Out of Character

[MantisQueen]

I've seen folks post in various places that they feel such-and-such character was out of character in such-and-such book/movie ... I would be interested to know where people feel this occurs and, most importantly, why people feel this is out of character. (What did the character say/not say/do/not do that was odd?)

I hope to provoke a (friendly) debate/list and wake our sleepy board. If I challenge someone's views (everyone should know by now how left-of-centre I am ::)) it is either because you bring up an interesting point or I simply hadn't not seen it that way before.

Off you go! :-*

[invisifan]

Well, speaking from the perspective of album #33 ... Obelix seems the be the only character who is in character w.r.t. the aliens ...  the one I find most difficult is Getafix who seems at various times completely bewildered, frightened, overawed ... and most tellingly is willing to give away the magic potion (apparently including formula) without a second thought to complete strangers (do they get stranger than these guys?) ...

However the problem *I* had with #3 is more to do with the plot holes ...

• I don't doubt Obelix would give Dogmatix some magic potion ... but I DO doubt he'd have any to give ...
• Aliens from another galaxy billions of lightyears away have heard of the magic potion in this one small village on a primitive world with no interplanetary contacts (but don't know what it is or does???)
• Toon & his clonies and the Nagma & his cyberats are supposedly 100% equal & even but a single well-placed rock (well .. menhir) can completely wipe out the cyberats just like that ...
• we've seen that the potion affects creatures from different worlds differently, yet it's effect on Toon & the nagma is identical (this one's totally minor) -- despite which Getafix has no real trouble (or hesitation) in whipping up potions to restore Toon's size & then colour!!  

[MantisQueen]

I thought you might be one of the first to post here, invisifan. I think I frighten everyone else ... No idea why MWAMWAMWA! ;)

Regarding #33, I have heard people people say that Asterix and Getafix both are out of character ... but I'll stick to Getafix since you specifically mentioned him. :)

we've seen that the potion affects creatures from different worlds differently, yet it's effect on Toon & the nagma is identical (this one's totally minor) -- despite which Getafix has no real trouble (or hesitation) in whipping up potions to restore Toon's size & then colour!!

Fluke? Luck? Stress, again? Getafix was too fond of his beard?

Okay, some of my answers are poor ... Forgive me! :-*

[Bernard]

It is possible that a passing spaceship saw Romans flying into the stratosphere and some aliens investigated discretely. I'm not sure if I'm being serious or not .

Well, according to this Roman, it appears that Toon's guys may have already arrived in 99 B.C. and then returned again in 90 B.C. on  reconnaissance missions, and the Nagma ship appears to have been sighted in 42 B.C.  ;)

[MantisQueen]

Well, according to this Roman, it appears that Toon's guys may have already arrived in 99 B.C. and then returned again in 90 B.C. on  reconnaissance missions, and the Nagma ship appears to have been sighted in 42 B.C.  ;)

Ah HA! Take THAT, non-believers of my answers. ;)

[MantisQueen]

Actually, I have noticed something odd in the first live-action movie ... Getafix in this movie (see the start where Getafix goes all "Prolix" with the fish eye) and Getafix in the comics (see Soothsayer) are slightly different.

Normally I would ignore this as movies tend to differ from that which inspired them ... but then later on in the movie Prolix himself pops up for Asterix to scoff at.

Is Getafix's prediction more acceptible because he is a druid (a respected member of the village who deals with mystic tosh all the time)? This is the only explanation I can think of. I suppose Asterix would not dare scoff at the druid.

[Erik]

Hello Mantis,

in my eyes there simply is no explanation for what you describe. Getafix is indeed acting like a dubious Soothsayer at the beginning of the movie, which is absolutely not his role in the comics. I think, Getafix is really out of character in the first live-action movie.

But he's not the only one. Obelix seems to be a coward concerning the possibility of a falling sky at the beginning of the film, while he is in the comic Soothsayer the only one beside Asterix, who is not anxious about the thunderstorm.

Asterix seems to be so anxious about the roman legionnaires coming to their village, that he uses the magic potion against his gaulish friends to return the chest of gold in roman hands. This is not the way Asterix thinks and acts in the comics, is it?

I could name lots of further examples, where this movie is incompatible with the comics and the characters we know so well. This is why I dislike this one so much.

Regards
Erik

[Maik]

This movie is pact with off-character moment's.
Most notably in one of first scenes Asterix is teasing/making fun of Obelix theat the sy will fall on his head... It's just not like him...
And in "Twelve Tasks Of Asterix" Cesar act's off-character in the End... Well we all now why  ;)

As for the "Falling Sky" the fact theat Obelix give Dogmatix some potion dosnet make sence.. In fact, the fact Obelix want some potion, doen't make sence as well... Didn't he lern his lesson in the "All at Sea"!?

And in "Asterix and Son" Brutus act like complitly difren't characer as he was in previues stories he apperd...