Would you believe…a non-spoiler review?
Jun. 28th, 2008 02:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
robotech_masterWent out and saw Get Smart tonight. It's a fantastic movie. You could say it's not just brilliant, but Smart.
Critics are sharply divided on it, but the two whose opinions I respect the most—Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli—both absolutely loved it, and so did those friends from whom I've heard who went and saw it. After having seen it, I can only agree. Steve Carrell was the perfect choice to take up the mantle left by the late Don Adams—he doesn't try to ape Adams exactly, by doing an impression or caricature, but he's naturally close enough and he has the inflections right enough that it just works. The supporting cast is excellent, as well; there are some marvelous bit parts and cameos by actors who are perfectly cast in their roles—especially Masi Oka (Hiro from Heroes), who will also be co-starring in a Maxwell Smart spinoff movie featuring his character, coming out on DVD on July 1st.
The movie manages the nearly impossible trick of updating a 40-year-old franchise to the present-day while still retaining the spirit of the original. It's not juvenile and crass like Austin Powers (there are a couple of potty or raunchy gags, but they are by far the exception rather than the rule), and it doesn't completely toss out the original material in favor of some post-modernist spin like some other "adaptations." But at the same time, it doesn't require you to be an afficionado of the old series to get what's going on. For the most part, all the references to the old show serve the dual purposes of reminding fans of the old show and being funny to people who don't know anything about the old show. (In fact, they're usually used in exactly the same way, and thus funny for exactly the same reasons, as they were when used in the old show.)
I had planned to see Wall-E tonight, too; I'd even bought a ticket to the showing that started ten minutes after Get Smart. However, what I failed to take into account was that people would be lining up for Wall-E thirty minutes before the show started—even for a 10 p.m. show. (In fact, I didn't see very many kids in the line at all. Funny, that.) So I got my ticket refunded and will try again some other time.
Anyway, if you've been holding off on seeing Get Smart because of the mixed reviews, all I can say is I really liked it. So give it a shot—maybe you'll miss it by that much.
Critics are sharply divided on it, but the two whose opinions I respect the most—Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli—both absolutely loved it, and so did those friends from whom I've heard who went and saw it. After having seen it, I can only agree. Steve Carrell was the perfect choice to take up the mantle left by the late Don Adams—he doesn't try to ape Adams exactly, by doing an impression or caricature, but he's naturally close enough and he has the inflections right enough that it just works. The supporting cast is excellent, as well; there are some marvelous bit parts and cameos by actors who are perfectly cast in their roles—especially Masi Oka (Hiro from Heroes), who will also be co-starring in a Maxwell Smart spinoff movie featuring his character, coming out on DVD on July 1st.
The movie manages the nearly impossible trick of updating a 40-year-old franchise to the present-day while still retaining the spirit of the original. It's not juvenile and crass like Austin Powers (there are a couple of potty or raunchy gags, but they are by far the exception rather than the rule), and it doesn't completely toss out the original material in favor of some post-modernist spin like some other "adaptations." But at the same time, it doesn't require you to be an afficionado of the old series to get what's going on. For the most part, all the references to the old show serve the dual purposes of reminding fans of the old show and being funny to people who don't know anything about the old show. (In fact, they're usually used in exactly the same way, and thus funny for exactly the same reasons, as they were when used in the old show.)
I had planned to see Wall-E tonight, too; I'd even bought a ticket to the showing that started ten minutes after Get Smart. However, what I failed to take into account was that people would be lining up for Wall-E thirty minutes before the show started—even for a 10 p.m. show. (In fact, I didn't see very many kids in the line at all. Funny, that.) So I got my ticket refunded and will try again some other time.
Anyway, if you've been holding off on seeing Get Smart because of the mixed reviews, all I can say is I really liked it. So give it a shot—maybe you'll miss it by that much.
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Date: 2008-06-28 03:39 pm (UTC)*hugs*
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Date: 2008-06-28 03:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-28 09:03 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-28 09:41 pm (UTC)