When I first saw the Avengers I thought it was a messy movie , not necessarily bad , but hard to follow and with very little to recommend , like a few good lines such as " Isn 't there a Mrs Steed ? " " Yes there is.... my mother ! " . Unfortunately the confusing plot made the film an endless stream of scattered scenes and streched the time slot from the mere 85 minutes to an experience which lasted more than 2 hours in the mind of the viewer . Everybody bashed this film and I believe they had their reasons. Everybody praised the TV show as "brilliant" , "wonderful" and "tasteful". When the public network decided to broadcast reruns I sat down with high expectations to see this long lost TV series ....... What the h**l was THAT ????? Most of the episodes were load of c**p (the Time Machine for example), literally unbearable to watch !!!!!!!!! Very few episodes were interesting , witty and campy in a good way , like the 10 Little Niggers rip off or the episode where Mrs Peel was kidnapped by insane film makers who wanted to make her the star of their movie before killing her . Other episodes were so - so , "cute" storylines like "The Bird who knew too much " , the "Winged Avenger " , the "Invisible Man" or the episode with the Nanny Academy . But as I said the majority of the show is nothing but a waste of money and film. Did anyone actually LIKE THIS ??? And I watched the so called "best" colourful episodes with Mrs Peel !!! As for the Patrick MacNee - Diana Rigg so called "chemistry" ??? Non - existing ! Mac Nee was as stiff as an ice cube and Rigg although has a kittenish charm it failed to reach any acceptor because Mac Nee had the erotism of Hercules Poirot ! Believe me even if you drilled deep deep deep down the MacNee - Rigg relationship it is more possible to find oil deposits than even the least trace of a remotely mild "sub-erotic" chemistry ! Not even the most unconfessed one , like Linda Hammilton with her colleaque (I thing he was called Joe) in "Beauty and the Beast" or even Jodie Foster with Anthony Hopkins in "Silence of the Lambs" !! On top of that there are the infamous carate kicks of Mrs Peel , which (you have to trust me) are ATROCIOUSLY bad . I don 't think there are words in the English language to express how HORRIBLE and unconvincingly directed these "fight" scenes were . This classic series is just a P.O.S. No wonder I had never heard of the Avengers before the movie came out !!! (in contrast with other campy 60's shows like Lost in Space or Batman who retained their reputation throughout time) . The filmic Avengers were a masterpiece compared to their ancestor !!
Nevertheless I decided to rewatch the film believing that the second time would be more entertaining . Boy was I right !!!! Now that I knew the plot 's surprises this wonderful satire was highly enjoyable . Everything fits in to place , everything makes more sense , we manage to learn the predicament and the motives of all the characters . Not only the pace is fast moving , not only the plot unfolds with a very composed way , not only the hilarious dialogue delivers A-list British phlegm to the screen ( " Join me and we 'll rule the world " "You didn't say please !" )but we manage to watch some of the most original and inventive surrealistic sets a film has ever brought us. Many have praised the Escher-esque eternal stairs where Mrs Peel is trapped but I will stick to : the greenhouse with a pleiad of plants or the musical kist of whistles along with a jewlery collection in Sir August 's manor .
The film 's negative points are : Emma Peel is turned more into a victim instead of a more active part and Stead is authorised to kill her if he suspects that she is the leak . On top of that the subplot with Emma 's dark side ( I won 't say more ) should be shortened because it got annoying . The good points : further than the impressive sets and some good SFX (like the snow blizzard) the casting was very successful . Sure Ralph Fiennes was a bit young for the shoes of John Stead but he had all the qualifications for the role . A charming English gentleman , cool tempered and mild mannered , but not deadpan or emotionless , and with the hidden energy of an inert volcano . Uma Thurman was a PERFECT choise for Emma Peel as she had the deadly beauty required . And YES the two leads have the much needed chemistry that their predecessors failed to reach . Oh , their acting skills ? Just as moderate as they SHOULD be . Remember they are British agents and this is a British inspired satire , not your typical adrenaline pumped American blockbuster with explosions and car chases (yes there is a car chase but very different from the usual ones : the pursuers are giant mechanical bees !!) . As for Sean Connery ? Although the script didn 't do Sir August DeWinters full justice , Connery makes a pleasantly memorable and decent job as the bad guy . Remember again : this is NOT your ordinary summer roallercoaster and if Connery stole the show the movie would have failed . The action scenes are wonderfully directed , since Stead kicks a** with his umbrella and Mrs Peel does a fine job with her carate kicks and when she sword fights with Stead .
Overall the Avengers is a much welcome witty satire of the American spy films like James Bond and action / destruction blockbusters generally (like Armageddon) . It is charismatic and eccentric in a very positive way . If only the producers hadn't chop it by editing out so many scenes we would have even more entertainment like the plastic transport bubbles or the deliciously quirky sets in the weather controlling headquarters with black and white colours and weird cross linked architecture . I hope we will have a director 's cut some day . Sit back relax and enjoy the Avengers . It is a great cinematic experience and if you find it lame just give it a second shot (much like the surrealistic Batman Returns) . It has top British phlegm and I believe the main theme and point of the film is summarised in a very characteristic line (I can't say in which point in order not to spoil it ) " MANNERS , Mrs Peel !!" =) Wonderful sets , costumes , cinematography , the familiar music theme and an intelligent script give a good mix . One special benefit is that (despite the use of computers and electronic gizmos) you can't easily designate the time period of the events since the atmosphere mixes various stylistic elements and is reminiscent of a fairy tale .
Soon to become a cult classic the Avengers is vastly underrated but it will grow in the public 's heart as time goes by . A definite
8 / 10
Nevertheless I decided to rewatch the film believing that the second time would be more entertaining . Boy was I right !!!! Now that I knew the plot 's surprises this wonderful satire was highly enjoyable . Everything fits in to place , everything makes more sense , we manage to learn the predicament and the motives of all the characters . Not only the pace is fast moving , not only the plot unfolds with a very composed way , not only the hilarious dialogue delivers A-list British phlegm to the screen ( " Join me and we 'll rule the world " "You didn't say please !" )but we manage to watch some of the most original and inventive surrealistic sets a film has ever brought us. Many have praised the Escher-esque eternal stairs where Mrs Peel is trapped but I will stick to : the greenhouse with a pleiad of plants or the musical kist of whistles along with a jewlery collection in Sir August 's manor .
The film 's negative points are : Emma Peel is turned more into a victim instead of a more active part and Stead is authorised to kill her if he suspects that she is the leak . On top of that the subplot with Emma 's dark side ( I won 't say more ) should be shortened because it got annoying . The good points : further than the impressive sets and some good SFX (like the snow blizzard) the casting was very successful . Sure Ralph Fiennes was a bit young for the shoes of John Stead but he had all the qualifications for the role . A charming English gentleman , cool tempered and mild mannered , but not deadpan or emotionless , and with the hidden energy of an inert volcano . Uma Thurman was a PERFECT choise for Emma Peel as she had the deadly beauty required . And YES the two leads have the much needed chemistry that their predecessors failed to reach . Oh , their acting skills ? Just as moderate as they SHOULD be . Remember they are British agents and this is a British inspired satire , not your typical adrenaline pumped American blockbuster with explosions and car chases (yes there is a car chase but very different from the usual ones : the pursuers are giant mechanical bees !!) . As for Sean Connery ? Although the script didn 't do Sir August DeWinters full justice , Connery makes a pleasantly memorable and decent job as the bad guy . Remember again : this is NOT your ordinary summer roallercoaster and if Connery stole the show the movie would have failed . The action scenes are wonderfully directed , since Stead kicks a** with his umbrella and Mrs Peel does a fine job with her carate kicks and when she sword fights with Stead .
Overall the Avengers is a much welcome witty satire of the American spy films like James Bond and action / destruction blockbusters generally (like Armageddon) . It is charismatic and eccentric in a very positive way . If only the producers hadn't chop it by editing out so many scenes we would have even more entertainment like the plastic transport bubbles or the deliciously quirky sets in the weather controlling headquarters with black and white colours and weird cross linked architecture . I hope we will have a director 's cut some day . Sit back relax and enjoy the Avengers . It is a great cinematic experience and if you find it lame just give it a second shot (much like the surrealistic Batman Returns) . It has top British phlegm and I believe the main theme and point of the film is summarised in a very characteristic line (I can't say in which point in order not to spoil it ) " MANNERS , Mrs Peel !!" =) Wonderful sets , costumes , cinematography , the familiar music theme and an intelligent script give a good mix . One special benefit is that (despite the use of computers and electronic gizmos) you can't easily designate the time period of the events since the atmosphere mixes various stylistic elements and is reminiscent of a fairy tale .
Soon to become a cult classic the Avengers is vastly underrated but it will grow in the public 's heart as time goes by . A definite
8 / 10