Ptolemaic Egypt, 48 BC. Cleopatra makes a bet with Roman General Caesar that she can construct a greater palace than the one in Rome, and thus gives architect Numerobis three months to complete the job, who in turn hires Gauls Asterix, Obelix and druid Panoramix to help him. Panoramix' magic potion helps the workers carry building blocks for construction much faster, but the jealous Pyradonis tries to sabotage the whole enterprise. Caesar and his army start a siege of the palace, but Asterix runs to Cleopatra, who in turn shows up and accosts Caesar. The Roman army thus help rebuild the palace, and Caesar admits Cleopatra won the bet. Asterix and Obelix stay for a while to celebrate at Alexandria.
The 2nd live-action adaptation of the popular Asterix comic books, "Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra" is arguably the only good live-action film that the French ever managed to complete, since all others were weak and inferior to the animated films from the 70s and 80s. Even this edition is shaky at times, with some jokes copied from the animated film "Asterix and Cleopatra" (Obelix climbs up on the head of the Sphinx of Giza and accidentally breaks its nose, giving the statue its distinctive look) and several puns and word play that is sometimes difficult or too obscure to translate from French (Numerobis riding a donkey called Canabis; Cleopatra's servant called Guimieukis, which sounds like "Give-me-a-kiss"), yet it has just enough original jokes and good ideas to rise above mediocrity. Another problem is that the best jokes don't involve the heroes Asterix and Obelix, but rather the supporting characters who often randomly get the best gags, such as the comedian Jamel Debbouze who stands out the most as the clumsy architect Numerobis. A lot of the story is overstretched, yet the movie works the best when it simply acknowledges its cartoon roots: for instance, while trapped inside the pyramid, only Asterix's, Obelix's and Panoramix's animated eyes are seen in the dark; Numerobis and the villain Pyradonis have a comical Kung-Fu fight; or when, during a prolonged fight, Asterix is swinging a Roman soldier in circles, holding him by his legs, so the latter goes: "Leave me alone! I've been beaten already!" One moment surprisingly became a cult favorite in France, summing up a certain life philosophy. It's the one 30 minutes into the film, when an assistant, Otis, is asked: "A writer, is that a good position?", and he gives a long reply: "You know, I don't think there's a good or bad situation. Me, if I had to sum up my life today with you, I would say that it is first of all encounters. People who reached out to me, maybe at a time when I couldn't, when I was alone. And it's quite curious to think that chance, encounters, forge a destiny..."
Grade:++
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