"Astérix: Le secret de la potion magique" or "Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion" is a new Franch movie from 2018 and even if it says Latin first language here I am pretty sure this is not true and French is also the first language. The film runs for 85 minutes, so it is not too long and that is perfectly fine because I'd take essential over filler material anytime. Alexandre Astier directed this film with Louis Clichy and Astier also adatpted the works and characters by Goscinny and Uderzo (rip to both of them) for the screen hier. It is the second film taking this new take on Asterix and I must say I have not seen the first, but that is not a problem by any means. It is still a fairly good watch whatsoever and if anything, it makes you curious about the first from a few years ago. The title of this new film here makes it very obvious of course that there is major focus on the magic potion this type that gives the village we love so dearly their strong power and invincibility and had them stand up to Julius Caesar and his forces for decades now. I must admit that it took me a little while to appreciate the animation style here honestly and I kinda struggled with it early on as well as with the beginning. I am talking about everything that happens before Miraculix (the druid, that is his German name) falls down from the tree. I mean he clearly was in way too good shape for his age jumping around like a spring chicken while using his tool in the most gifted and competenbt manner even that could make even Robin Hood jealous. I must admit I didn't like it and would have preferred him a bit more senile, even if it was nice the bird got rescued and reunited with his siblings.

But when I got used to it eventually, it turned more and more into a fun watch. The pirates who keep losing their ship as well as Caesar had brief cameos that added more fun, even if the story at the film's core was not a bad one either. Maybe they could have found a better reason for Miraculix than falling off a tree and breaking his foot/leg to have him think about a legitimate successor. But this is just how I felt while watching the movie, now I kinda like it. Same about the style, but to a lesser extent as I did not really mind the visual looks here and only if you like the Asterix films that date back to the 1960s, you should not like these new ones for looking modern. But back to the story, the main antagonist is not too shabby, reminded me of the seer in a much older Asterix comic. But he is an actual druid that possesses magical powers, even if these are fairly useless as we find out quickly. He is only able to hypnotize the simple-minded (not Asterix) and his lightning butterfly moment was really solid to look at, but just not effective whatsoever. His background story with Miraculix and their common past was interesting too. And then there is this new younger druid that plays a major role here, a bigger one than you might think of initially, but the second time we see him with his mentor, it becomes obvious he may be the one Miraculix is looking for. But is he really? Actually no he is not as we find out towards the end, even if I was a bit baffled by the explanation because the pointlessness of his approach was mostly due to the influence from the bad guy. And initially I thought that the young Gaul girl may be the one Miraculix is searching for (especially with the "no women" comment at the entrance of the druid forest),but I forgot that idea when the young ginger druid got more screen time. But guess my initial idea was correct here looking at the ending and how the girl canot forget the recipe for the magic potion and how Miraculix reacts to that. I think we will see a lot more from her in the next Asterix film and with this ending, there surely will be one, which I like for sure. I must say I struggled a bit initially with the girl because she was there most of the time, but had little impact on the story, but the last half hour changes everything and convinced me that she has a lot more to offer and is not just there because a kids' movie (if you want to call it that) needs a child that is seen frequently. Actually, the moment when she comes out of that barrel or whatever she is in, and mostly thanks to Obelix and what he has to say about her, was a hilarious scene that also shows she is fairly smart, even if her falling asleep explanation did not hold up. Now we are already talking about the comedy aspect, so lets pursue that a bit. I think it was a funny film on many occasions and there was lot of attention to detail. I am not sure how close these moments were to one or several books, but it certainly worked out. Be it the Jesus druid, the best from the worst, with all his bread, the chicken getting roasted or these chicken in general holding up the Gauls there near the end or everything involving Obelix, not just the scene with the tiny Roman soldier at the end or the question if he can get to drink the magic potion finally when there is a new druid in charge. His story about how he fell into the potion as a young child is one even reenacted by the upcoming generation of Gauls as we find out. And, I mean come on he did not say too much, but he was truly funny here. Hands down the scene when Asterix explains to Obelix that the Druids all have the same beard was probably the best moment of the film and yet it was such an irrelevant moment. Obelix' face expression was priceless. If there is anything to criticize here, then maybe that Asterix did not really have too much moments to shine despite having really a lot of screen time. I mean he is in it from start to finish. But I'd still have missed him otherwise for sure, just a bit minor he felt given he is the only title character here. Also fun was the casting show parody by the way with the several applicants to become Miraculix' new aide such as the magnetism guy.

Finally, a few more words on the villain. When we see him near the end as a gigantic version of himself, that was truly baffling no kidding. Certainly unexpected and I'd rather expect this transformation from a Pixar or Disney movie, but it worked well. And again this Asterix take on two gigantic monsters fighting each other in old Japanese movies was another triumph. The gigantic Roman shield machine or whatever that was supposed to be was a lot of fun to watch as well going up against the xxl druid. And Obelix in the middle of it all was solid fun too. Let me think, what else can I say here to make my 3rd paragraph slightly longer. Oh yeah, I watched the German dub, but it was still nice to see Clavier on board here, who also played Asterix in the live action films next to Depardieu. Depardieu is of course not voicing Obelix though, but it shows that the character really means a lot to Clavier. So it was a fun watch for sure for me this film and I recommend checking it out. Don#t give up on it early on if you struggle initially a bit with the story and the looks. They also bring all the beloved characters like the old guy who can('t) hear, the fish vendor, the iron smith and all their women of course too. And Troubadix (the bad singer),how can I forget about him. He did not do too much here, but there is a fun moment involving Majestix (the village chief) and him that made up for Troubadix' lack of screen time. Oh yeah, and one Roman character was named Tomcrus in the German dub. That was hilarious too I found. In general I think they did a good job with the dubbing here and voice acting. I have seen way worse in other animated feature films recently. I am definitely curious about Astier's (fitting name too with the similarity to the main character) next Asterix movie and I hope the gap won't be as lomng as between this one here and the previous. eventually, it was close to a ****/*****, but not quite there yet. maybe on rewatch. If you like Asterix and/or animation, then don't miss out on this one, perhaps my number 2 favorite animated film released in 2018 behind Isle of Dogs. Big thumbs-up, better than I expected, especially thanks to the really charming and funny take on comedy. It is never really a dramatic movie or even scary movie, not even when the bad guy is this big near the end. Watch it with your kids, pretty shameful how empty the cinema was during my showing, this film definitely deserves better, even if it is probably not necessarily one of these films that is a much better watch on the big screen than on the small screen.

When the Druid Panoramix falls from a tree on the floor, he breaks his foot and decides to find a young successor to teach the secret of the magic potion to keep the village protected. He travels through Gaul with Astérix, Obélix and his young apprentice Pectine seeking out a good druid to learn his secret. Meanwhile the evil Sulfurix becomes the advisor of the ambitious Teleferix expecting to learn the secret of the magic potion to negotiate with Cesar while the Roman troops attack the village that is protected only by the Gallic women.

"Astérix: Le secret de la potion magique" is a wonderful family entertainment. The stubborn Panoramix has a great participation in the film looking for an apprentice. The result is the usual, with the Romans helping the Gallic heroes against a greater evil. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Astérix e o Segredo da Poção Mágica" ("Astérix nd the Secret of the Magic Potion")

As a huge Astérix fan, I believe this is a good follow-up to the hilarious Le Domaine Des Dieux by the same writing/directing team. Unlike the former cartoon, this is an original story not based on any existing Astérix comic book.

Characterization is on target, jokes amusing. Druid Getafix (Panoramix in the original) has his own day in the limelight and for the first time is arguably the main character. After an accident where he breaks a leg, Getafix starts worrying about getting old; the plot revolves around his attempts to find a successor to pass on the secret of the magic potion, much to the dismay of Astérix, while a rival druid tries to steal it.

Like in Le Domaine des Dieux, the ending goes a little overboard with a battle/action set-piece which could have been a few minutes shorter, but it's a minor issue. Overall very enjoyable.

7,5/10