Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom 4K 2023

I wouldn't say it's for gourmands, but it's for trained moviegoers.

It's closer to Monty Python than to classic movies. It's a gaggle of gags, not just in the plot, but starting with the casting.

If Depardieu, the only unchanged character from all the previous parts, is gone, then who should appear? That's right, Richard! And they tell us about it at once, unpretentiously, with a quote from The Unlucky. If previously Cleopatra was played by Bellucci, now who will suffer because of Cleopatra? That's right, Cassel, the ex-husband. And there's a lot of that scattered throughout the cast.

Vegans, feminists, and the artificial and sloppy incorporation of Chinese into the dream of conquering the Celestial cinema market have all suffered.

Really great acting by Cassel.

Oddly enough, it's probably the best film in the whole series. It's just not really a movie in the classic sense.