Captivating movie !

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Before I critique the actual movie I should inform you that there are in fact TWO English dubs of this movie. The first features Bill Oddie once again as Asterix and keeps the plot and story as was originally presented in French. The American dub however changes names, changes plot details, adds a pointless narration, and has all of the Gauls speak with American accents. Make no mistake, this version is dumbed-down and I implore you to avoid it. The existence of this dub forces my score down to 4/10 when it would otherwise be 7/10.The Romans, as usual, are camped outside the village waiting for a weak link to finally invade and conquer ALL of Europe. Obelix adjacently drops a Menhir on Getafix's head, making him forget the recipe to the magic potion. Meanwhile, a soothsayer arrives and cons the more gullible villagers into rewarding him. The Romans get wind of his scams and use him to clear out the village. The actual fight of the title does not happen in the movie as that part of the plot was lost when the adaptation was crossed with elements from another Asterix book.The animation is lovely, the plot doesn't reach its potential, and voice acting is uncertain depending on what dub you are watching. Otherwise this movie ranks as an above average Asterix adventure.Or "above averagix" if you like.

A mixed adaptation of both Asterix and the Big Fight and Asterix and the Soothsayer. The arrival of a mysterious soothsayer test the beliefs of the village as Getafix loses his memory and more magic potion can't be made without him to stop the invading Romans.As a fan of Asterix this ranks with Asterix in Britain, certainly in terms of the balance of good animation, story and fun. Despite the musical number it's a very good outing. Voices include Andrew Sachs, Ron Moody and Brian Brian Blessed to name a few.Many complain about the voices of English VHS version, Bill Oddie as Asterix and Bernard Bresslaw as Obelix, I actually think they are perfect in tone, capturing the humour and rapport. They are the epitome of what I'd expect those characters to sound like. So much so I was disappointed with the release of DVD box set not containing the aforementioned. It's down to personal taste I suppose.One of the most Asterix rounded adventures that the follow ups Asterix Conquers America (1994) and Asterix and the Vikings (2006) and have failed to equal or surpass.Asterix and the Big Fight is fantastic family fun.

I have always been a big fan of anything Asterix and Obelix. This movie in particular is one of my earliest memories of the series. I remember watching it on Sky Movies when I was very young and recently rediscovered it.Firstly, don't bother with the version that you get in the recently released box set. It has US dubbing which sounds rubbish. The UK version of this movie is the one to watch. You can pick it up on Ebay or Amazon pretty easily. As far I as I know the UK dubbed version was never released on DVD, only VHS. All of the voices in this movie are the ones I have always associated with the characters and classed as their original voices. Bill Oddie makes a great Asterix and 2 names I must mention are Brian Blessed as General Chaos and Ron Moody as Prolix. The cast are truly suited to each character. I may be a little biased as this is how I remember the characters voices from my childhood and they are my personal favourites.I am still confused by the actual intended plot/film. The artwork and detail on the VHS sleeve quotes this to be based on the comic book 'Asterix & The Big Fight', when in fact the actual film is based on 'Asterix And The Soothsayer' with various parts taken from 'Asterix & The Big Fight', such as Getafix getting hit by the menhir and losing his marbles. The rest of the movie is pretty much taken from 'Asterix & The Soothsayer'. This is not a big deal but the sleeve is misleading as it quotes the film to be based on the actual comic book title. So if you read it and then watch the movie don't be too confused if they don't match. You are actually watching 'Asterix & The Big Fight'. :) The film itself is very enjoyable. The plot is straight forward and easy to follow. For me personally the film doesn't drag in anyway, it is packed with humour and overall enjoyment. The animation looks superb for it's age and the voice work is fantastic. This is my personal favourite Asterix movie and I can watch it over and over.The plot is as follows, Getafix the village druid is injured by a flying menhir and loses his sanity and his ability to brew the magic potion that the Gaul's so heavily rely on. (With the exception of Obelix). The Romans get wind of this news and decide to play it to their advantage. The future of Gaul is uncertain and the Gauls live in fear of a Roman attack without the aid of any magic potion. Also amidst this, an untrustworthy soothsayer (wonderfully voiced by Ron Moody) arrives in the village, claiming he can predict the future of the various Gaulish folk, leaving *almost* everyone convinced apart from Asterix who is suspicious of the cunning soothsayer. The film events are mainly based around Asterix and Obelix trying to assist Getafix gain back his sanity and the also soothsayers various actions and his involvement with the Romans.The Cacofonix singing sequence takes Asterix away from the comic book style and for one moment puts you in the middle of a cartoon musical, a rather catchy 80's number. :) Overall a great part of the Asterix collection and a movie that any fan should not miss!

I bought Asterix and the Big Fight expecting it to be a big screen recreation of one of my favourite Asterix books. I was sorely disappointed. To begin with, the plot was entirely different, and inferior, to the book of the same title. Bizarrely, it seemed to boast a glaring omission, namely a significant enough big fight to warrant the title. Also, the character of a soothsayer was added and many others dropped. On the subject of characters, for some reason the names of all but Asterix and Obelix had been changed from their usual English translations. Getafix became Vitamix, Vitalstatistix became Chief Bombastix! All very confusing. The voice characterization was way off the mark. Obelix, for one thing, should always be portrayed as a deep voiced dummy, but here it sounds more like he should be hanging in the 'hood! All in all, this film lacks the appeal of the Twelve Tasks of Asterix film, or the Asterix and Cleopatra film and an attempt at a musical number, a gimmick which worked well in the latter film, goes sourly wrong, with poor writing and the Gauls singing in voices drowned out by the music. I advice you not to buy Asterix and the Big Fight. From the patronising opening scene in which Asterix explains the term 'Gaul' to Obelix, it is clear that you are in for a tedious hour long slog.