Asterix: The Secret Of The Magic Potion sacrificed its bite for crowd-pleasing slapstick comedy

GOING on the state of play in the cinematic world at the moment, you could be forgiven for thinking that Marvel had the comic-book scene sewn up.

But soaring ahead of Ironman and Hulk by a (Gallic) country mile is the vertically challenged and magnificently moustached Asterix and his villagers.

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That this particular literary ­success has not yet boiled over on to the big screen is surprising — and while The Secret Of The Magic Potion is a fun ­distraction for the last week of the holidays, it is sadly let down by a lazy plot.

If you don’t know, Asterix lives in a small village in Gaul, where — thanks to a magic potion — the inhabitants are able to fend off the pesky Romans, intent on invasion.

Elderly druid Getafix, the source of said potion, suffers a fall and comes to the decision that he needs to find a successor — someone worthy of learning the recipe for the potion.

As Asterix, Obelix and a crew head off to look for a suitable recruit in neighbouring villages, evil druid Sulphurix attempts to get the recipe for himself.

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Asterix’s charm (and huge ­success) is largely down to its comment on modern living and flag-waving patriotism (its ­cinematic predecessor focused on gentrification for instance) —

But this is left lacking in this thin story line which offers little in the way of surprise.

It has sacrificed its bite for crowd-pleasing slapstick, which left me wanting.

It was still fun, still vibrant and will undoubtedly keep smaller kids busy for 90 minutes — but manage your expectations.

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Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion (PG)

★★★☆☆