The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (1976) User Reviews

Best Asterix adventure with outrageous ending

[SMK-4 · 9/10 · 11 December 1998]

I'm mostly a rather introvert person. When a comedy makes me smile it has succeeded, when it makes me chuckle it is a rousing success. The climax of this film made me fall from my cinema seat laughing.

This film is not based on any of the Asterix comic books as most of the Asterix films. Asterix faces 12 tasks, one more daunting than the other (I can't remember why, it was over 20 years ago), building up to the last one, the most difficult of the lot. Do not, under any circumstances, including hurricanes and invading Mongolic hordes, leave the cinema before that scene!

Getafix of this

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 9/10 · 10 August 2010]

The best Asterix film at the time of its release and certainly one of the best overall. "Twelve Tasks" was always a favorite of mine and watching it now, close to 20 years later, it's still as funny and imaginative as it ever was.

As an Asterix movie it's a bit of an anomaly. It isn't based on any of the comic-books (are they graphic novels?) and doesn't follow any of the continuity or logic of any of the other stories. But since it's by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo themselves you could hardly call it unofficial.

Julius Caesar calls a truce with the village and says that Gaul can rule Rome if they can win Twelve impossible tasks in the vein of Hercules a few thousand years ago. If they fail, they must surrender to Caesar. But with Asterix and Obelix as their chosen champions do you really think they will fail? The plot lends itself to lots of visual humor and irreverent satire. How can a kid's animated movie have this much depth and wit and still be relatively unknown in the wider world of Toy Stories and Ups? It's insane.

Definitely a great treat for Asterix fans and the perfect way to introduce new people to the franchise.

The 13th task: Find a fan who didn't like this one.

[Victor Field · 6 July 2002]

The best of the several movie adventures of Asterix, Obelix, Vitalstatistix and Co., our heroes are given a series of increasingly difficult tasks by Caesar, with the future of the village at stake - ranging from crossing a ravine by an invisible bridge ("Which you do not see over there") through avoiding the lures of the sirens, combating a champion javelin thrower and getting a permit for the next task (something that will strike a chord in anyone who's ever had to face red tape) to facing a celestial challenge by a god who asks them to... actually, that last one is so funny you have to see it for yourself.

There is a book out, but it's the adaptation of the movie, making "The Twelve Tasks Of Asterix" the only one to date actually written for the screen first. Perhaps the makers of the later animated movies and the live-action ones could take the hint? (Or is adapting them properly beyond 'em?) Sheer pleasure throughout, with moments that still make me laugh years after seeing it and some surprisingly strong satire, all the movies should have been like this. Right, let's tie up the bard and bring on the boar...

History made hilarious

[dr_foreman · 10/10 · 14 August 2006]

I've been laughing at "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" for about 20 years now. Early on, I laughed hardest at the slapstick comedy segments. Now, I laugh hardest at the history-based jokes and sly sexual references. So you see, like all the best children's entertainment, this can be enjoyed on several different levels - some for the kiddies, some for the adults.

(The slapstick comedy is still cool to my adult self, by the way. Nothing beats watching an unruly mob of Gaulish villagers tear through a phalanx of hapless Roman dudes...)

The plot is very episodic, centering around the efforts of wily Asterix and oafish Obelix to perform twelve tasks and, if successful, become gods in the eyes of the Romans. Inevitably, some of the tasks are more interesting than others. The best one is set in the Place That Sends You Mad, a spot-on satire of bureaucracy and red tape. Probably the lamest task involves alligators and an invisible string, but even that's okay.

The animators did an excellent job capturing the style of the Asterix comic books. Oddly enough, though, the quality of the drawing is variable. Sometimes the characters look quite rough and sketchy, and other times the lines are much cleaner. However, the task set in the Beast's cave is undeniably very well-animated and even a bit creepy.

The ending is outrageous, and therefore brilliant. It brings the Asterix saga to a satisfying close (of course, the little guy's adventures continue in various formats). Speaking of the ending, pay especially close attention to Caius Tiddleus's cup when he's getting tickled by the priestess in the closing moments. It's a good, naughty sight gag.

This movie was my first exposure to Asterix, and thus I have a soft spot for it. Sentiment aside, though, I do think it's easily the best of the Asterix films, and is only rivaled by the very best comic adventures. Hey, I honestly haven't got tired of it during these twenty-odd years of occasional viewing - that's about the best endorsement I can give a film!

No holds barred ... for our greatest delight ...

[ElMaruecan82 · 10/10 · 19 August 2013]

Time goes so fast, it seems like yesterday when I asked my uncle if he could tape "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" for me.

As a child, I was already an avid reader and watcher of Asterix' adventures, I collected the albums and videotapes, and knew almost every film by heart. That year, because of summer holidays, I couldn't tape the film on the day of its TV airing, coincidentally, my 9th birthday. I told my uncle it would make a great gift if he recorded the film for me. He kindly accomplished the 13th task and when I was back, I had the VHS with a dedication wishing me to be as strong as Asterix during his twelve tasks. It didn't affect my appreciation of the film, but I love it even more because it's forever connected to this childhood memory.

Now, 22 years after, I don't look at "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" just as THE touching gift from my uncle, but as a tremendous gift from a giant of humor named René Goscinny to a whole generation. The film is the consecration of a talent never equaled ever since, a mix of originality and creativity appealing to both kids and adults, and a level of humor and slapstick responsible of unforgettable laugh-out-loud moments. If I could only pick one sequence to illustrate the film's brilliance, I guess the 'Place that Sends you Mad' is no contest, the one that elevates the film to the dimension of a timeless classic. For all of the agonizing victims of bureaucracy the 8th task, worthy of the most Kafkaian nightmares has an extraordinary cathartic effect for all those who had to obtain a Permit A38. On Youtube, it's the most commented part of the film.

Need I to mention the plot? The title is only misleading because it overlooks Obélix' role in many tasks, but both are selected for their intelligence and strength making them the only ones capable to accomplish the twelve tasks given by Julius Caesar. The purpose is to determine whether Gauls are Gods which would explain why the small village always beat up Caesar's powerful army. Apparently, Romans seem to have forgotten the Magic Potion but who cares when it is the pretext to a series of twelve hilarious sequences involving physical and intellectual challenges, with adversaries from every place in the world: Greece, Egypt, Beligum, including a monstrous creature named the Beast, and ghosts from the Dead plain, although the unhelpful public servants of the 'Place that Sends you Mad' are the scariest of all.

The merit of the plot is to never be short of original ideas, while it starts with sports, the tasks take a new turn where the two Gauls must cross a lake near the island of Pleasure, where voluptuous big-lipped long-legged sirens tempted the two Gauls for a frenzied samba, and when the game looked over, the ensuing dialogs between Obelix and the Great Priestess worked on an anachronistic level. While the first two Asterix films were adapted from written material, "The Twelve Tasks" is the only original creation from Goscinny, as if he sensed there was a great inspiration for gags from new ideas, especially if the film is meant for the big screen. This is why he created with Uderzo, their own company, Studio Idefix whose logo Is a cute parody of the MGM lion. They produced "The Twelve Tasks" and "The Ballad of the Daltons" one year later, an original adventure of Goscinny's other great creation Lucky Luke.

It's interesting that the two films follow the same pattern, Asterix must accomplish twelve tasks, the Daltons must kill eight juror who sentenced their uncle, it's the same episodic structure that allows to create micro-universes and different inspiration for gags. Sadly, Goscinny passed away in 1977, a few months before the completion of "The Ballad of the Dalton" and before he could enjoy the beautiful tribute to Hollywood's musical. "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" marks the end of the first period that includes "Asterix the Gaul" and "Cleopatra", before his all-time friend Pierre Tchernia would take the torch in the 80's, the Gaumont period. It's our luck that Goscinny let his creativity implode on his last years, creating one of the funniest French animated films ever, that never lost their cultural significance.

You'll enjoy the Warner Bros-like race with the Greek marathon runner, a javelin discovering America before time, a small German fighter dressed in kimono, Preasure Island priestesses with sexy samba moves but narrow-minded views on marriage, a hypnotic Egyptian, a scary journey in a dark cave hiding the strangest stuff, a dangerous mountain climbing, a riddle, a hilarious climax in the Circus Maximus, but the Place that Sends you Mad, is the highlight of the film. Now, what can I say about the ending? Maybe you'll find a bit preposterous, unbelievable, ridiculous, but the way they tackle their own criticism reaches infinitesimal summits of hilarity. And as Asterix told Obelix: "it's a cartoon, so no holds barred".

And Obélix' reaction is the greatest demonstration of why animation can sometimes surpass movies, as the ultimate escapism, the common link between kids and adults, it's the perfect dream-like universe, were anything can happen … for the sake of a gag. Nothing happens in "Twalve Tasks" that doesn't serve a laugh. This is Golden Age material, everything is perfect from the story, to the dubbing, the drawing and the score by Vladimir Cosma. There is a lot of fourth wall breaking and to also conclude on a childhood episode, the film enriched my knowledge on the Twelve Tasks of Hercules. God, my sentimental weakness while remembering the film and the good old days.

I'm not surprised that in my teenage days, the first comic I wrote was a parody of Hercules' story, who said mythology couldn't be an inspiration for laughs?

The most psychedelic yet to many the ultimate screen-Asterix

[t_atzmueller · 7/10 · 26 September 2016]

Once again, in the year 50 BC, the Romans are having the holy hell beat out of them by a small village of defiant Gauls, who have inhuman powers, thanks to a magic potion. Rather common, as we all know. Hence the rumor spreads among the fearful Romans, that those Gauls could potentially be gods (unlike in the comics, the Romans here aren't aware of the magic potion). Bad news for Emperor Julius Caesar, who offers chieftain Vitalstatistix a deal: the chief's most capable men (obviously Asterix and Obelix) must complete twelve tasks. If they fail, the village must give up their defiance. If they win however, Caesar will accept their divinity and relinquish his crown – or rather his laurel wreath. Hence, our heroes must run faster than Greek marathon-runner Asbestos, beat Verses (the Persian) at javelin, beat Cilindric (the German) at a fistfight, cross a lake that is the home of sirens, survive the hypnotic gaze of Iris (the Egyptian), eat an enormous meal at Calorofix' (the Belgian) tavern, make it alive through the "cave of the beast", retrieve Permit A38 in "The Place that sends you mad", cross a ravine filled with hungry crocodiles via an invisible tightrope, answer the question of an old man on the mountain, spend a night on the haunted "plain of the dead" and finally survive a fight in the Colosseum in Rome.

Let me start off by saying, in Germany the "Asterix"-comics always had something of a family-tradition. Many a dad bring brought home the newest "Asterix" to their kids and for many kids – including myself – that was pretty much like somebody else's Dad taking his kid to a baseball-game. Actually, there were usually two copies purchased: One to be read and kept in mint-condition, the other one to take to the local grilled chicken shop and read will eating, pretending the grilled bird was grilled boar. (Don't laugh: In Germany it was not uncommon to see people sitting in the "Hendl-Shop", a German version of KFC, chowing away while reading "Asterix" and it wasn't even considered bad manners).

Having dropped that nostalgic tit-bit, I'm not the first to point out that "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" is considered by many fans the best of all the many cartoon-adaptation. For one, it's not an adaptation, but rather a story completely unrelated to the series. The first two movies, "Asterix the Gaul" and "Asterix and Cleopatra" kept close to the comic, but missed the satire and cultural references that made the comics appealing not only to kids but to adults as well. What came later was clearly produced entirely for kids.

"The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" on the other hand could be enjoyed by both young and old, in fact, seemed to have been geared more at an adult-audience. The scene with the nymphs was rather raunchy for "Asterix"-standards, the task in the Madhouse (a pun on modern bureaucracy) probably wouldn't even make sense to younger kids, while the task with the ghost-legion was rather spooky. The animation remains the most pedestrian of all Asterix-films, but it's the seemingly careless painted backgrounds that give the film its charm and (thanks to the xerographic process) almost psychedelic feel, that at times remind of Ralph Bakshi cartoons like "Heavy Traffic", "Wizards" or many other 'artsy' 70's cartoons.

Producers often don't seem to understand that cartoons and comics are two different medias, which have only one thing in common: they're both painted. That doesn't make them compatible or easily translatable, however. Most of the 'twelve tasks' (perhaps with the exception of Obelix versus the Belgian cook; in German called Mannekinfix) wouldn't work well on paper, nor would they fit into the Asterix (comic)-formula. This is probably the reason why "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" work, while most other Asterix-cartoons fail at capturing the magic of the comics, or – at best – appear like a pale adaptation.

The third Asterix cartoon (there would be five more, including numerous live-action films and a computer-animated cartoon) would remain the last for almost ten years. After that, the cartoons took on another formula, which usually spliced the stories from various comics together and, as said, were mainly targeting a minor audience. Whether that was because "The Twelve Tasks" was a box-office bomb or not, I cannot tell – but like many other hardcore Asterix-fans I felt sorry that future films would take the direction they did, and that "Twelve Tasks" would remain a unique experience. And this uniqueness made it the ultimate Asterix-cartoon and possibly the dearest to the hearts of most lifelong fans.

7/10

Timeless Classic for all ages. The best Asterix animated movie.

[CallEmLikeISeeEm · 10/10 · 12 May 2014]

I have been a die-hard Asterix fan since childhood. However, Asterix's animated outings have been largely disappointing, and the live movies abysmal. This movie is the exception.

Made by Goscinny and Uderzo's (Asterix's creators) ill-fated animation Studio (Studios Idefix) in 1976, the cartoon is a modern take on the Herculean tasks. Asterix and Obelix are required to successfully perform 12 tasks, upon which Caesar will surrender to them. Failure in one task means surrender, certain imprisonment, and probably death to the Gaulish villagers.

This Asterix movie outshines all others in several aspects. Firstly, the animation (although dated) is lush and very true to the comic books; in fact it feels like Uderzo drew some scenes himself (I wouldn't be surprised if he did). Secondly, the screenplay by Goscinny drives the clever humour in the movie (and in the comic books, which have suffered greatly since his death in 1977). Thirdly, this movie caters to all ages. I've seen this film countless times as a child and as an adult, and it never grows old. The movie is brilliant in the way it presents tasks aimed at the universal child in people of all ages (ie. The race with Asbestos) and tasks aimed at adults (ie. The Isle of Pleasure and the Place that sends you Mad) without alienating children too young to understand the themes presented.

I highly recommend this film. One of my favourite movies (not just animated). Very re-watchable. Highly enjoyable. Great humour. Great animation.

Enjoyable and amusing cartoon movie with original story featured by our immortal heroes

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 24 March 2006]

The year is 50 B.C. , Gaul is entirely occupied by the Roman. Well , not entirely..One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders . And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps . In the village are our friends : ¨Asterix¨, the hero of this adventure , he's a shrewd , cunning little warrior , all perilous missions are immediately entrusted to him .¨Obelix¨ his inseparable friend , he's a menhir delivery-man by trading and addicted to wild boar , he's always ready to drop everything and go off on a new adventure with Asterix , so long as there's wild boar to eat , and plenty of fighting .¨Panoramix¨, the venerable village druid , gathers mistletoe and brews magic potions , his speciality is the potion which gives the drinker superhuman strength although also has other recipes up his sleeve . ¨Abraracurcix¨, the chief of the tribe , majestic , brave and hot-tempered , the old warrior is respected by his enemies , he has only one fear , he's afraid the sky may fall on his head tomorrow , but as he always says , 'Tomorrow never comes'. And of course ¨Cacofonix¨ , the Bard , opinion is divided as to his musical gifts , he thinks he's a genius , everyone else thinks he's unspeakable , but so long as he doesn't speak , let alone sing , everybody likes him.....

The film concerns Julius Caesar who offers the Gauls a covenant , they must prove if they're Gods by making twelve extremely hard works , similar to 12 works of Hercules , which are the following ones : Hercules vanquished the Amazons warriors , captured a wild boar and a bull of island of Crete , killed the Hydra , swept the stable of Ujias , murdered Gerion and Diomedes , he had apples of garden of Hesperides, he won a race against the clock to a deer , strangled Lion of Nemea , he shot arrows to birds at the lake Stinfano , he took Teseo from the inferno . Asterix and Obelix will be able to resolve twelve similar tasks that Caesar chose and if they fail they would turn slaves and the Gaul village would hand over the Roman empire . Among the dangerous missions our friends have to suffer are the following ones : the fighting a winner javelin thrower and against a judo-man , the lures of mermaids , taking on a celestial challenge with a God, combating a ghost army , the crossing an invisible bridge and confronting public officials , adding an extreme critique to the state bureaucracy , among others , and along the way including a lot of anachronisms , entertainment and fun . The picture will appeal to Asterix and Obelix comic-books fans.

Still makes me laugh after twenty years

[rh86 · 10/10 · 23 October 2006]

This was one of the first films I actually remember watching and I had already read a few of the comics and loved them. Recently I found my parents still had the video and watched it again. And I still loved it. Brief summary, after yet another defeat by the indomitable Gauls, Caeser decides that the only reason for this is that the Gauls are Gods and sets out twelve tasks to prove this. Asterix and Obelix are selected to perform the tasks with hilarious consequences.

Although a non original story unlike the other Asterix films this film brilliantly captures the charm and the humour of the comics. With jokes about the ancient world and the modern day (the take on bureaucracy is side splitting), coming up with a few modern inventions on the way and a musical number thrown into the middle you won't keep a straight face throughout.

Admittedly compared to recent animation this film doesn't look or sound as good as it might but it was made on a low budget 30 years ago. It's still funny and the visual gags still work. Plus you can use it to teach kids the twelve tasks of Hercules.

Absurdist Humor for Kiddos and Adults

[BabelAlexandria · 10/10 · 3 May 2022]

After seeing how much my children (especially my 7-year-old son) loved the first two Asterix movies, I got the third installment as a "version remasterisée" blu-ray, with the original English dubbing. This was unexpectedly the best of the Asterix movies, with heavily slapstick humor which manages to be witty at the same time. It's a strange hybrid of Roman history and Greek mythology (Caesar explains that the 12 labors of Hercules need "an update") and the bizarre imaginary Gaul of the Asterix universe. And the best part is, our two heroes don't even have to drink much of the druid potion to finish off the 12 tasks! My own favorite part is the alternate-reality ending in which Caesar abdicates his dictatorship to the Gauls, and lives out a happy domestic life with Cleopatra back in Egypt, free from the worries of war, politics, and treacherous murder or suicide. But they didn't show "Little Caesar"...

let Astérix and Obélix do the easy work

[dbdumonteil · 1 January 2003]

This is the year 50 before JC. All the Gaul is occupied by the Romans. All the Gaul? No! A little village populated by some irreducibles Gallics resists again and always to the invader. This situation gets on Jules César's nerves who's starting to compare these Gallics as gods. To have proof of this, he sets them 12 works. Astérix and Obélix are chosen to take up the challenge... This animation film isn't an adaptation from one of Astérix' albums, it's an original screenplay that inspired from the Greek mythology with Hercule's works. The movie is a pleasant surprise because the animation is more careless than in Astérix' previous adaptations for the cinema, although it's a bit basic. Concerning these "works", of course they're fanciful and eccentric but they're irresistibe, varied, full of modern anachronisms (like the chips in the sixth work when Obélix must eat a pantagruelian meal). Besides, the anachronism is a common thing in Astérix' adventures.

The best moments of the movie are the pantagruelian meal, the sequences of the hypnosis and the crazy flat. At the end, in spite of tiresome sequences, peculiar to Astérix's adaptations, I think about the (useless) battle against the Romans at the beginning, the movie is a happy entertainment and the best animation film with Astérix.

Absolutely perfect movie

[MorrisBuck88 · 10/10 · 9 March 2020]

Propably the best Asterix and Obelix movie there is, the animation is on point, the jokes are funny, the movie is interesting throughout. Please watch this if you haven't yet, i encourage you to do so!!!

The best Astérix film

[IndustriousAngel · 8/10 · 22 March 2013]

Most of the by now many Astérix adaptions are based on the comic albums, this film has its own script - maybe that's why it works better than the other ones. The story is much more fantastic and postmodern than usual and most of the gags center more on sight than on wordplay - which is a good thing for a movie. The comics are full of clever wit but that's hard to translate on screen. There's also much satire here; I especially liked the bureaucratic hellhouse. Some of the 12 labours are obviously better than others but that's OK too, the story is episodic enough anyway. The animation is just OK, a far cry from Disney or Miyazaki standards, but basically it does its job.

One of the best animations of its time

[ssvfolder-1 · 8/10 · 3 April 2021]

In the past couple of days I've been speedwatching all major cartoons of asterix and obelix, and I must say that this one is at par with the great classic ones of Disney. Sad that nowadays Disney renounced their old masterpieces, which is obviously a stupid (at the very least) thing to do. This is the best Asterix animation right until mansions of gods and might be even better. Highly recommended for all!

I used to love this as a kid

[jamesjustice-92 · 8/10 · 7 February 2021]

But now everything is a little bit different so I can only say that I liked it. The adventures of Asterix and Obelix were the constant part of my childhood when I watched many of its live-action movies and cartoons; among the latters one stood above every other and it was The twelve tasks of Asterix - maybe because I was very interested in myths of Ancient Greece and Hercules' 12 tasks in particular at that time but the fact remained. Rewatching it now makes it a whole other, different experience: I get the jokes a lot better, they are very witty, even satirical (especially in the bureaucracy scene), I also love the animation style and, having watched this cartoon in its original french language, I realized what a tremendous job had the voice actors done to make this movie. But overall this is just another chapter in the lives of Asterix and Obelix, with no real tie-up to the previous or future movies or character development whatsoever - partly due to the screenplay being an original body of work rather than based on the comic books. The creators just wanted to have fun with it, tickle ancient history and myths a little and tell a story that would fit in the Asterix & Obelix universe and they succeeded but there isn't enough for me in it to give it another go in the future.

My favourite animated full feature length film...

[ophone77 · 10/10 · 1 January 2024]

Even if its looks were already dated back when it was released.

It helps Astérix is my favourite comics franchise since I've been a child and that its creators, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, were heavily implied in this movie for me to give it the maximum rating.

I think Les 12 travaux d'Astérix pleases a wide range of audience. Children mainly with its slapstick, teenagers with its references to the antique world they're confronted to in school and grown-ups with its witty humour and critical tone towards the contemporary world when the film was released, mostly valid to this day.

It may not look like one, but in the end this movie is a masterpiece I gladly rewatch from time to time.

Quite fun

[action-6 · 10 July 2000]

This is one of the best Asterix-movies, but it isn`t as good as "Ceasar`s surprise"(my favorite). The Gauls and Ceasar have made a bet. The Gauls must prove that they are gods by doing 12 extremely difficult tasks, and they will become Ceasar`s slaves if they fail. This is clearly worth a look, and surprisingly you won`t find this story in any of the comics. 8/10

impossible to dislike

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 7 March 2022]

Unless I'm very much mistaken, "Les 12 travaux" was based not on a comic book but on an original scenario. This may help to explain why the story flows so beautifully. The plot is a witty riff on a Classical theme (the 12 labors of Hercules), which allows for a wide variety of adventures and settings. It also allows for a wide variety of gags and jokes, many of them of an anachronistic nature.

The animation technique, while lively and expressive, is not perfect : for instance, you'll notice how the colors of the human skin vary from scene to scene. Some characters even have limbs that are more pale than their face, or vice versa. Still, these imperfections add to the handmade feel, which, anno Domini 2022, comes as a breath of fresh air to viewers marinated in computer-generated wizardry.

In the movie, our two heroes Obelix and Asterix need to confront a series of hair-raising dangers, ranging from a ghostly Roman legion to a gastronomic feast of epic proportions. (The last one is a satirical dig at the Belgian liking for great heaps of good food. Speaking as a Belgian : yes I like to eat and to eat well, so sue me.) Every viewer will pick his or her favorite challenges. Me, I'm particularly fond of the Egyptian hypnotist, the House-that-drives-you-insane and the riddle of the fearsome greybeard on the mountain.

Ever since the creation of "Les 12 travaux", the House-that-drives-you-insane has become a shorthand plus meme for the havoc caused by bureaucratic unhelpfulness. Still, I could tell you stories that make the sequence seem like a Spring picknick... A special mention, here, to the European Parliament, which once invited me in and then denied me entry.

Strange but true : the samba-dancing priestesses of Pleasure Island look enormously like our current crop of influencers, what with their silly duck faces and silicone-enhanced lips.

Still the best from the series perhaps, immense rewatch potential too

[Horst_In_Translation · 8/10 · 27 March 2021]

"Les 12 travaux d'Astérix" or "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" is a co-production between France and the United Kingdom from 1976 and the involvement of the latter surprises me a bit here because it really does not feel about anthing other than France here at all, not only because the key language is French of course. And because of the origins of the characters and the people who created them. I am of course talking about Goscinny and Uderzo. The former sadly dies not too long after this movie at a way too young age, so he sadly missed as well how his two heroes here and the rest of the gang kept entertaining new generations and got picked up again on several occasions for new movies. Very recently too. But now let's talk about this old one here. Goscinny and Uderzo are also the directors here and there are two other directors who are not famous really though. One worked a lot in the sound department and for the other this is one of only two directorial efforts. Goscinny and Uderzo also worked on the screenplay here and Goscinny could not continue this trend on future Asterix films for obvious reasons why Uderzo also stopped doing it for the most part. Pierre Tchernia took over in this department and he was also a collaborator here. So we have no less than four directors and three writers here for a film that stays under the 80-minute mark. Really a lot. And still it is by no means among the shortest Asterix films if we take a look at the older ones at least.

This is the third from the series and there was a gap of almost a decade between this one and the previous, so quite a lot of time passed. With the other films, they usually used books as background for the story, but if I am not mistaken, it is a bit different here with this one. The story is new and is basically a fun little adaptation connecting Hercules/Heracles with our heroes from the little village. Especially Asterix. By the mid70s they had discovered already that Obelix is an amazing character as well, but they kept going with only mentioning Asterix in the titles the way they did when it all started in the 1960s and in those films back then Asterix was really the one and only lead. Here not so much, especially if we are talking comedy. A few examples on that later on. By the way, the German title here is a bit different, basically means "Asterix conquers Rome" and gives you a brief little summary of the story here too, just a different one than they do with the English and French titles. As for the cast, there is really not too much to say here. I cannot talk a lot about the French actors because I am not too familiar with most of them, but Roger Carel deserves a mention for sure. He is certainly the most famous cast member here. I watched the German dub of course tonight and that was not the first time I watched the movie by any means. Actually, I saw it first when I was much younger, so basically grew up with it and it's nice to check it out here and there again when it's on television. It has always been my favorite from the series and even if some of the other films are closing the gap a bit now, I'd still say that this one here is my number one and I can understand very well why it is also the highest-rated Asterix film here on imdb.

It may be the third film from the franchise, but it is also a pretty good choice for a first watch if you have never seen anything else about Asterix. There is a little introduction at the start, funny with the people raising their hands at the theater, but even without that you're getting all the information you need here. Also in terms of the ending, this film would be really perfect closure to the series as it is basically the end. The Gauls have won. Caesar is retired and enjoying Cleopatra's food now. Not that there will ever be any need for closure. I'm kinda positive they will still be making new Asterix films 50 years from now. I may live to witness that. We'll see. As for this film, you can see from the title that they had to get in all these trials really and a dozen is a lot, so it feels a bit rushed here and there, but that does not take away from the quality. The sports are dealt with at the very beginning with the running, javelin and martial arts part. Sometimes wit is needed to win, sometimes the magic potion does the trick. Sometimes one of the two is basically defeated like Obelix with the German martial arts expert or Asterix at the island with these stunning (or "stunning") women. But it also shows their friendship how they get out of these situations again and again and when Obelix calls Asterix to leave, he follows with almost no hesitation. Pretty funny by the way how Obelix is missing real food on the island and I say that as a vegetarian. I think this island is neither among my favorite nor least favorite challenges. But one thing I remember there is how the women were complaining about housework. This was one of many, many references in here about modern issues. Kinda funny how they are rambling there. Another example would be at the very start all the garbage in the forest. Or the bureaucracy challlenger. Or at the arena in the end when we get an announcement that a visitor must come outside as there is something with his car, parked in the wrong spot or so. Like the equivalent to a football match announcement. Or any other sports event.

Speaking of events, the Gauls do turn the arena into a circus in the end. Circus Maximus. And Caesar admit that he lost and that the Gauls must be gods then. Interesting inclusion of the gods up there on the clouds too early on, even if that mountain sequence with the fabric softener is perhaps my least favorite challenge and the comedy idea of this turning basically into a commercial did not do a lot for me. The other parts felt more inspired. No matter which one we are talking about. All of them basically, I cannot mention one favorite I have. It probably wouldn't be this cave or whatever they enter where nobody got out again as this is one of my least favrites too. This one is maybe more about the adventure than any other Asterix film, but it makes sense because the challenge is gigantic and the reward will be huge. Reward means of course that the little Gaul village becaomes the center of the Roman Empire. There even if a road named after Asterix in the end and this is what Caesar calls his home now apparently. Okay, that was maybe a bit too much of a provication. Caesar has some solid moments too, but Obelix will always be my hero. Just take a look at how he wants to beat up Caesar so badly. Perhaps the funniest moment of the movie, even if the village's boss is also fairly hilarious how he is clearly so incompetent and clumsy and also not taken seriously by the villagers and his wife and everybody else, but yet he cannot wait to receive the laurel wreath from Caesar himself. A bit of a running gag we have here.

I could certainly also say something about every individual challenge, but I will leave it at that and instead focus a bit on the general premise. There was some great attention to detail in literally every challenge. Just take the javelin part where the Indians think somebody declared war on them. And Obelix gets his eating challenge as well, which was hilarious of course how he drives the cook to deparation and says that his stomach had only just warmed up when the cook gave him everything. Maybe it is this kind of humorous variety that lifts Obelix above Asterix for me even. I mean Asterix is cool too, but with him it is always about wit and basically using the people's own weapons against them, which applies to the German fighter, the people at the bureaucracy challenge or the hypnotist as well. The ending was a bit underwhelming because honestly the challenge at the arena was nothing too challenging I'd say after all they managed before basically. But it was meant as a highlight for the crowd really and Caesar would not know about the magic potion, but we do of course and seeing them take care of the gladiators and also the wild animals afterwards in this circus reference was highly expected. I also think the animation is nice and has some kind of retro charm that still works very well nowadays that this film is only five years away from its 50th anniversary. Almost half a century. Wow! It's the dialogues that entertain nicely, but also the more subtle parts in how characters interact with each other. Look at their face expressions on several occasions.

Also it is really charming how this film still feels so relevant. I mean everybody knows women like these two chatting in the bureaucray segment and everybody who had to deal with institutions for whatever reason know how accurate some of the stuff here is. So it's pretty nice to see Asterix turn the tables on these folks there and give them a bit of their own medicine for sure. And that time they the employees go crazy and it's not the visitors. The visitors we saw completely losing it before Asterix and Obelix enter the building. This film easily gets away with over-the-top comedy as well. It's always easier in animation than in live action, but this movie here is really a prime example on how to do it right. By the way, sorry if my review feels a bit all over the place here and not one bit chronological. Just going for the brainstorming approach this time. Forgive me for that. Another thing I want to say is that the film, even with all its comedy, also never felt try-hard to be funny. The best example is the small little man, the observer and how he is so neutral really and unbiased, even if for example his statement that it was nice to have known the two on one occasions makes it obvious that he also does not expect the two to succeed. But he is not against them. He is basically just a referee you could say. And they did not try to make him funny because it would not have suited the character. Best example is when he talks about the crocodiles. Great film. Watch.

Everything an Asterix animated movie needs to be

[EM-69079 · 8/10 · 9 November 2017]

It has the classic french dubs, the style and the humor. It's well paced, has the humor and balanced references you need (the goddamn washing powder). The characters are parodies, stereotypes, but gentle ones, keeping everything in the appropriate tone. Finally, it rounds up the value of friendship through A/O's relationship but also A&O/the village's. Even Caesar finds his own place in the world, in a perfect -before it was cool- epilogue. Yeah, that's pretty much one of the best animated Asterix classics.

A Giddy Fusion of the Roman Empire, Greek Mythology, and Monty Python

[japamo · 10/10 · 1 April 2014]

Thank providence for YouTube, where I have discovered that several animated films based on various "Asterix" iconic novels actually exist. I recently watched "Asterix and Cleopatra" on YouTube and rated it quite favorably in my Amazon.com review. More recently I viewed the even more diverting "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" (hereafter TToA), which adds understated but piquant British humor and attitude to ancient Greco-Roman themes.

TToA begins from the beginning, introducing us to the stalwart Gaulish village which is the sole hold-out against Julius Caesar's hordes and especially the village's cleverest warrior, Asterix, and its most powerful, Asterix's friend Obelix. They have repelled Caesar's forces so decisively for so long that many of the Roman military and senate leaders start to believe the villagers are immortal gods (or at least demigods) against which resistance is futile. Caesar angrily scoffs at this and personally travels to the village to propose a contest: if Asterix and Obelix can complete 12 excruciatingly difficult tasks, Caesar will admit that the Gauls are gods and will let them be. But if they fail even one task, the village must accept defeat and absorption into the Roman Empire. The short, phlegmatic, and unassuming Cassius Tiddilus (I think that his name) will monitor the heroes' progress.

And so we're off. TToA is an excellent place for the "Asterix" neophyte to learn the lore and why these Gaulish characters are internationally renowned. The animated movie is also a deft parody of the twelve tasks of Hercules (which are briefly referenced) and an unexpected showcase for droll, unflappable behavior in outlandish situations in the Monty Python vein. Some of the tasks are traditionally athletic like foot-racing, javelin throwing, and judo. Others allude to Greek myth like the sirens' island of voluptuous pleasure and the old man of the mountain's riddle. Still others are more satirical like the attempt to acquire a permit in a bureaucratic labyrinth and spending the night on a ghostly plain. Yet no matter what they face, Asterix and Obelix (speaking in delightful matter-of-fact British tones) address them with stately, unflappable resolve which, again, reminded me of Monty Python.

The ingenious beauty of TToA (and of "Asterix" in general) is its appeal to various levels, from connoisseurs of lively, sometimes cartoonishly violent action and fighting to appreciators of clever parody and sly dialogue. Best of all, TToA is unpretentious fun that, as the climactic scenes in the Coliseum show, doesn't take itself seriously.

Asterix and Obelix on LSD

[PlanecrazyIkarus · 9 September 2002]

Perhaps I should watch this movie again, now. As a child, this was always my least favourite Asterix. It felt more like "Asterix in Wonderland" to me than any of the others. Sure, it has its unique and unforgettable moments (restaurant, hypnotist and invisible bridge stand out), but it also had its weird, psychedelic, "Yellow Submarine" moments (the Underground, the bureaucracy).

So of all Asterix movies, this will always remain the oddest, least linear. That alone might make it the classic so many people believe it to be, but to me, as a kid, it made it simply bizarre. And I did not like the bizarre.

If Yellow Submarine or Alice in Wonderland are your thing, then this is the Asterix of your dreams. Otherwise, you will probably enjoy some of it, but I doubt whether any one person will like all 12 episodes.

Bad voice work, average animation, some nice ideas but no real laughs

[bob the moo · 29 February 2004]

When the Roman soldiers are defeated yet again, a rumour starts that the Gauls must be gods of some sort. Eager to find out the truth, Cesar challenges them to complete 12 tasks just as Hercules once did. If they pass all 12 then he will concede they must be gods and will leave them in peace. Asterix and Obelix are selected to complete the tasks and set out with a Roman administrator to record the tasks.

Although some of the little tasks in this bitty film are imaginative and funny (the admin one for example), the majority of this film is deeply flawed. The first few tasks are rubbish but some of them get better as they go. The administration one starts out very imaginative but gets silly in the style of the rest of the film. The humour here is not the witty stuff of the books but noisy childish stuff that I simply didn't find very funny. The fragmented nature of the plot should have made it easy to have some tasks be slapstick and others be very smart, but instead it goes for an unfunny sort of jaunty humour that doesn't work.

The actors hurt the film more than I could have imagined. I relate this to the English version of the film, perhaps the other languages had better actors more suited to the roles, but the English one is awful - I though Craig Charles was not a good Asterix until I saw this film! All the voices are very whiney and nasal and simply do not suit any of the characters - Asterix and Obelix in particular are just plain wrong and that little admin may have been amusing for about two seconds but after a while his voice simply grates. The boring and poorly cast voices serve to make the film feel deadly dull and humourless; they really sucked the life out of it.

Overall this film has a few moments but generally it is poor. The animation and music are far to round, colourful, cheerful and lacking any precision or wit. The humour is far to basic to bear the name Asterix and all in all this is a fairly painful film for all but young kids and Asterix fans who have the patience and grace of a saint.