Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom

Stepping into the oversized shoes—and even larger striped trousers—of the world’s most famous Gauls is a bit like trying to reboot James Bond if 007 was known for drinking glowing green juice and punching Romans into the stratosphere. I sat down with Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom with a mix of genuine curiosity and a slight sense of dread. For years, Gérard Depardieu (of Cyrano de Bergerac fame) was the immovable object of this franchise, the only man who could play Obelix. Seeing someone else in that role feels like seeing a new actor play your favorite uncle.

But here we are in 2023, and Guillaume Canet (who also directs) has taken the reins. I watched this on a Tuesday afternoon while my neighbor was power-washing his driveway, and the rhythmic shhhhh of the water strangely synced up with the Roman marching scenes, giving the whole experience a weirdly immersive, aquatic ASMR vibe that probably wasn’t intended by the sound department.

A New Face in the Village

The first thing I had to wrap my head around was the cast. Guillaume Canet plays Asterix with a twitchy, almost neurotic energy that feels very "modern man in a mid-life crisis," which is an interesting pivot from the more stoic versions of the past. Beside him, Gilles Lellouche (Tell No One) takes over as Obelix. He’s charming, certainly, but he lacks that chaotic, childlike bulldozer energy that Depardieu brought to the table.

Then there’s the plot. For the first time in the live-action series, we aren't following a specific comic book. Instead, we get an original story involving Princess Fu Yi (Julie Chen), who flees a coup in China to seek help from our favorite magic-potion-chugging heroes. It’s a classic "long walk" adventure. Along for the ride is Graindemaïs (Jonathan Cohen), a fast-talking merchant who acts as the bridge between the two cultures. Cohen is a massive star in France right now, and his improv-heavy style is a bit of an acquired taste—he basically spends the entire movie acting like he’s in a completely different, much weirder comedy, which I actually found quite refreshing against the more rigid script.

The $72 Million Question

You can see every cent of the $72 million budget on the screen. The costumes are lush, the sets are sprawling, and the CGI—while occasionally dipping into the "uncanny valley" during the more physics-defying fights—is miles ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games entry. However, there’s a strange hollow feeling to the spectacle. In an era where we are inundated with MCU-style world-building, The Middle Kingdom feels like it’s trying to compete on that level without quite having the narrative hook to justify the scale.

The production itself was a bit of a nightmare. Originally, Guillaume Canet planned to film extensively in China, but the pandemic and various geopolitical shifts forced the production to pivot to the fields of the Auvergne region in France and the deserts of Morocco. You can tell. There are moments where the "China" we see feels a bit like a high-end theme park version of the East. It lacks the lived-in texture that made Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002) such a masterpiece of production design.

One bright spot is Vincent Cassel (Black Swan). Watching him play Jules César as a narcissistic, aging rock star who is deeply insecure about his legacy is a joy. He’s clearly having the time of his life, chewing the scenery alongside Marion Cotillard (who pops in for a brief, stylish turn as Cleopatra). And I have to mention the "Zlatan" factor. Zlatan Ibrahimović, the legendary footballer, appears as a Roman centurion named Antivirus. It is one of the most bizarre casting choices in recent memory, but watching Zlatan beat up Gauls with the same arrogance he uses to score bicycle kicks is undeniably funny.

Lost in Translation?

The big hurdle for The Middle Kingdom is that it feels caught between two worlds. It wants to be a big, contemporary blockbuster with meta-humor and slick visuals, but it’s also tethered to a brand of slapstick that feels increasingly dated. In France, the film was a massive talking point, but internationally, it’s largely slipped under the radar. It’s an "obscure" blockbuster—a massive financial swing that hasn't quite found its footing in the global streaming era.

I found myself enjoying the smaller, character-driven moments more than the big battles. There’s a subplot about Asterix trying to eat less meat and Obelix feeling left behind by his friend’s new "lifestyle" changes that felt very 2023. The film feels like a $72 million home movie made by the coolest kids in French cinema, where everyone is a friend of the director and the jokes are mostly for the people on set. It’s indulgent, colorful, and occasionally very silly.

Ultimately, Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom is a pleasant enough way to kill two hours, but it lacks the magic potion that made the earlier films (or the comics) truly legendary. It’s a glossy, expensive adventure that serves as a fascinating look at what happens when European cinema tries to build its own "franchise universe" in the shadow of Hollywood. If you’re a fan of the characters, you’ll find bits to love, but if you’re looking for the next great adventure epic, this might just be a long walk to a lukewarm destination. Still, seeing Vincent Cassel in a Roman toga is worth at least a few points on its own.