Rama’s SCREEN

Yes, this is a TV-to-movie should look like. It’s contemporary but it does justice and it is faithful to the spirit of the original 1960s classic TV series. GET SMART is action packed, humor packed and…would you believe it’s also cool and sexy? Thanks to the chemistry between… Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, no other people could deliver better. It may not be the most outrageous, laugh riot comedy movie ever but it will be one of the most fun you’ll have in the theaters this year.

The headquarters of secret U.S. spy agency CONTROL is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside his idol, stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). Smart is partnered instead with the only other agent whose identity has not been compromised: the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway).

Steve Carell is outstanding as the iconic character Maxwell Smart. The late Don Adams would be so proud of Steve’s work. Steve Carell doesn’t try too hard to impersonate Don Adams, I think he makes it his own and it turns out to be a job well done.
Anne Hathaway as Agent 99 is not as gullible as Barbara Feldon’s portrayal, in fact, Anne gives a more feisty, kick ass attitude.
I gotta say though… Anne Hathaway looks like she could be the spitting image of Barbara Feldon when she was young.

I was confused at first, I thought Agent 99 was supposed to admire and adore agent Smart but then the movie reminds the audience that it’s an origin story.. it supposedly tells of how the characters eventually become those we once knew years ago.
The visual effects are okay, they’re certainly not anything extraordinary.

Mel Brooks who is the consultant for this movie, his contribution is very imperative to its success.
Those of us who grew up watching the reruns when we were kids will notice some recognizable things, like the car, the shoe phone, the cameos, the suit, the tie, the doors, the phone booth.
I’m glad director Peter Segal and his writers do not go astray from those aspects, in fact, I think they do well in paying a certain tribute or homage while at the same time including new things that would come in handy for the characters and the plot.

I think they went with origin story so that it could cater to those who’ve never seen the original series. It would help them understand how things supposedly fall into pieces… they’ll get familiar with the trademarks just in case there’ll be a sequel someday.
But at the same time, there’s a CONTROL spy museum that sorta gives you a hint as if.. as if the original characters did exist at one point in time and that this new version is like a reincarnation or in an updated and cooler form.

Just sit back, enjoy the ride…. o and don’t forget… to GET SMART!

* Place the cursor on the image below to check my grade for this film