Asterix in Britain (1986)

The overall plot of this animated version of Astérix chez les Bretons is faithful to that of the book. As the latter is perhaps the best of all the Astérix volumes, this film could fare badly in the comparison. But whereas most of the Astérix films lose much in the transition to a dumbed-down, vaguely Hollywoodesque cartoon that I suppose is meant to appeal to children, Asterix in Britain manages to retain much of what made the original (written and drawn) version great. I haven't yet listened to any of the dubbed versions of the film, but the French is particularly clever in using native English speakers to play the roles of the Bretons.

Of all the Asterix movies, this is the one I love the most. The comic-book-to-screen adaptation is faithful without being too much linear (which was the problem with "Astérix le Gaulois"). The animation is much acceptable without being outstanding, but let's not forget that it's not a Disney feature.The movie respects generally well the events of the book. The Romans, led by the great Julius Caesar, invade and quickly conquer Britain. However, a small village keeps resisting to the invaders. One of the village's inhabitants, Jolitorax, is Astérix's cousin. He goes to Gaul to ask for help and for magic potion, so his village will be able to face Roman legions.Asterix, Obelix, Jolitorax and Dogmatix (who was not in the book) embark towards Britain with a barrel of magic potion for Jolitorax's village. But before they can yell victory, they will have to face many events and deliver great battles against Romans.The film works well on two levels. First, it's a pretty decent introduction to a real event in history. The territory we're talking about was really named Britain around 50 BC and the Romans really invaded it at about the same era. The city of London was really called Londinium at the time and the cities of Camulodunum (Colchester) and Durovernum (Canterbury) are also mentioned.But the story was also an occasion for French comic writers René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo to make fun of their neighbors from the other side of the English Channel. The English (or Briton) stereotypes and habits are constantly ridiculed or parodied in some way. In the original French language version, the Britons speak with a heavy accent and expressions that you don't hear in French ("Je dis", the nouns and adjectives are inverted comparatively to the French language). That's why the original version is much more enjoyable to watch.I could roll down a long list of parodies made in the whole movie. We only have to think about weekends, the continual British bad weather, their bad culinary tastes, the fact that they drive on the left side of the road, rugby and their "funny" language.Of all the Asterix movies, this is the funniest, and by far. The parodies listed above are obviously funny, but many gags and scenes are simply hilarious. We only have to think of the boarding of the Roman galley, the prison break, or the wine "tasting" in the caves of the Roman palace that quickly (and predictably) degenerates into a Roman orgy.What prevents this film from ranking as high as "Astérix et Cléopâtre", it's probably the fact that the latter was turned into a musical with such excellent songs, which made that transformation simply irresistible. But "Astérix chez les Bretons" doesn't rank pretty far behind "Cléopâtre".The adaptation by Pierre Tchernia has to be underlined and some new elements have to be mentioned, such as the double wordplay made by Caesar about his invasion of Britain. It's also very funny of seeing wooden replicas of the Big Ben bell-tower, the Palace of Windsor, and also of the Tower Bridge. The addition of Dogmatix into the story is much appreciated in the sense that it's a well-loved character and his role in the movie is very much real.A delightful running gag stars Stratocumulus, whose attempts of informing his superior, General Motus, always end with a fall and a pathetic trip and a collision with one of the General's marble statues.Something that doesn't change however is the somewhat ambiguous ending. It's great to see the village winning over the Roman legions, but what about the future? Will they attack once again? Will Jolitorax's village still be able of defending itself? Those questions involve that maybe the trip of Asterix and Obelix was useless.The final words by Getafix also fall short, even if his intervention had well begun.So, to sum up quickly, for those who love the Asterix comic books, this movie is a must-see. After all, there are few tolerable Asterix films. "Astérix le Gaulois" is too much linear, while the movies co-produced in Germany ("Asterix in America" and "Astérix et les Vikings") are not good and the live-action adaptations are not much better.

I viewed this film in my French class (the original french language version). Everyone in my class thought the British characters were hysterical because of their accents while speaking French. It is funny to see how the French make fun of their rivals in Britain. It is also fun to see the barbaric architectural style of London with Big Ben and Parliament made of wood! I would not recommend this film for a person who does not speak French or who is not familiar with the historical background of the film (The Gallo-Roman period in France). Even with the animation style that characteristic of the eighties, it is still fun to watch and see the French version of history.

This is an excellent adaptation of the Asterix comic of the same name. Its true to the book, and very fun. Some of the voices are a bit awkward trying to fit the words into the translation. Great for kids and adults both.