The Case for CONTROL

“Would you believe Chuck Norris with a BB Gun?”

And would you believe that the revised Get Smart is actually really good? Well, it definitely struck my funny bone a couple of times, and those around me in the cinema seemed similarly stricken.

There are lots of nods to the original series, with the cars and the gadgets making guest spots, and the catch cries used to minimal yet spectacular effect. Even the odd original cast member shows up for a brief cameo (the one I noted was mercilessly dispatched seconds after recognition).

And the cast is great. Steve Carell raises the Maxwell Smart character from the bumbling idiot from the TV series to a bumbling braniac, and I can’t think of anyone who could make Agent 86 so appealing and play the character without shameless mugging and farce. Anne Hathaway makes a very girl power Agent 99, more Jane Bond than the knowing brains of the TV series; Alan Arkin plays a fantastic curmudgeonly, father-figurely Chief; and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is really good as uber-agent 23, even though some would be disappointed he remains shirted throughout. The one “off” note for me was Terence Stamp as Siegfried, who seemed to only have one expression and be permanently set on “semi-shout”, but that wasn’t a biggie.

Though the plot is fairly straight forward (the identity of the “hidden evil one” was obvious to me the instant I realised there actually was a behind-the-scenes baddie), the script is sharp, with some very quick throw away lines, and it can’t resist swipes at a very George W Bush American President (“New-clee-AAR”). There is also a lot of physical comedy as well (this is Maxwell Smart, of course), and the mix between physical and dialogue humour is nicely done, so one never really gets sick of one or the other.

However, the film is possibly a bit longer than it needs to be, and CGI is again overly employed, rendering some action scenes disappointing through their sheer implausibility. But these are minor quibbles that did not seem to bother anyone else but me.

Overall then, and as you may have guessed, I really enjoyed Get Smart. The humour appealed, the performances appealed, it all just appealed really. Possibly not for everyone, as humour is a very subjective thing, but I think most audiences would love this film. Well, if they have any taste, of course...

Verdict: Don’t surrender to KAOS, and don’t miss it by that much. Get Smart was lots of fun, and a really pleasant way to spend an evening. 7 cones of silence out of 10.