Asterix at the Olympic Games is the third film starring Christian Clavier and Gerard Depardieu as much-loved cartoon characters, Asterix & Obelix. The Gauls are French, so it seems only fitting that the film be made in French, however much of the comedy is lost in translation. This forces the comedy to be slapstick, which makes up for the distracting dubbed dialogue. Hitting Romans out of their shoes is funny in Asterix because in a cartoon world anything is possible, however it seems much more forced when filmed as a live-action event. The CGI has to be solid, but keep the same tone as the original. This is the biggest problem that the live-action movie suffers from… why was it made in the first place? The whole concept seems to be more concerned with proving it can be done, than representing the comic book shot for shot. This makes Asterix at the Olympic Games seem like a spoof of itself, rather than an adaptation. The Asterix at the Olympic Games comic book has some brilliant action moments, but is one of the weaker stories from the collection. Asterix and Obelix don’t even really seem like the main stars in this particular chapter, and the zany, over-the-top action CGI is too gimmicky to be taken seriously.
Benoit Poelvoorde plays Brutus with some real Roger Rabbit madcap mannerisms, but the gags rely too heavily on special effects. Brutus is the star of the show and it probably should have been called Brutus at the Olympic Games. He tries to usurp Caesar (Alain Delon) by winning the Games and the hand of Princess Irina (Vanessa Hessler), while Asterix and Obelix add a dash of Gaul comedy every now and then. Asterix and Obelix are still present, but don’t really have much effect on the direction of the narrative… it’s like they’re making a guest appearance on The Brutus Show. They go through the motions, tweaking certain parts of the story, rather than heading them. The main focus becomes the Olympics itself, and while this involves some fairly strong cartoon imagery, it doesn’t have enough substance to carry the story. The whole show becomes like a series of Roadrunner shorts as Brutus wrestles for dominance. The audience, nationalities and CGI certainly make the event colourful, but it doesn’t have enough depth or clever comedy to convert to exciting entertainment. The Ben Hur chariot races, magic potion tests and backroom dealings punctuate the narrative as a predictable story unfolds. This may be one of the weaker Asterix stories, but if you’re going to make an adaptation you need to stay true to the original old-fashioned formula. Asterix at the Olympic Games is camp, lack-lustre and predictable, and the terrific special effects soon lose their appeal. The problem is that there’s nothing for the audience to fall back on.
Christian Clavier and Gerard Depardieu deserved more screen time to round off their characters, which rely on the cartoon’s depictions and the groundwork from the previous two movies. The two have the talent, but don’t inject enough enthusiasm into these renditions of the folk legends. The film starts to drag its heels to the point where you either want to zone out or leave the cinema. If that’s not bad enough, they conclude the proceedings with some footage that looks like it was taken from an advert. This unnecessary addition doesn’t add anything to the saga and could have been omitted by closing out with the Gaul banquet. While Asterix at the Olympic Games has the right production values, it bumbles the comedy, overcooks the cartoon action effects and makes the weakest installation of the French live-action adaptations. This is a sequel worth skipping.
The bottom line: Camp.
