The Avengers (1998). "Mrs Peel, We're Rebooted."

#retrotv
Stam Fine Reviews looks at the 1998 film, The Avengers, an attempt to bring the quirky and stylish 60's series to the big screen that, perhaps, in all truthfulness, didn't turn out so well. Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Jim Broadbent, Fiona Shaw, Sean Connery, Eddie Izzard, Keely Hawes.
Unloved for a very good reason.
Why start here? To get it out of the way before covering the series.

[@ejay1118]

The "Marvel Comics" reference reminded me of a scene where the (Marvel) Avengers are at a Halloween party and run into Roy Thomas and his wife Jeannine. He introduces them; "Jeannine, these are the Avengers!" She responds; "Neat! Which one's Mrs. Peel?"

[@hydrolito]

Black Widow sometimes wore similar costume to Emma Peel played by Dianna Riggs.

[@mtm00]

I have to confess to really enjoying this movie and to adoring the performances of Uma Thurman and Ralph Fiennes, Sean Connery, and Eddie Izzard in particular. It's such fun!

[@theodorehaskins3756]

Thank you! I was just thinking the same thing, I actually enjoyed the performance of these two great actors, and very much enjoy the film as well, as I have watched it numerous times and trust me, if I don’t like a movie, I’m not gonna watch it a 2nd time. Cheers 🥂

[@kali3665]

Saw a review that said it straight: The Avengers isn't The Avengers if it doesn't take place in the decade that spawned it. Remember that, Hollywood, when you inflict us on the NEXT attempt at rebooting The Avengers. RIP Patrick MacNee, Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, and Gareth Hunt. The originals and still the greatest.

[@asciimation]

Thanks for doing this before the real series which is one of my all time favourites. I do remember being so disappointed by this film. As an interesting aside, a John Steed marionette I made in the form of a Thunderbird puppet did get me into an interesting job in the film industry for a brief time. I also took a picture of it, sent it to Patrick MacNee in Palm Springs who signed it for me. That wasn't long before he died. That signed photo hangs proudly on my wall now.

[@TheBeird]

It’s amazing that League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was what caused Connery to quit the biz when he’d been in this turkey. Then again he stuck it out after Highlander 2

[@jesusisunstoppable4438]

1 Bs 2 he's an idi0t 3 only someone with Millions and Millions of Dollars could quit a job that pays Millions.

[@shazprothero7912]

Connery didn't produce The Avengers and Highlander 2. He did produce League of extraordinary Gentlemen

[@hydrolito]

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen had a box office of estimate of 179. 3 million which in 2003 on budget estimate of 78 million so more than 100 million more than budget which was better Than his The Avengers movie budget estimate of 60 million and box office estimate of 58 million. He was 73 years old when The League of Extraordinary movie came out so old enough to retire anyway and had plenty of money. Although he did live to be 90 and died in 2020.

[@lancebaylis3169]

What was the big movie Connery turned down, which made a lot of money and compelled him to push forward with League? I seem to recall hearing he only took it up because he misjudged some other fantasy movie script and threw it in the trash, only to see it make bank. So he backed the wrong horse on League.

[@shazprothero7912]

@@lancebaylis3169 James Bond Tomorrow Never dies. They actually wanted him to play the villan

[@arnesahlen2704]

Raised on Mrs. Peel and Tara King (Honor Blackman only later online), I didn't dare pollute my memories by taking in the film. Thank you for showing the wisdom of my decision!

[@michaelanderson9179]

One of the major problems of the movie is that much of the story logic got lost in the rewrites. As I recall in the first draft (it's been 25+ years since I read it so my memory is hazy), the villain isn't Sir Wynter, it's actually Mrs. Peel's ex-husband Peter Peel who was lost in an expedition to the Amazon and came back evil and partially regressed to childhood. Which is why he made his henchmen dress up like teddy bears. It was all part of a motif, with his lair decorated with huge toys and buffet tables with cookies and cakes. When they rewrote it to make Sir Wynter and his weather machine the villain, they left the teddy bears in even though there is no reason why someone obsessed with the weather would do so. Then, couple that with the fact that they cut out a big chunk of the plot and what still had a tenuous internal logic completely fell apart. So what you get is a bunch of random weirdness.

[@SingularityOrbit]

Thank you so much for explaining that! The original _Avengers_ had a lot of eccentrics with accompanying setpieces, but they always made sure to explain the obsession that led to the eccentricity. Half the time it was "they'll never expect murder in such a quiet, normal place" or "we're such expert assassins that we practice gentlemanly arts such as swinging an umbrella correctly as we walk," and the other half of the time it was "we're a games club, so of course we have giant dice and board game pieces decorating the place." In this movie Sir Wynter had teddy bear costumes and giant insect drones with no reasoning behind them. It honestly never occurred to me that it wasn't just a case of writers failing to understand why the original show's eccentricities worked.

[@raybearoz]

Great review as always... Okay... I may have a dissenting view... Yeah the plot is ridiculous, acting stilted and dialogue yawnsome... But my main recollection of this film (especially from seeing it in the cinema) Was how beautiful the set pieces were. So many of the scenes have stuck in my minds eye... Emma running through the recursive manor, and the teddy bear board meeting (I can see the furry's loving that now). Yes, it a smouldering pile... but such a pretty one...

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

IMHO This is probably the most mis-cast film. Where none of them are bad actors but are all just plain wrong for this subject. And Raif Maif - genius. 😂

[@erikthewriter]

I have a lot of love for this chopped up movie. I always hoped we would get the original cut one day but it’s unlikely

[@johnruddick686]

I remember walking out of the cinema thinking, "I'm never going to get that time back, a complete waste of an hour and a half of my life!"

[@mcal27]

It’s a painful watch for anyone who loves the series as I do. Raiph is a wonderful actor, but he plays Steed just too muted and reserved somehow. McNee is Steed and played it big, confident and boisterous. I did like the villains in bear costumes though :)

[@Interislander957]

Totally forgot that this existed.

[@MrBaskins2010]

so this is where the giant bear suit memes are from..

[@tycannah4271]

Grew up with fond memories of the TV Series that it was light hearted with great chemistry between Steed and Mrs Peel. The movie was just tragically, forgettable and disappointing. Your review is 100% spot on and despite the great cast the writing and direction where just atrocious.

[@Interrobang2626]

I always thought that Charles Dance would've made a great Steed.

[@SUK2293]

A Scottish man in charge of the weather? Pure Evil !

[@RighteousBrother]

My weekend starts here. Thanks Stamfine!

[@yewtoob2007]

Thanks for the warning, Stam

[@Amphy002]

Could I just say, Diana Rigg in bondage gear.

[@alanhouston5874]

I agree that they were at least attempting to match the style of the original, but man did they miss the charm He probably wasn’t a big enough star, but Rupert Everett could have brought the charm to Steed

[@l.a.gothro3999]

I grew up watching the series as a little girl (I was born in 1964) in reruns - thank goodness we lived in Detroit, so we'd have access to British TV via Windsor, ON!

[@jasonblalock4429]

As someone with no particular attachment to the show I kind of have a weak spot for this as "so bad it's good" camp. Taken on its own terms, it's so daft that it's enjoyable - at least for me.

[@jacobktan]

I liked this movie, but i haven't watched it since i was 9.

[@moviesgalore9947]

I liked this movie they did a good job updating Steed and Emma and Connery was great in it.

[@colormedubious4747]

Ketchup, banana, and oysters actually sounds better than most British cuisine.

[@RealLordFuture]

I remember reading a comment in a review a decade ago about this film. The comment said that the person who wrote this film had no idea what the Avengers were. The commenter came up with a suggested film idea that I think would have worked as a one off. Set it in the 60's. Steed and Peel are fighting a megalomaniac big bad who wants to take over the world. The villain traps our duo in a time machine and sends them to the 90's. There they found that he succeeded in creating a dystopian hell-scape. They try to defeat him but fail because two people, with outdated skills are no match for "modern day" surveillance with a sociopathic dictator. With sacrifices from a local resistance, lead by Gambit and Purdey they are sent back in time to the 60's arriving just after they have been sent to the future. I imagine a scene where we see Steed and Peel disappear to the future, then they walk through the double front doors, very dishevelled and Steed saying, "That wasn't very sporting". With recent memories of the future, grieving for lost comrades and remembering the mistakes they made during the last encounter, they prevail. The epilogue is Steed and Peel, visiting a very young Purdey and Gambit, giving them invitations to join The Service, when they are ready. A much better idea for a film. They keep the eccentricities of the 60's, but it spends most of it's runtime in the 90's and creates a connection, with The New Avengers.

[@simeonyves5940]

That would have been Epic!

[@RealLordFuture]

@@simeonyves5940 They could have Gareth Hunt and Joanna Lumley playing their characters as the age they were in the 90's and it would have made perfect sense. You could still keep Sean Connery as the Old Megalomaniac of the 90's, stitch in a young Sean Connery from his films in the 60's, similar to what Steven Soderberg did in The Limey, use Eddie Izzard and Shaun Ryder as Leaders of The secret police hunting down the Avengers. The only issue, which would be a studio only, would be this film does not allow you to create a franchise. I wish I had thought of the idea.

[@simeonyves5940]

@@RealLordFuture Agreed, they could easily have reprised the Gambit and Purdey roles in 1998, as they were still young enough to do Action Scenes, and Probably would have had a Blast doing so. Maybe have Patrick Macnee cameo as the "Mother" of the "Dark Future", in reference to how he had that Position in The New Avengers as well? Agreed, Sir Sean Connery's Villain was the best part of the Movie, he was clearly Enjoying himself immensely by getting to completely over-act and turn in a "Batman '66" Level of Scenery Chewing in his Performance, and the sense of fun in his scenes was absolutely contagious, so, yeah, they would have had to have kept him as the Villain, complete with "Teddy Bear Board" as that, of the whole film, was the only thing that was *pure* "The Avengers"! Hmm, splicing in footage from some of his 1960's films, such as Hell Drivers (one of my all time favourite movies that!) , would have been a good way to explain his descent into the Madness that took him from Avengers Agent to World Dominating Madman! Maybe having him use "king" Kane's Atomic Department Store from "Death at Bargain Prices" to Destroy London and create his Dictatorship (which *needed* to be based on the one from "1984"...) could have been a great way to Pay Homage to what I think is one of the best Classic Episodes... I was thinking more Hugo Weaving as the head of the Secret Police. Agent Smith, Wonderfully Sinister, and we know from "V" that he can do an English Accent. Indeed, it would not have allowed a Franchise, which would have infuriated the Studio, (yet still could have opened up a TV Rebootinuation (like how they did with "Danger Mouse" a few years ago, Rebooted, but also kept the Old Program fully Canonical, making it a Reboot and a Continuation at the same time!) with more Charismatic Leads with better Chemistry and better writing , set between the end of S5 and "The Forget Me Knot" (Tara's Debut and Mrs Peel's Au Revoir) as that would also fit well with Mother being Involved) but it would have made a Brilliant Bridge between the Avengers and the New Avengers, and explained how Gambit and Purdey knew "THE Mrs Peel" as they put it in "K is for Kill: The Tiger Awakes". Sadly, it will only exist as fanfiction, as it is an Incredible Idea. Still. I have my own "Alternate" mission: Impossible 1996 (where Jim did *not* Betray the IMF, and would have also bought back both the 1960's and 1980's Teams!) , so, it seems to be common in Fanons! Peace man!

[@kaitlyn__L]

That is a fun idea, but I have to wonder even if they had thought of it, they might not have wanted to do the "60s nostalgia time-travels to the present day" thing too soon after Austin Powers (97 to this film's 98). Not the same plot overall in the slightest, but perhaps too-similar of a setup for them to want to bite. Of course it's all a matter of when in pre-production this film's plot was truly finalised, or if they were still making alterations while shooting, and so on.

[@Loner-Wolf]

Sean Connery had first dibs at playing Gandolf in Lord of the Rings. He turned it down because he couldn't understand the character or the script. He went on the choose League of extraordinary Gentlemen... think about that for a moment. Anyway he didn't act after that.

[@jsalsman]

They tried so hard, but fell flat.

[@frankshailes3205]

Thanks for including many clips from the superior TV series!

[@carlh-thehermitwithwi-fi679]

it was fun. if it shows up on tv, you can keep it on while you putter around the house.

[@somthingbrutal]

if the british army can brew up tea in the back of their tanks, Steed can have it in his bently ;)

[@caloss2]

Before this movie, the other reboot of the original Avengers, with Patrick Macnee, Gareth Hunt and Joanna Lumley - that was my introduction to the series, and still my favourite

[@christianemden7637]

My introduction as well, I like the Diana Rigg era a smidgen more, and still need to see all of Honor Blackman. The avengers own a spot in my heart, and I agree about this being a very rough, but still a fun romp. I love how much Connery is ripping straight of from Goldfinger

[@paulbrecken2136]

Top, as always. Thanks stam fine.

[@primarybufferpanel9939]

I like The Avengers when I watched it as a kid. It was so funny and absolutely weird.

[@Otokichi786]

Yep, this "made for modern audiences" version of the 1960's "Avengers" made me yearn for some "Champagne in a can" to wash away the memory of what I'd seen. (I saw the "Mr. Steed and Mrs. Peel" version when it arrived on U.S. TV.) It's nice to hear that Sean Connery had a blast "playing the villain" in this movie, though I though that "Rafe Fiennes" and him should have traded places/roles. .

[@photobygil]

The Avengers is my favorite tv series, so I was thrilled when the film was announced, but each revelation during production dampened my enthusiasm a bit. Still, I bought a ticket the night it premiered, & the theater was actually packed. The experience was fairly disappointing, sadly. Then, as it ended, the uncomfortable silence was broken by a single mournful "booooooooooooo" from some guy in the middle of the audience. And the entire theater burst into laughter, relieved that somebody vocalized what everyone was thinking. Thanks for this review, which I found more enjoyable than the movie itself!

[@ryancoulter4797]

When I heard this was being made I thought Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley. But they broke up before this movie had a chance.

[@brotherkellymatthewbarnes8882]

I still like the 🎥 and I enjoyed this video.

[@fredbloggs5902]

Having Steed and Peel kiss was totally against the whole ethos of the Avengers. The same error was made with Modesty Blaise (1966).

[@TheJuRK]

I remember researching as to why this movie was so terrible. The script wasn't as incomprehensible as the final film (I got a copy from the Hollywood Book & Poster Company), but the director was an indie sensation, so Warner Bros gave him this $65 million project. This was another of Connery's last films that chased him into retirement, although The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen usually gets all the blame. I saw a different film when it opened and it was worse. I honestly believed that the director got Connery to overact in his first scenes, which calmed down completely (he probably just ignored the director's direction early on and just played it straight). And they couldn't find a hot, dangerous British girl to be Mrs. Peel? That's like casting a Southern American as James Bond! What a train wreck. I was so looking forward to this.

[@edwinsmith-jones6205]

I found the opening scene, in the English village/training area, enjoyable and the orchestral version of Avengers theme is well done. As stated the cinematography is great also, it's a shame the movie just doesn't work as it had so much potential.

[@simeonyves5940]

Yup, It just didn't work because it forgot what made the 1960's the 1960's (Swinging London and Formal, Classy, Charm), didn't have any Chemistry at all between the two leads (the Real Life Friendship between Patrick Macnee and Dianna Rigg resulted in immense Chemistry in the show), the American Screenwriters did not understand British Formal Charm and just, as you said, just wrote "Smug", 90's "Girl Power" ruined the Fact that Steed and Mrs Peel were Equally Matched Partners and instead made "the Pupil the Master" , and tried to turn Steed and Mrs Peel into Lovers rather than just Flirty Friends. It also lost the fact that, as was found after he passed away, Patrick Macnee was the *Actual Real Life James Bond* and thus had actual Experience which formed the Steed Character's utter *Ruthlessness* when his (extremely long and slow burning) Fuse finally ran out, and gave him a Steely edge that Fiennes just did not and could not have! Fiennes was also just too Silent and Reserved, and lacked the Immense Confidence that Steed always had, and failed to copy the Big, Boisterous, Gregarious, "Charming Schoolboy" Personality that Steed used as a "Bluff" to make people think he was just a Harmless Eccentric! (Steed was Eccentric sure, as everyone in the Series was at best Eccentric, and often utterly Potty at worst!, but far from Harmless!) It just did not Work! it is pure Balderdash! it is not even as good as Rubbish, as at least Rubbish can be Entertaining! Oh well, at least the Scenes with Sir Sean Connery were Fun, as he was clearly Enjoying himself immensely and it made those scenes a Gas! it may be a "Batman '66" full Ham with extra Bacon Performance, but, like those Performance, they are just made all the more fun by the fact the Actors were clearly having a Blast in being allowed to go full Ham! PS. M:I 1996 is Non Canon and Alternative Universe to most Classic Mission: Impossible Series fans, myself included, who view the Film as an Insult. Jim would *never* betray the IMF!

[@jamescoutanche4191]

After wasting my money on the cinema ticket to watch this, the one abiding memory I have was how devoid the film was of any life except the main actors: scene setting shots of landmarks in London which would normally be full of people, utterly empty. No cars, no people, no life, nothing, just gave the impression that it was all happened in a bubble outside reality. Thanks for the entertaining video, glad you got this one out of the way first!

[@gdSwow]

Thanks for covering the Avengers. I am really looking forward to seeing your review of the series as a whole. It was this movie that caused Marvel to retitle their Avengers movie to be called Avengers Assemble in the UK in case people thought it was a reboot of this. I wanted this remake movie to be good and it had a lot of promise with Connery as the villain. Actually I thought he was very good as a villain, perhaps he wasn't acting :-). Still despite this it wasn't to be. Fiennes and Thurman were miscast and don't have chemistry or those cheeky grins the original Steed and Peele had. Might have worked with orginal choices of Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson. Also at that time all these 90s remakes tried too hard to be big budget extravaganzas thus taking detracting from what made the small screen versions so good. Looking back at it now I think this one probably couldn't be anything other than a TV show. Same as The Saint. Mission Impossible seems to have succeeded but after several bad starts and Cruise and co throwing enough money at it to make it entertaining even it is barely recognisable from its TV origins.

[@nozrep]

i remember liking wild wild west very much but i was also young. Also it was when Will Smith was still an idol for my generation. Before he completely ruined himself last year or whenever it was

[@erikthewriter]

Ive always had a little love for this movie. Im not blind to its faults but i read the novelisation and have seen clips from the deleted scenes. I think we lost a great cult movie because the WB once again panicked.

[@fredbloggs5902]

This film is the only one I’ve ever attended where large numbers of people got up and left halfway through 😳

[@emmagrove6491]

I made the great mistake of seeing this film in the theaters when I was young. Ralph Finnes and Uma Thurman's upward trajectory at the time may have been slowed by this film.

[@thedtvdigest4142]

Good idea to get the turkish delight in the box of chocs out of the way first. I didn't mind the quirkiness, but they totally misjudged the relationship between Steed and MRS Peel, and mixed elements from the Tara King era (Mother).

[@rnt45t1]

This is so weird, because I have never heard of any of this in my entire 35 years of existence.

[@dngillikin]

*sigh* When I read the script book, I could hear in my head Macnee and Rigg delivering the lines. Unfortunately, the story itself (and the supporting characters within) feels like it should be a Steed/Tara story. Fiennes and Thurman had no spark or chemistry together. Fiennes did, however, have chemistry with Keeley Hawes in their one scene together, such that, even in 1998, I wished that she had been cast as Emma in Uma's place. Unfortunately, though, Ralph Fiennes was an utter charisma-vacuum with his interpretation of Steed, and a plodding bore onscreen.

[@glennmartin6492]

The chemistry between Steed and Mrs Peel was entirely absent.

[@OzBaxter]

Uma would have been a good 'Black Widow' if they made the Avengers in the 90's. You know what I mean.

[@emitindustries8304]

Thurman is the only reason to watch this dude. Someone should edit all her appearances together, and sell it.

[@jamespfp]

3:11 -- RE: "But instead we have 90 minutes of Sean Connery giving us some of his hammiest acting..."; Well done with the stringy bacon joke BTW, but seriously now, I have to think that Nicholson's Joker in "Batman" had something to do with Connery going over the top in this. And oh yeah, I shouldn't forget that he'd known his share of flamboyant Bond villains.

[@garybryant5946]

Mrs Peel We're Bloody Awful 🙁

[@chriswilliams384]

I really hope someday Hollywood has another crack at 60s Avengers and nails it. For me, Steed would be played by Benedict Cumberbatch - he would be great. And Mrs Peel? Maybe Emily Blunt

[@somthingbrutal]

one of the few that liked the movie

[@qzorn4440]

I love this movie, odd events make the Avengers a treasure to watch. 🤸The Avengers are uniquely cool. Please make another movie. ✨Time for tea and macarons. 🍩🫖

[@BrontoSmilodon1]

7:50 I think that was suppose to be Tara King the female replacement for Peele

[@hezekiahramirez6965]

I think if they do a modern reboot Michael Fassbender should play John Steed. Maybe Karen Gillan or Gemma Arterton could be Emma Peel. There were a few female leads so I guess they could feature multiple actresses

[@RedCatHabitat]

did you even put the "Rain or shine all is mine" line in this? no? another great vid, cheers!

[@iainb1577]

That was a waste of a perfectly good Jim Broadbent.

[@macsnafu]

Yeah, it's hard to explain why it doesn't work, because it seems like it should work. One of things that really bothered me was the lack of expressiveness by the lead actors. Patrick MacNee and most of his partners are very expressive actors, especially in their facial expressions, while Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman are quite the opposite, with very subtle unexpressive faces. The best way I can explain it is by pointing to the two actors who played husband Darrin on Bewitched. The first Darrin, Dick York, has an extremely expressive face like Macnee, while the second actor, Dick Sargent, has a much less expressive face like Ralph Fiennes. That in itself really changed the dynamics of the movie and in the leads' ability to carry the movie.

[@christheghostwriter]

It's based ON a show, not based OFF a show

[@diegodelsol1309]

First rule of movie reviews: Never, NEVER bring up 90's LiS!

[@StamFine]

funny that you mention that...

[@diegodelsol1309]

@@StamFine Danger ! Danger, Stam Fine!

[@oldmanonyoutube]

I remember The Avengers TV show reruns but I don't remember this movie at all. It must have not made much of an impression on the larger culture otherwise I would have rented it at BlockBuster.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

This was Connery returning the favor after Avengers actors appeared in the Bond series.

[@mattendspiel9341]

It wasn’t the greatest movie, it wasn’t even a decent kiss to the past but… I actually enjoyed it. It was pure hokum and at times cringey but it was a slice of fun

[@morganhanam9522]

I might watch this just b/c of Uma Thurman, I plumb forgot about it, & avoided it like the plague at the time. The choice to have a younger male co-star is a likely mistake I m guessing, as better potential chemistry, Sean Connery would ve been the choice for Steed; its ridiculous he s in the movie & not.

[@dogdrovenorth]

The jokes in this review are great fun! Right, time to invest in a company that manufactures anchors out of cork.

[@SurlyInsomniac]

Try watching it in French. It somehow makes it feel more interesting, witty and coherent, even if you don't speak French...or perhaps especially if you don't speak French.

[@kbc163]

I may be the only one, but at the time, I didn't think this was THAT horrible. It's not great. It's not even very good, but it at least tried to pay homage to the series. It also had the good sense to have Peter Peel not only merely dead, but really, quite sincerely dead. Bringing him back in the series was its denouement, and in hindsight, a huge mistake. All in all, the problem is, unless you have a time machine to transport the audience back to 1966, and can also clone Patrick and Diana, it just ain't gonna work. Every so often, I hear rumblings about an Avengers reboot, and I get a queasy feeling in my tum tum. Please Hollywood. Leave it alone. I've resigned myself to just hunting up good fanfic. It's out there if you know where to look. 🇬🇧🥂🇺🇸

[@stevencowie7151]

Nailed it. Terrible nonsense.

[@gilescosgrove3933]

Can't wait for the video on the original series! As for this movie, well it's... This movie. I can't think of a politer way of putting it. Found it on TV in Spain last year and couldn't make head nor tail of it even with the language switched back to English.

[@ferociousgumby]

What ever happened to. . . everyone in this movie?

[@jasonulane7360]

At the time of the film, I always thought Emma Thompson would have made a great Emma Peel. Uma Thurman was insanely miscast and her accent is as bad as her performance. Both her and Fiennes play Peel and Steed as Department Store Mannequins on a Mission. The look of the film seems to be based on the Robert Fuest directed eps which ran during the Linda Thorson era - the big inflatable walking balls seem to be taken from Fuest's The Final Programme, another disaster of taking a classic character (Michael Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius) and destroying the character and Moorcock's book. It would be great to see a piece on THAT film.

[@tskmaster3837]

I love the show but this is the movie. I really love the show.

[@oliverbaba1882]

not a great film, but at least it somehow captures the tone and world of the show. it's one of those failed cinematic experiments, where the makers tried to stay faithful to the source material (a weird british spoofy spy show) while trying to entertain casual moviegoers, who never saw the programme. it was doomed to fail, but at least it failed in style... unique style that is.

[@mandroid-rb4uy]

hello Stamfine I went to the Premiere...Unlike the Novel where August is shown creating the Mrs Peel clone right at the beginning this was missing from the movie script and Unbalance the narrative it remains a Guilty Pleasure for many it had Huge potential but was flawed cos not respecting the original Novel a shame ...I still love it i mean Ralf and Uma have chemistry

[@cologne2792]

That is a perfect review.

[@markwinnington1426]

The biggest sin of the movie in my eyes was that Steed and Mrs Peel were beautifully-matched equal partners in the the show, but the film had Mrs Peel outshining Steed at everything in a ridiculous, petty rivalry.

[@jsalsman]

Absolutely. Steed needs to be 2x+ her age.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

PC police.

[@grantbitman1448]

I always thought his name was Ralph, but everyone just called him Ray Fiennes, as if Ray was his nickname. I also thought he was way older. I have false memories of him in moves from the late seventies and eighties, though it may be because he looks a lot like Liam Neeson.

[@ajclements4627]

After I saw this, I wanted to see the original series. Is it on streaming, or dvd?

[@brotherkellymatthewbarnes8882]

When I rewatch The Avenger's (1998) (and when I first watched it) the characters are all quirky and in varying degrees of insanity, because of the nature(s) of their business(es). So all the bizarreness and flippancy makes perfect (non)sense to me, and it was/is a lot of fun. Maybe Trubshaw wasn't insane, more like an enabler to Steed's mania possibly?

[@kamandi1362]

I doubt this was ever going to be good, but apparently the original 2-hour cut was a lot better and far less disjointed.

[@rpgober3048]

Oh yes!

[@cdeford2]

I don't know why they make these things. Well I do know. Money. But why the actors get involved is more of a mystery, because they hardly ever work. Thurman's terrible wig didn't help.

[@hanniffydinn6019]

Maybe it’s impossible to capture the 60s magic of the tv Avengers show? The tv show was amazing fun! I still remember watching it as a kid! 🤯🤯🤯🤯🥹🥹🥹🤓🤓🤓

[@briansinger5258]

The movie is charming. This review makes me question the need for critics at all.

[@fredbloggs5902]

Then you’ve obviously never seen the TV series.

[@briansinger5258]

@@fredbloggs5902 Why do you think that’s obvious….oh sorry: “think” is OBVIOUSLY the wrong word to use with you.

[@fredbloggs5902]

@@briansinger5258 you’re utterly clueless

[@elizabethmcglothlin5406]

Sad, very sad.

[@haroldellis9721]

Some movies almost work. Some movies have their moments. This movie almost had its moments. For me, the worse bit was the complete lack of chemistry between Steed and Peel. In the TV show, they flirted, liked, and respected each other. In the film, the characters clearly don't like each other, so the flirting is flat and forced, so very unpleasant.

[@ThisFinalHandle]

My love for the Diana Rigg era is why I have refused to watch this trainwreck to this very day.

[@nicholashqar1654]

I am not ashamed that i like this movie a campy funny adaptation of cult series bloody awesome ❤

[@DerekNewtonKeswick]

It’s such an annoying shame when they have all the resource but make a shite film. In the early 00s, when they remade Randall & Hopkirk, they cast Emilia Fox as Jeannie. The character was pretty much a tribute to Emma Peel and she played it perfectly. That’s the kind of actor that should have been in this and not Uma.

[@kuribayashi84]

Well, the Score is good, some of the Cinematography and Production Design is decent and its kinda fun to see Connery ham it up in this rare turn as a Villain. And thats about the extent of positive things I can say about this flick. But I kinda want to see that extended cut that appearantly exists. Perhaps its a wee bit more comprehensible. I heard the novelisation contains all the cut scenes but I havent read it and I doubt anyone else here has.

[@hydrolito]

Spilling hot tea on yourself might cause a crash.

[@bensneb360]

When I saw the thumbnail for this video, I immediately thought of the scene of Sean Connery in the boardroom with the colorful teddy bear people, and then that’s the first scene you showed… I guess we think alike lol

[@404TVfr]

Blursed minds think alike.

[@ivane5110]

The English Avengers, like we use to call the show, was a double-edged sword for me as a kid. When I first saw the TV Guide entry sawying there was an Avengers show on I was happy, thinking it was a rerun of the 60s cartoons (Hulk, Iron Man, Namor and Cap). Then when I noticed it was new (then new) I was thrilled and was hoping for a Marvel version of the Super Friends. When the time came and I started to watch and saw it was actually live action I was through the roof. The English setting made wonder if it was Jarvis related or Black Knight. I have to admit it probably took me too long to realize how wrong I was. Listening for American accents to see who was in there secret identities and even eying every mustachioed guy as a possible Tony Stark and every blond guy as a possible Steve Rogers. But when the sad truth finally dawned on me, man did I despise the show and held a grudge against its actors. Probably against any Brits in shows for a little while. BUT when that had faded and I did give the show a try I really liked it. It became a favorite semi-regular and the iconic leads are still two of my favorite actors. Shame they never became as well known and recognizable her in the US; they deserved to be pop culture icons here too (though now that I've gotten to see older more serious seasons, I think the weirder campy ones have aged poorly for me by comparison).