In the beginning of the 1970's Goscinny and Uderzo wrote an Asterix comic called "Le domaine des dieux". It was a pretty funny comic, which worked on two levels : it gave the kids a good time with an entertaining adventure story full of gags and puns and it provided the adults with food for thought. It needs to be said, with regard to the second aspect, that this is an unusually insightful satire treating subjects such as housing inequality, urban sprawl, consumerism and architectural prestige projects gone wild. There are also some pretty astute barbs about mankind's disregard for nature and, especially, about the kind of malign imperialism which disguises itself as the voice of reason and progress and which crushes the poor and innocent by cutting them off from their natural environment and spiritual resources.
And now the comic has been filmed. The result can be watched with a degree of pleasure, especially by the younger viewers, but it doesn't add much extra value to the original. Worse, it tends to blunt and obscure the source material's intelligence, sharpness and satirical edge.
In other words : the movie is good for a few laughs and giggles and can be watched during a rainy afternoon, especially in the company of children. The original comic is better, however.
And now the comic has been filmed. The result can be watched with a degree of pleasure, especially by the younger viewers, but it doesn't add much extra value to the original. Worse, it tends to blunt and obscure the source material's intelligence, sharpness and satirical edge.
In other words : the movie is good for a few laughs and giggles and can be watched during a rainy afternoon, especially in the company of children. The original comic is better, however.