Despite the domination of the cartoon cinema world by America led by Disney, it's still always worth finding a berth for Asterix the Gaul.

More successful in Britain as a cartoon strip, the fiery warrior has never given the likes of Shrek or Buzz Lightyear a run for their money.

However, this second feature with actors playing the main characters ups the ante with the benefit of some inspired casting.

Clavier is an attractively languid Asterix, who watches the world in slightly amused way some distance from the animated bellicose Gaul.

Depardieu - who resembles a cross between a carrot-topped milkmaid and a Sherman Tank - also puts in a winning performance as his trusty sidekick.

The story needn't detain for long - Asterix and Obelix are persuaded to help out Egyptian architect, the groaningly named Edifis.

He isn't alone among characters with appalling puns for names - there's a lift inventor called Otis and a pharmaceutical druid called Getafix.

This is about the level to which the humour rises...but it works winningly enough and there are some nice sideswipes at tardy builders and tedious gangsta rap merchants.

Proud Cleopatra (Bellucci) has promised Caesar (Chabat) that she will knock him up a sumptuous palace in just three weeks.

A & O are called in to speed up the building work...but snubbed palace architect Gerard Darmon is determined they won't succeed.

It's all very French - but that needn't be a criticism as the often narrative takes ambitious detours its American counterparts wouldn't dare to.

Solidly daft if slightly overlong, you've got to admire the film-makers' Gaul.

Tim Evans