everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Good fun! Watch it as its really hillarious ;) not over and has hilalrious steorotyping jokes.

Astérix' adaptation are less a matter of animation or live-action than hit or miss. Some convince you that it's time to end the franchise, other that the little Gaul had good days still. I'm glad that the last two opus, the animated "Mansion of the Gods" and the live-action "Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia" belong to the more optimism- inducing category.And by all the Roman and Gallic Gods of animation, it better had to, after that dreadful "Astérix at the Olympic Games", a blockbuster endorsed by Thomas Langmann (Claude Berri's son) with expensive budget, expensive effects and expensive stars to make up for the script's poverty. Yet this piece of business-ridden mediocrity managed to grab six million viewers in 2008 despite the worst critics of the series. And its effect on the fourth was inevitable: "Britannia" had the lowest box office result despite some mixed to positive critics.I wasn't in a urge to watch the film either, nothing that could convince me that it was going to be better than "Olympic Games". Stellar cast? I'm tired of playing another 'spot-the-star' game… and Deneuve as the Queen, had the same atrocious vibes than Delon as Caesar, not to mention the anachronism. Uderzo's endorsement? Well he supported "Olympic" as well, before changing sides and wishing his Gallic warriors had bigger roles, and who can trust the judgment of someone who despised Alain Chabat's "Mission Cleopatra".Speaking of Chabat, was the director as much a fan of Astérix? Well, Laurent Tirard directed the "Little Nicholas" movies, also adapted from Goscinny's stories… so there was a connection. Besides, "Asterix in Britain" is one of the most entertaining book, and inspired one of the best animated adaptations, so it could join "Cleopatra" as the only adventure to be adapted in the three formats. Besides, the film couldn't be worse than the previous, well, Tirard not only made a more watchable film, but a more rewatchable one too.And if the CGI aren't less overused, the're less irritating because you finally have something to distract you from then, starting right at the opening scene, with the pirates' boat mercilessly sunk by the Roman fleet. First surprise: the ill-fated red- bearded Captain is played by Gérard Jugnot. I don't know if it's a nod to the fact that he first wanted to direct the third live-adaptation (a project whose refusal lead to the 2008 disaster) but his presence is a way to come full circle with these bad memories. And the good omen is immediately confirmed by another reassuring presence: Fabrice Luchini as Julius Caesar.Luchini is known as an intellectual actor whose trademark is to embark viewers into delirious monologues with deliberately histrionic gestures and over-the-top deliveries. He's so unlike Caesar, and the genuinely pedantic Delon, that the gag works by a simple contrast effect. Then the film goes faster with the conquest of Britannia (owing to the exploitation of their peculiar time schedules) and the story takes off when Jolithorax is assigned a mission to bring the magic potion to the last British village resisting the invaders. At that point, I was thinking that if the film maintained itself to this level, it would be all right, but then one sight made me 'uh-oh!' the Chief's Lutetian nephew, cocky as cowardly, Justfokix. Didn't he have his shining moment in the "Vikings" animated film already? What was he doing here?Apparently, the screenwriters decided to inject the Vikings story as a subplot, and much to my surprise, not only it didn't distract from the British story line, but it kind of redeemed a few aspects I criticized from the "Vikings" animated film. I wish it could show Obelix throwing Justforkix off the bed, and that we could have the (in the book, magnificently drawn) scene where the poor frightened kid, laying on the ground, is surrounded by towering Vikings and their Chief solemnly asks him to scare them. I got these two parts and it felt like another loop-closing moment, the subplot perfectly grafted to the main story-line, almost improving what it could have been had it stuck on the comic-book material.By the way, "Asterix in Britain" is a peculiar story, I just read the book and I realized that the animated film improved many parts of it, including the… McGuffin, just like the Vikings, when the director takes liberties with the story or insert characters, it's always for good pay-offs. There's an Indian migrant played by Atmen Kelif, Ophelia, Jolithorax' love interest played by a magnificent Charlotte Lebon, and the rigid and straight-laced Miss MacIntosh played by Valérie Lemercier. These additional characters, unlike the previous film, are integral to the story's appeal, because "God Save Britannia" is also a movie that deals with relationships, maybe more than any other Astérix adaptation.The film questions the Gallic manners with women, the rivalry with Britons, and takes an iconoclast turn when Asterix realizes that his friendship with Obélix prevent him from enjoying his freedom or looking for a life partner of feminine persuasion. Edouard Baer, who was in Chabat's film, is an unforgettable Astérix and his chemistry with Obélix (Depardieu, who else?) leaves no doubt. Meanwhile, Justforkix has to prove his value as a man while Jolithorax, tries to overcome his "gentlemanly" rigidity, and Ophélia plays a central role in their 'evolution'. The film has the merit to play with things that the fans take for granted, and this is what we expect from an adaptation, to explore new dimensions.The film was criticized for not taking too much risks, well, it did take a few gutsy moves with the characters, even making them more important than the plot itself and maybe it had good reasons to keep a low-profile, given how atrociously flashy was the predecessor, and for such a disastrous story. And maybe this is the greatest lesson the French can learn from the British, to learn to let some things 'understated'...

I started watching this expecting to watch something similar to the old Asterix and Obelix films. This is totally different, but not in a good way (at least not for me). The first annoying thing is the French used throughout the movie whenever someone from Britannia talks. I know they want to imitate Englishmen speaking French, but the result is horrible. The scenes look awful. They look so artificial (the Galois village, the forest, the army). Even the grass looks artificial. Watch some scenes from the old Asterix movies (like Asterix vs Cesar or Asterix aux Jeux Olympiques) to see what I mean. In the old movies, the characters were taking everything seriously in a comic way (remember Cesar, Brutus, Numerobis...). Here they give you the feeling that they don't really mean what they say, so much of the comic factor is artificial. While I'd watch anytime one of the old Asterix movies, I will never see this one again.

I will be honest - as a Asterix fan I have very mix fillings about this one.For most part it's fun. There are some very clever jokes, I like all the stuff with stereotypical stiff Brtitish people which is incredibly funny...Sadly there where some parts which just felt forced and felt out-off place for Asterix series. There is entire subplot about Asterix being upset about the fact people consider him an Obelix gay since they are two man living together (which wasn't the case in the comic book btw) In result Asterix starts hitting on every girl he meets which is so out-off character for him and is more confusing then funny.There are some changes that where just distracting for Asterix fans(Asterix and Anticlimax aren't related anymore, the Look-out pirate is now white not Afro-American like in the books, Anticlimax is turn into a real jerk an Getafix the druid doesn't' appear which is supper odd) and some scenes taken from the book felt glance over so director could play with his own ideas which are sadly hit or miss.The plot gets all-over the place in the second act. It's just loses any sense of urgency and concentrated more on subplots, many of which are sadly underdeveloped.Over all the movie has a big share of moments and I consider it the second best of Asterix live action films right after "Asterix and Obelix meets Cleopatra" but I admit some parts are forced and that weird "Asterix is self-hating gay" part almost ruined the movie for me...