Review of The Avengers (1998) by Willem W — 25 Jul 2007

OK, so it cannot (must not!) be compared to the cheeky, irreverent TV series that it is based upon, but I have a soft spot for this film. It tries so hard peppering the film with silly elements that wouldn't seem out of place in the series (weather control; which was the storyline of the episode "A Surfeit of H20"; and teddy bears and robotic bees which could have been from the more outlandish Tara King episodes).

The script is full of innuendo and cheek, and the major problem is that it is isn't played up to! Someone has completely missed the point! I can only assume it was the director, Jeremiah Chechik. All the lines fall flat; Uma Thurman's "sardonic" facial expressions make her seem mentally retarded and Ralph Fiennes is stiff, while much of Connery's "performance" is way off with the fairies.

But the production design is so much fun, harking back to the 60's, and it's shot beautifully. Though it is terribly flawed and awkward,at least it tries. Summed up rather by the fact that an invisible Patrick Mcnee (Steed in the TV series) is the best thing in it (his voice has the exact amused, sardonic quality that evokes the tongue-in-cheek humour the series had.

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