''Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra'' (french: Astérix et Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre) is a 2002 French/Italian

fantasy comedy Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on and parodies of other works of fantasy. Literature The subgenre rose ...

film written and directed by Alain Chabat and adapted from the

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series ''

Asterix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gauls, Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book book series, series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight th ...

'' by

René Goscinny René Goscinny (, ; 14 August 1926 – 5 November 1977) was a French comic editor and writer, who created the ''Astérix'' comic book series with illustrator Albert Uderzo. Raised largely in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he attended French schoo ...

and

Albert Uderzo Alberto Aleandro Uderzo (; ; 25 April 1927 – 24 March 2020), better known as Albert Uderzo, was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the '' Astérix'' series in collaboration with ...

. Based on the book ''

Asterix and Cleopatra ''Asterix and Cleopatra'' is the sixth book in the Asterix album series by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published in serial form in ''Pilote'' magazine, issues 215–257, in 1963. Synopsis The book begins with an argument b ...

'', which had previously been adapted into a 1968 animated film. A sequel to '' Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar'' (1999), it is the second installment in the ''Asterix'' film series.

Christian Clavier Christian Jean-Marie Clavier (; born 6 May 1952) is a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. He became widely popular after starring in two hit comedy series: Patrice Leconte's ''Les Bronzés'' and ''Les Visiteurs'' directed by J ...

and Gérard Depardieu reprise their roles as

and

Obelix Obelix (; french: Obélix) is a cartoon character in the French comic book series ''Asterix''. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his obesity, the menhirs he carries around on his bac ...

, alongside newcomers

Jamel Debbouze Jamel Debbouze (; ar, جمال دبوز, Jamāl Dabūz; born 18 June 1975) is a French-Moroccan actor, comedian, screenwriter, film producer and director. Best known for his stand-up comedy sketches, he also worked with director Alain Chabat in ...

Monica Bellucci Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (; born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model, modelling for Dolce & Gabbana and Dior, before making a transition to Italian films and later American and French f ...

Claude Rich Claude Rich (8 February 1929 – 20 July 2017) was a French stage and screen actor. He began his career in the theater before his film debut in 1955. Personal life He married actress Catherine Renaudin on 26 June 1959. They had two daughters, ...

Gérard Darmon Gérard Darmon (born 29 February 1948) is a French- Moroccan actor and singer. Personal life He was the second husband of actress Mathilda May (mother of his two youngest children). He has three children: Virginie (born 1968) and, by May, daug ...

Édouard Baer Édouard Baer (born 1 December 1966) is a French actor, director, screenwriter, film producer and radio personality. In 2009, he participated in the French television programme ''Rendez-vous en terre inconnue''. On 5 March 2015 he appeared with S ...

, Dieudonné, and Chabat himself. It was the most expensive French movie at that time, before being beaten by ''

A Very Long Engagement ''A Very Long Engagement'' (french: Un long dimanche de fiançailles, italic=yes, "A long Sunday of engagement") is a 2004 French-American romantic war drama film, co-written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and starring Audrey Tautou, Gaspard ...

'' two years later. A critical success, it was also a major box office success in France, becoming its most successful film in 36 years and second biggest commercial success of all time after 1966's ''

La Grande Vadrouille ''La Grande Vadrouille'' (; literally "The Great Stroll"; originally released in the United Kingdom as ''Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At!'') is a 1966 French-British comedy film set in 1942 about French civilians who help the crew of a Royal ...

''.

Plot

Infuriated by belittlements, Queen Cleopatra makes a deal with

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

: if the Egyptians build a palace at

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

, in three months, which is larger than Caesar's palace in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

he must acknowledge that

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

was the greatest of nations. To perform this task, Cleopatra hires the architect Numerobis, on pain of death and much to the dismay of Pyradonis, Cleopatra's customary architect. He and his secretary Papyris discuss the druid

Getafix This is a list of characters in the ''Asterix'' comics. Main characters Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix are the first characters with short descriptions usually listed at the beginning of each of the ''Asterix'' books (after the map of Gaul). They ...

(Panoramix in the original French), whose

potion A potion () is a liquid "that contains medicine, poison, or something that is supposed to have magic powers.” It derives from the Latin word ''potus'' which referred to a drink or drinking. The term philtre is also used, often specifically ...

empowers its drinkers; and Numerobis goes in search of him. Numerobis arrives in

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

and persuades Getafix to embark with him to Alexandria. Once they arrive, they use the druid's magic potion to speed up the construction (with Cleopatra's permission), and Pyradonis realizes he must stop Numerobis from finishing the palace within the deadline by

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

(such as getting

and Getafix lost in a

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

, or framing them for Cleopatra's failed assassination). After failing multiple times, Pyradonis finally decides to inform Caesar about the potion's use and the potential victory of Cleopatra. Caesar knows the

Gauls The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...

(having failed to capture their village multiple times) and decides to besiege the construction site until Asterix, Obelix and Getafix surrender. Numerobis, Papyris and the three Gallics defend the site and decide to inform Cleopatra of Caesar's actions. Meanwhile, Pyradonis and Numerobis, both after drinking the potion, fight in the site until Numerobis finally wins the duel. Cleopatra arrives on the battlefield and reprimands Caesar's lack of sportsmanship. The

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

are forced to stop the siege and assist in the continuation of the construction, which is finished on time. The palace is inaugurated and Caesar counterwillingly names Egypt the greatest Empire there ever was. Numerobis wins a large amount of gold, Getafix receives manuscripts from the Library of Alexandria, and all the protagonists partake in a banquet (including some of the movie's Roman antagonists).

Cast

Additional voices

*Jean Benguigi (Crustaceous) *Michel Elias *Sophie Noël (Bloody Beard's Daughter)

Voice cast

Additional voices

Matt Adler Matthew D. Adler (born December 8, 1966) is an American film actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in the 1980s teenage films: '' Teen Wolf'', '' White Water Summer'', '' North Shore'', and '' Dream a Little Dream''. He currently works ...

*Stephen Apostolina (Hutchus, "Superpower" Soldier #2, Flying thru Intersection Soldier) *

Kirk Baily Kirk Baily (February 2, 1963 – February 28, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Kevin "Ug" Lee on the Nickelodeon sitcom '' Salute Your Shorts'', and later for his voice acting roles in animation and video games. E ...

Steve Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his most well-known roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series '' Cowboy Bebop'', Garazeb Orrelios from the animated series '' ...

(Starskyus, "Superpower" Soldier #1) * Steve Bulen (Documentary Narrator, Catapult Commander, Slave Driver with Horn) *Steve Cassling *David Cowgill (Nazi Commandant, Old Hayseed) *Dan Edelstein (Roman on Horseback) *

Elisa Gabrielli Elisa Gabrielli is an American actress and comedian, who played "Pepper" Potts in the animated movie '' The Invincible Iron Man'', among other roles. Gabrielli also played the part of Miss Linley in ''The Brady Bunch Movie''. In the 2005 animated ...

Jason Harris Katz Jason Harris Katz is an American voice actor and a former television host. He was the host of the short-lived ''Double Dare 2000'' on Nickelodeon. He also was a host of Nickelodeon's ''Big Help on the Road'' in the late 1990s. He appeared on '' ...

(Young Hayseed, Cat) *

Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in '' ...

("My Bad" Soldier) * Steve Kramer * Lex Lang (Jailer, Gaul Forest Centurion) *

Matthew Labyorteaux Matthew Charles Labyorteaux (born December 8, 1966) is an American film, television and voice actor. In many of his credits, his last name is spelled as "Laborteaux". He is also credited as Matthew Charles for his work in animation. He is best ...

*Jonathan Nichols * Paul Pape *

Philip Proctor Philip Proctor (born 1940) is an American actor, comedian and a member of the Firesign Theatre. He has performed voice-over work for video games, films and television series. Career Of the four members of Firesign Theatre, Proctor has had ...

(Peg Leg) *Stuart Robinson (Roman Drill Instructor, Crow's Nest Lookout, Sculptor) *

Lia Sargent Lia Sargent is an American voice actress. She is known for extensive anime and video game voice work and has also done ADR directing and script writing for Animaze.. iNC. She is the daughter of movie and TV director Joseph Sargent and actres ...

(Bloody Beard's Daughter) *

Michael Sorich Michael John Sorich ( , born March 23, 1958) is an American actor, writer and director. Biography Sorich has been a prominent and ever-present voice actor for many different characters in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise (until the end of the '' W ...

(Cleopatra's Portraitist, Bribed Boatman) *Barry Stigler (Crustaceous)

Music

Soundtrack

* " Mission Cleopatra" – Snoop Dogg and

* "Asterix and Cleopatra" – Philippe Chany * "

I Got You (I Feel Good) "I Got You (I Feel Good)" is a song by American singer James Brown. First recorded for the album ''Out of Sight'' and then released in an alternate take as a single in 1965, it was his highest-charting song and is arguably his best-known record ...

" – James Brown * "

Yakety Sax "Yakety Sax" is a pop novelty instrumental jointly composed by James Q. "Spider" Rich and Boots Randolph. Saxophonist Randolph popularized the selection in his 1963 recording, which reached number 35 on the pop charts. Comedian Benny Hill later ...

" –

Boots Randolph Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III (June 3, 1927 – July 3, 2007) was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit "Yakety Sax" (which became Benny Hill's signature tune). Randolph was a major part of the "Nashville sound" for most o ...

* "

The Imperial March "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)" is a musical theme present in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. It was composed by John Williams for the film ''The Empire Strikes Back''. Together with "Yoda's Theme", "The Imperial March" was premiered on ...

(Darth Vader's Theme)" – John Williams * "

Ti amo "Ti amo" (; Italian for "I love you") is a 1977 song recorded by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi from the album ''È nell'aria...ti amo''. It achieved success at the time, becoming a hit in many European countries, including Sweden and Switzerland ...

" –

Umberto Tozzi Umberto Antonio Tozzi (; born 4 March 1952) is an Italian pop and rock singer and composer. Over the course of his career, he has sold over 70 million records in different languages internationally, and his biggest international hits are: "Stel ...

and

* "

Chi mai "Chi Mai" (Italian: whoever) is a composition by Ennio Morricone written in 1971. It was used in the films ''Maddalena'' directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz (1971)Ennio Morricone * "

Walk Like an Egyptian "Walk Like an Egyptian" is a song recorded by the American band the Bangles. It was released in 1986 as the third single from the album ''Different Light''. It was the band's first number one single, being certified gold by the RIAA, and became ...

" –

Deep Forest Deep Forest is a French musical group originally consisting of two French musicians, Michel Sanchez and Éric Mouquet. They compose a style of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electronic sounds and dance b ...

feat.

Beverly Jo Scott Beverly Jo Scott (born May 15, 1959), also known as B. J. Scott, is an American-born singer-songwriter living in Brussels, Belgium. Biography Born in Deer Park, Alabama, Beverly Jo Scott grew up nearby in Bay Minette, where, as a teen, she beg ...

Release

Theatrical

The film had the widest opening in France at the time, opening on 950 screens.

Home media

In the United Kingdom, it was watched by 570,000 viewers on television during the first half of 2005, making it the most-watched foreign-language film on UK television during that period.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra 2000s children's comedy films 2002 films French adventure comedy films Italian adventure comedy films 2000s adventure comedy films Mission Cleopatra Ancient Alexandria in art and culture Films set in ancient Egypt Films set in ancient Alexandria Depictions of Cleopatra on film Depictions of Julius Caesar on film Films shot in the Czech Republic French sequel films Films produced by Claude Berri French children's films Italian children's films Italian sequel films Remakes of French films Films directed by Alain Chabat Films produced by Thomas Langmann 2002 comedy films 2000s French films