Asterix and the Vikings (2006)

Instant Favorite.

A lot of fun.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

First I would like to say that I think the study of ancient civilizations are quite fascinating. And that is why enjoy reading the Asterix comics, and watching three of the Asterix films online. The comic and film series are set in historical Gaul (modern France) in 50 BC with comical anchorism. The story follows the exploits of the diminutive hero and his clumsy, over-sized, but extremely strong and good-hearted best friend, Obelix, in their village and other places too.This is my top favorite Asterix film. The film is loosely based on the 9th comic album "Asterix and the Normans," when the village's chief Vitalstatistix, received a letter from his brother from Lutetia (modern Paris), that he is sending his son Justforkix, to be trained to be a man by Asterix and Obelix. But the lad isn't fit to be a Gallic warrior: he is sensitive and artistic scared. Meanwhile, a group of Viking warriors travel to the Gaulish Village to discover the meaning of fear, after an unsuccessful raid in an empty village; also a misinterpretation on the metaphor "fear gives you wings." So, they end up kidnapping Justforkix. Now it is up to Asterix and Obelix to travel to icy Norway to rescue him.I thought the English dub-casting was excellent with Paul Giamatti as Asterix; Lord of the Rings' Sean Astin as Justforkix; Brad Garret as Obelix and Evan Rachel Wood as Abba. And I thought the animation is simply gorgeous. Never has Asterix looked so good on screen. In an era obsessed with the fad of CGI, seeing this reinforces again the inherent beauty of 2D art. The backgrounds look amazing, the characters as mentioned move amazing well (with real weight and interacting with their environment) and take note of the level of detail with the lighting in this film. So anyway, this film is worth seeing.

This film is a perfect example that a movie can not be successful with a high budget alone. It's obvious that there was a lot of time and effort dedicated into this: the animation is fluid, detailed and superb- the soundtrack isn't too memorable except for the ending song by Celine Dion (at least I think it was her). The musical score is powerful full orchestra material. Kudos to the animators and music composers! 9/10. However, the story and characters fall flat. It feels very 'been there, done that', predictable and plain uninteresting. The characters have distinct personalities but nothing too likable. They annoyed me to no end. I tried really hard to like this, but I didn't care about the story- it was cliché action-adventure plot. There were 'jokes' that weren't funny. It was vomit inducing predictable from start to end. The dialogue was cliché and awful- especially the last line "It's not ... that gives you wings, it's love!" Whatever it was, I remember cringing. I was wishing it would hurry up and finish. I wasn't the only one either- the people I went with thought it was boring. Please watch the Asterix and Obelix Cleopatra film if you're going to watch any. This was a waste of time.

It's a shame that Asterix and his buddy Obelix do not get the world wide recognition that other cartoon comic characters get.This is another funny Asterix cartoon jammed with entertainment. The animation is excellent and the voice Characterization good, even if the synchronization is a little out. The music and score fit well within the story and the slotting in of some modern musical numbers is a nice touch.The running time seems short and while it's not the best Asterix story or the most developed cartoon, it's good clean fun. The modern (Disney like) animation will capture children, Asterix fans and new comers... Enjoy the Gaul adventure!

... but I laughed. A lot.I saw 'Astérix et les Vikings' at a public screening during the World Cup. The sound was lousy, it was too bright to see the screen properly - but I still enjoyed myself immensely. The names of some of the characters had me rolling on the floor: Smsix, Abba, Vikea... All not very witty, but in good Astérix tradition. Some very good jokes, but also some that not everybody seemed to get.The only thing I didn't like were the voices of Astérix and Obélix, in the German version at least. The voice actors are very well-known around here, which was the only reason they were casted, really. They don't fit the characters at all.All in all, a good way to spend some time (and if it's free, like in my case, all the better) and to have a couple of laughs. 8 out of 10.