Review of Asterix the Gaul (1967) by Raphael H — 27 Sep 2018

'Asterix the Gaul' is an adaptation of the first book in Goscinny and Uderzo's iconic comic series. Released in Britain before the official English translation was published, this is a faithful but crude adaptation, changing the names of various secondary characters.

This adaptation was produced without permission from Goscinny and Uderzo, but it follows the story of 'Asterix the Gaul', as Asterix and the village druid have to outwit a scheming Roman general. This fidelity is not necessarily a good thing. Like most comic series, Asterix got off to a slow start, so 'Asterix the Gaul' is a silly affair with little of the satirical bite and creativity of later Asterix tales. The backgrounds are big and well painted, but the animation on the characters is crude and low-quality. The voice acting is anonymous (the end credits on Netflix list several distinguished British actors, but they appeared in later animated movies...) and the score is annoying, with several unnecessary musical scenes padding out the story and disrupting the comic momentum.

This film is for hardcore Asterix fans only - anyone else would be better off reading the comic...