- A blessing because now classic Get Smart is availible in shops.
- A curse because chances are I won't be the only one duped into purchasing this woeful short lived 1995 Get Smart remake series starring Andy "I Swear I'm Not Gay" Dick.
As
history tells us, after the classic Mel Brooks series, there were
several more incarnations of the classic Maxwell Smart (as played
iconically by Don Adams) and Agent 99 (Barbera Feldon) on TV and on the
movie-screen... all of which seemed to fizzle.
This series,
potentially, should have worked. Nostalgia was at an all time high, a fresh
new face could have been thrown into the mix, the gags could be updated
to reach a new generation of viewers. And - yes - all these things were attempted... but just terribly.
There
are several things which immediately set off the warning bells. Besides
the obviously low budget (you get the feeling these are the same sets
that would later be inherited by Pamela Anderson on VIP),
the dated laugh track, the inclusion of Andy Dick as Don Adams
successor is nothing short of a joke (ironically, the funniest joke of
the remake!).
At the time, Dick (who plays Zac) was big business
in the US thanks largely to the boom of MTV comedy (interestingly
enough, he was toe-to-toe with a young Ben Stiller as the "IT"
comedian) so it kind of makes sense from a business stand point.
But
surely I'm not the only one who thinks the guy is as funny as a rectal
exam? As for the attempted "sexual tension" between Dick and Controls
"sexy" (cough cough - anorexia) partner
Agent 66 (Elaine Hendrix)... well let's just say Zac seems like he's
prefer to spend a tad more "quiet time" with Agent 0.
That
said, there is a kind of camp charm which does show from episode to
episode. Adams tries his best with whats on offer, but more often than
not his talents are wasted by amatuer directing. There are plenty of TV
shows from this mid-90s era which share the similar forgiveable
qualities Get Smart possesses - but with such a strong starting point, this should have been much, much better.
Thank goodness for Stave Carrell!
EXTRAS
Not
surprisingly, no extras included on the release. A retrospective of
some kind might have been good - but no doubt they've saved all that
sort of gear for the "Classic" DVD releases.
All jokes aside, while it isn't great, the 1995 Get Smart
is a small piece of history and is well worth investing in if your the
sort of fan that likes their collection to be "Complete".
Conclusion:
Movie 40% Extras: N/A
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