IndustriousAngel
Most of the by now many Astérix adaptions are based on the comic albums, this film has its own script - maybe that's why it works better than the other ones. The story is much more fantastic and postmodern than usual and most of the gags center more on sight than on wordplay - which is a good thing for a movie. The comics are full of clever wit but that's hard to translate on screen. There's also much satire here; I especially liked the bureaucratic hellhouse. Some of the 12 labours are obviously better than others but that's OK too, the story is episodic enough anyway. The animation is just OK, a far cry from Disney or Miyazaki standards, but basically it does its job.
Shawn Watson
The best Asterix film at the time of its release and certainly one of the best overall. "Twelve Tasks" was always a favorite of mine and watching it now, close to 20 years later, it's still as funny and imaginative as it ever was.As an Asterix movie it's a bit of an anomaly. It isn't based on any of the comic-books (are they graphic novels?) and doesn't follow any of the continuity or logic of any of the other stories. But since it's by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo themselves you could hardly call it unofficial.Julius Caesar calls a truce with the village and says that Gaul can rule Rome if they can win Twelve impossible tasks in the vein of Hercules a few thousand years ago. If they fail, they must surrender to Caesar. But with Asterix and Obelix as their chosen champions do you really think they will fail? The plot lends itself to lots of visual humor and irreverent satire. How can a kid's animated movie have this much depth and wit and still be relatively unknown in the wider world of Toy Stories and Ups? It's insane.Definitely a great treat for Asterix fans and the perfect way to introduce new people to the franchise.
rh86
This was one of the first films I actually remember watching and I had already read a few of the comics and loved them. Recently I found my parents still had the video and watched it again. And I still loved it. Brief summary, after yet another defeat by the indomitable Gauls, Caeser decides that the only reason for this is that the Gauls are Gods and sets out twelve tasks to prove this. Asterix and Obelix are selected to perform the tasks with hilarious consequences.Although a non original story unlike the other Asterix films this film brilliantly captures the charm and the humour of the comics. With jokes about the ancient world and the modern day (the take on bureaucracy is side splitting), coming up with a few modern inventions on the way and a musical number thrown into the middle you won't keep a straight face throughout.Admittedly compared to recent animation this film doesn't look or sound as good as it might but it was made on a low budget 30 years ago. It's still funny and the visual gags still work. Plus you can use it to teach kids the twelve tasks of Hercules.
action-6
This is one of the best Asterix-movies, but it isn`t as good as "Ceasar`s surprise"(my favorite). The Gauls and Ceasar have made a bet. The Gauls must prove that they are gods by doing 12 extremely difficult tasks, and they will become Ceasar`s slaves if they fail. This is clearly worth a look, and surprisingly you won`t find this story in any of the comics. 8/10