight preference for "Cleopatra", "The Twelve Tasks" and the 1986' "Asterix in Britain", so my guess is that "Caesar" takes a honorable fourth spot. The film is enjoyable, entertaining, with a fair mixture of action, escapism and humor, but I'm afraid it might disappoint a younger audience because of some overuse of adult themes, foreshadowing what would become Uderzo's infamous storytelling style.

But there's one thing I've got to hand to the movie, it has one hell of a catchy theme song, far from the previous and more kids-appealing ones. The song "Asterix est là" ("Asterix is Here") is sung by the Belgian Plastic Bertrand, famous in the francophone world for his delirious hit-song "ça plane pour moi", and celebrates Asterix' come-back with lyrics full of Anglicism and adult puns I didn't get until my teenage days, but now, I realize how they firmly established Asterix' entrance in the 80's. Maybe it was a time for a more mature material, to please the kids who enjoyed the first films and became adults or teenagers.

And it's not surprising that the story they chose to focus on was "Asterix the Legionary", where Obelix (voiced for the first time by Pierre Tornade) falls in love with a local villager named Falbala. Oddly enough, as a kid, I was so thrilled by Asterix and Obelix's complicity that I was afraid it would be ruined by a romance; I probably had the same defensive reaction than Dogmatix. But the romance is only the starter and the story quickly mixes up with the plot from "Asterix Gladiator" where Caius Obtus, Cesar's most valuable promoter, is organizing Caesar's triumph in Coliseum Circus.

To make the events even bigger, slaves from all the conquered provinces must bow down to Cesar and naturally, there's a glaring omission, one forgotten province that still resists the invader. Back in Gaul, Falbala's fiancé comes back and breaks Obélix' infatuated heart, but the blonde-haired couple's reunion is short-lived by their sudden capture. An upstart legionary takes them to the Camp's centurion, (a shorter version of Pierre Tchernia, voiced by the same man) but fearing the Gaul's vengeance, the Centurion immediately sent them to the Roman Legion. Not that it will avoid him the Gauls' reaction anyway.

The mission is set, and to be able to rescue their friends, Asterix and Obelix follow their track, enlist in the Roman legion, and their journey send them from Condatum to Rome, passing by Africa. Meanwhile, a chain of events bring Falbala and Tragicomix on a silver plate to Caius Obtus, who got the Gauls to achieve his goals. Casar meet the couple and Tragicomix' defiance sentences him (with Falbala) to lions' penalty. Cesar is far crueler and villainous in this film, so far from his debonair attitude in "Cleopatra", still, as the host of the show will specify: the emperor magnanimously authorize the two Gauls to fight the lions bare-handed.

The film gets indeed pretty dark, and some parts, like Falbala singing in jail upset me a little. Jokes aren't rare though, and we're never as glad as when Asterix and Obelix are on- screen. On that level, the film contains many hilarious one-liners that compensate the overall seriousness of the story. To give a few examples, Asterix asks for the information office, to which he's advised to ask the information office. Another running-gag shows him teaching Obelix the merits of politeness except that he inevitably ends up using Obelix' punchier methods to get what he wants.

The legion part feature many great gags, they hate the food made of butter, lard and cheese cooked together, Obelix asks if the same every day, the cook reassures them: "No, Sunday, there's double ration". The film is so full of adult humor I only regret it being too dramatic, even melodramatic, I'm thinking right now as the climactic sequence where Dogmatix tries to get the magic potion's flask in Rome's sewerage while Obelix searches Asterix at the edge of drowning in his own cell. That part, mixed with Vladmir Cosma's heart-pounding score is so unlike Asterix' usual mood, but it works on a dramatic level.

The film has a great conclusion in the Coliseum, with probably the greatest best chariots race after "Ben-Hur" and overall, an emotionally satisfying ending. It's not the best Asterix film but a promising opener for the new Gaumont period, followed by the much funnier and entertaining "Asterix in Britain".

The first Asterix adaptation not to be taken directly from one of the books but instead is a combination of Asterix the Legionary and Asterix the Gladiator. The cut-and-shut story is a bit disjointed as a result, which might test your patience, especially if you don't like seeing the books jumbled.

Life continues as normal in the Gaulish village as Panacea, the niece of Chief Vitalstatistix, returns fro her studies in Rennes (then called Condatum) and Obelix falls head-over-heels in love with her. Too bad she already has a boyfriend in the shape of Tragicomix, a handsome stud. The surrounding Roman outposts warn Decorian, a new recruit, to not anger the Gauls out of fear of a yet another pounding. Decorian does not heed this warning and manages to capture Panacea and Tragicomix. But before Asterix and Obelix can rescue them they have already been re-captured by slave traders and sold off to be butchered in the Colosseum.

Asterix and Obelix then go undercover in order to get them back, pounding many Romans along the way. The animation is wonderful and the humor is enough to keep you chuckling through-out, but I can't help but think that the books it was adapted from would have made better individual movies. Caesar's presence feels arbitrary and it lacks a decent villain.

Still a fun time.