The Avengers (1998) Review | The Worst Film I've Ever Seen?

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[@dafyddem]

Sean Connery asked veteran Bond stuntman Vic Armstrong at this film's premiere what he thought of the movie. Armstrong not wanting to offend Connery said "Yeah it was ok". Connery replied "I thought it was shite" 😂

[@xBaphomet666x]

Not completely on topic but somewhat similar story. My mother dated a guy that when he lived in England, he used to be next door neighbors with Alan Rickman. Well the way he found out he was neighbors with Alan Rickman was one day, in 1991, he and his friends decided to go to the premiere of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. After the film, they were talking about how much they hated it and my mother’s ex boyfriend said “After that I will NEVER watch another Kevin Costner film for as long as I live” to which they heard a sharp deep voice behind them say “neither will I”... to which they turned around to discover it was none other than Alan Rickman. They talked for a while and when it was time to go home, Rickman got into a literal Volkswagen Golf, and drove off. When my mother’s ex boyfriend came back to his house, the very same Volkswagen Golf was pulling up, Rickman got out with a bag of groceries, and got his keys out and walked into his house... Still one of the most bizarre stories I’ve heard

[@dafyddem]

@@xBaphomet666x Haha, cool! Would of had loved to meet him, an amazing actor and very missed. He would of had made an interesting Q in my opinion

[@xBaphomet666x]

Dafydd Em Hahaha that would’ve been so good, I never even thought of it 😂 Q: “Now pay attention 007” *Bond picks up a spoon” Bond: “What does this do” Q: “DON’T TOUCH THAT... it’ll cut out your heart”

[@dafyddem]

@@xBaphomet666x Haha! His hilariously dry wit and amazing voice would of had been perfect

[@xBaphomet666x]

Dafydd Em See I loved John Cleese and all but now that I’m thinking about it... man that could’ve been good

[@jasonshaneyfelt1039]

I do find it funny how the original Avengers had several Bond co-stars and this reboot, aside from having Sean Connery, unintentionally had a few future Bond co-stars in Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Woodson as well.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

It does seem to be a tradition to cast Bond alumni or people linked to Bond in spy films/spoofs [probably why Henry Cavill has done quite a few now including the up coming Mathew Vaughn film Argylle] and Bond looks to other spy movies too [such as Lea Seydoux in Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol].

[@da90sReAlvloc]

Steed himself was in a bond movie A view to a kill

[@mortdewerewolfe691]

@@da90sReAlvloc There's a publicity pic of Moore & Macnee together during filming of the Avengers & the Saint in Andrew Pixley's The Avengers Declassified

[@billa107]

What’s sad is that this movie has talent in it. Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, and Sean Connery are all great actors. Plus their supporting cast are filled with terrific actors as well.

[@calvindyson]

Indeed! I was actually very excited looking at the cast list, they got some excellent character actors in a lot of the supporting roles.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@calvindyson They cut a tonne of the movie out in editing to try and save things, losing more character actors [such as Roger Lloyd-Pack aka Trigger]. Michael Caine was disappointed not to get the villain in this-bullet dodged me thinks!

[@angusmcmillan111]

@@jamesatkinsonja Yes, I saw a quote once from the director saying he asked the studio if he could re edit and release on DVD a recut version. There was a whole section which was briefly shown in one of the trailers of the evil Mrs Peel destroying a secret laboratory, which must have been part of the opening of the film

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@angusmcmillan111 Release the Chechik cut! seriously-that was the strategy for movies the studio knew was a turkey and not worth throwing money at re-shoots-just hack it to pieces so it makes even less sense.

[@chrisheimva4857]

@@jamesatkinsonja Oh god, the last thing Michael Cain ever needs is another Jaws: The Revenge-type stinker on his resume. Haha!!

[@gocsa]

I would love to see a director's cut. According to some sources at least 30 minutes, some say over 50 minutes was cut from the final theatrical film! Also, the director has even gone on record saying that he would re-cut the movie for free if Warner Brothers would let him!

[@mortdewerewolfe691]

It's very prob. gone the same way as the lost footage of The Wicker Man, Event Horizon (which is supposed down some East European salt mine, yes really) etc.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@mortdewerewolfe691 Yeah, I'll be surprised if it exists anymore.

[@justinplayfair4638]

Calvin! I'm so disappointed in you! You...haven't...watched...The Avengers TV series....when it's RIGHT up your alley. You MUST correct this...

[@calvindyson]

I know, I know... Along with The Saint it has been on my list for some time!

[@jonathancampbell5231]

@@calvindyson Don't forget Mission: Impossible and The Man From Uncle

[@someenglishguy]

@@calvindyson Don't forget Patrick Mcgoohan's Danger Man!

[@bindgagger]

The Avengers becomes very whimsical when Rigg joins but during Blackman’s era it is more gritty. That sense of empty streets pervades many episodes with Rigg. The reason is that at this time the show was being heavily marketed internationally and producers wanted to depict England as a land of a few quirky people. Some good, some villainous. “Murdersville” is a good example of this.

[@bindgagger]

In the very first story Ian Hendry’s character joins with Steed to investigate the assassination of his (Hendry’s character) wife.

[@Sh0tgunJust1ce]

I love how the Letterboxd reviews were mistaking this movie for the Marvel Avengers.

[@michaelschramm1064]

Ironic, given that Stan Lee’s use of the name came from the original TV series.

[@thezachmarsh]

I'm pretty sure that was tongue-in-cheek, not people actually thinking this was an MCU film.

[@expendableindigo9639]

@@michaelschramm1064 Source? never heard that before.

[@matthewjay5483]

Yeah my wife started watching that video recently. Never seen the film, but is well aware I love the show, well Emma Peel episodes, which I've shown her. As soon as Thurman appeared in this video, she thought it was so awful she stopped watching.

[@expendableindigo9639]

@@matthewjay5483 I think you replied to the wrong comment?

[@StarShipGray]

A slap in the face to everyone who loves the real show. The worst decision of Connery’s career until League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. An insult to Patrick McNee with that worthless cameo. It was very interesting to watch the evolution of John Steed as a character. In the original seasons he wasn’t the dapper English gentleman that he’s most remembered as but rather he was a very menacing and violent man who wouldn’t hesitate to use torture to complete his mission.

[@boblowes]

I absolutely love The Avengers TV series. It's a wonderfully quirky, clever, funny and exciting series, that really captured the spirit of the age it was made - indeed, it was on the cutting edge of popular culture for most of that time. The first series is largely lost, believed destroyed (a victim of the common practice of wiping expensive videotape to shoot another programme), but it was from the 2nd series onwards, when John Steed became the lead character, partnered with a capable, beautiful woman, that the series really started to find it's feet. The show was probably at the height of it's success when the fabulous Diana Rigg joined as Emma Peel. Her scenes with Patrick McNee as John Steed sizzle with an underlying sexual tension, and the series played with the will-they, won't-they relationship constantly. Imagine Mulder & Scully, 30 years earlier, but with bags of charm and self-deprecating wit, as they investigated everything from shadowy Russian agents posing as an entire village's population, to murderous nannies and everything in between. The 1998 movie of The Avengers is like a version of that set-up that has been written and directed by people who have never seen or understood the source material, and have only had it described to them in vague terms. Ralph Finnes is a brilliant actor, but he's not a charming leading man. PArt of McNee's charm is that he positively twinkled on screen, whereas Finnes seems like someone who has had his sense of fun surgically removed. Uma Thurman is much better as Emma Peel, but only in the sense that her character has some sense of fun - Thurman says the lines, but I never really got the sense she knows WHY she's saying them. The script is actually one that was kicking about on the internet in one form or another for years. It was written by Brian Clement, who was one of the series' writers, who became one of the producers. He also produced hugely successful series like The Professionals, as well as The New Avengers in the 70s. But it's a pretty poor script, what seems to be trading on a formula of 60s chic + quirky multiplied by British = The Avengers". It doesn't work. It's not a good film. There is room for a good big screen version of The Avengers, but this isn't it.

[@monelmonelmonel]

Is that Black Widow or not lol just asking

[@mortdewerewolfe691]

The whole point of the Mrs Peel + series is that it becomes hyper-real, it's not meant to be taken that seriously ( although on occasion it has its, very, serious moments ). A lot of its development was a reaction against Bond etc.

[@boblowes]

@@mortdewerewolfe691 Yes, indeed. There's a tonne of 60s & early 70s telefantasy that was a reaction to, or heavily borrowed from the Bond movies. Dangerman, The Prisoner, Department S, Jason King, The Persuaders, The Saint and of course, Get Smart, Mission: Impossible and The Man from Uncle - all heavily inspired by James Bond - all following (to a greater or lesser extent) the success of 007 in both print & on screen.

[@mortdewerewolfe691]

@@boblowes They also heavily cross-pollenated, MacGoohan redeveloped Dangerman after he was asked to play Bond because he was so disgusted by the character. There are numerous episodes where his Drake specifically refuses to kill even when ordered to, something Bruce Gellar also set as an on-screen rule for the IMF; that they could never directly take a life. At the polar opposite end you get Callan & the, more realistic, Sandbaggers which is completely anti-Bond in its house style; SIS are underfunded, hardly any character drinks, Burnside-that world's M aka D-Ops- is teetotal, or has sex. In the first episode Burnside says after a disasterous op in Norway to the head of the EJS ''If you want James Bond go to your library. If you want to do it properly go to your desk, think.. then think again!'' There's a also an interesting take on the Special Ops. Section's ''Bond'', Willie Cane, in that he actually Hates the idea of using force; In one episode he's sick after someone tries to shoot him, in another he calmly & reasonably talks a defector out of going to Moscow just by telling him ''I'm an SIS Officer. I have orders to take you back to London or, erm ....alternatively to... well... kill you'. May I take your bag? My name's Willy by the way''.

[@JorgeWalsh]

I’ve recently been revisiting the Emma Peel era of ‘The Avengers’ and have been loving it. As you said, it’s tongue in cheek and knows exactly what it’s doing. I’d heard the film was absolute rubbish, but I didn’t think I’d be grimacing through every single clip in your review, Calvin! It’s got it all wrong - from the title sequence to the endless cups of tea... Champagne was always the Avengers choice of beverage! And don’t get me started on the romantic plot... I risk coming across like Alan Partridge, but I did think ‘STOP GETTING THE AVENGERS WRONG!’ more than once during those clips. I think I need a glass of Moët to steady myself...

[@deraltetrekkie6088]

I have to say, the only thing, that annoyed me, was the fact, that a) they did the Intro wrong and B Diana Rigg and Patrick McNee were not in the movie - well, he was as "Invisible Jones", but not as Steed and Peel. So, I said "Okay, it's called the Avengers, but Voldemort and Poison Ivy are Steed and Peel." Sure, one could say "THEY DID IT ALL WRONG!!!!!" - but honestly: why bother? It's a different "universe", so if you like your Rigg-McNee-Avengers: go watch them. I - honestly - like both versions of it. I would've preferred a real Rigg/McNee-Movie though.

[@auldthymer]

I like the episode in which the two are undercover in a department store: "Mrs. Peel is in ladies' undergarments" [John Steed hastens upstairs to look]

[@deraltetrekkie6088]

@@auldthymer Very true. The romantic plot was there - it wasn't as hastily done as in the movie, but there was a romantic subplot of Peel and Steed.

[@chrisparkes2179]

@@deraltetrekkie6088 Hinted but never shown.

[@johnchurch4705]

@@deraltetrekkie6088 there was a script for an Avengers movie to be made between the B&W/ colour series but nothing came of it.

[@puckrobin1]

There were three good things about this movie. 1) Laurie Johnson’s TV theme appearing, 2) Patrick MacNee’s cameo which actually feels more Avengers than anything else, and 3) the teddy bear boardroom that you call out. Fiennes was badly miscast. And yes, one of the worst films I’ve seen too. Word to the wise: don’t watch Catwoman.

[@haileyshannon7548]

I recently discovered the anime Lupin III, it’s not really a a spy thing, since it’s the main character is a thief, but it’s got a lot of those quirky elements that define the genre.

[@MAGICMONKEY52]

You didn't mention Joanna Lumley. She was in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

[@auldthymer]

She was also in one of the TV revival of the Avengers series -- honestly, I forgot too.

[@ANobodyatall]

The New Avengers (Purdee).

[@VortexBunche]

She was in The New Avengers, not the original. The New Avengers has its defenders, but it's pretty dreadful standard 1970's action show product.

[@chrisparkes2179]

@@VortexBunche My abiding memory of the New Avengers is of Purdey tackling a test course, scoring 99% and Gambit (the coffee advert bloke) saying "But it's the 1% that kills". Maybe it's coincidence, but not long after that Domestos bleach changed its advertising slogan and no longer claimed "Kills 99% of germs.....*dead*"

[@Somerset]

I heard from someone who worked on it the Sean Connery walked out of the cast and crew screening. Also, as I recall, there were no press screenings, journalists had to buy a ticket to review it!

[@davidjames579]

That's correct about the Press Screening. Partly why it got such bad reviews, journos were affronted at having to cough up £2.50. I don't know about Connery at the cast screening.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@davidjames579 The 'not screened for critics' is usually an attempt to avoid bad word of mouth from spreading quickly. Cats 2019 for example was a laughing stock by the end of it's opening weekend.

[@thethinkingcatakaneonormie3527]

I read in Starburst Magazine that the Studio edited out 40 minutes for time and the whole clone plot is cut out

[@desperatemohammedantheworl5833]

If this is the worst film you've ever seen then you really need to watch more films. But yeah, it is awful.

[@pathevermore3683]

it's better than mortal kombat annihilation.

[@ANobodyatall]

He should try Neil Breen !

[@almightycinder]

@@pathevermore3683 I saw this thing in theatres and I'd prefer Annihilation over it. This movie is almost impossible to follow.

[@pathevermore3683]

@@almightycinder you are completely insane. avengers did not have 3 tasks and the climax after the second. it did however have invisible jones.

[@almightycinder]

@@pathevermore3683 MKA knows what it is. It's the B team sequel directed by the cameraman, and full of weird slow motion shots. It introduces a ton of random characters, but at least it has the sense to kill them off before moving on to the next ones, Scorpion aside. Avengers was supposed to be 2:20, but had 50 minutes cut out of it so it's 90 minutes. It is fully incomprehensible.

[@samharrison5058]

This film has a great cast but they look like they’ve all been wasted.

[@chrisparkes2179]

I've never seen Uma Thurman in anything else. This film made me avoid her like the plague.

[@samharrison5058]

Chris Parkes I’ve only seen her in Batman and Robin and she wasn’t great in that but I’ve heard she’s a good actress.

[@philippeh3904]

Really ended Uma Thurmans career for like 6 years until Kill Bill.

[@calvindyson]

Indeed! I've always liked her a lot but the late 90's did give her some terrible roles.

[@rokaanalzeer]

I thought batman and robin was responsible for that

[@neilmarktaylor4386]

Philippe Hunt that’s what I said Uma was a big success after pulp fiction then in the same year made the avengers and Batman & Robin but I thought she was great in both

[@KillianoC]

and to be fair she hasn't really had a come back post Kill Bill (deserving of her talent anyway)

[@MarkHyde]

@@rokaanalzeer Another contributing factor :)

[@jessicastrike5640]

This is the reason why MCU Avengers in 2012 had to be called Avengers Assemble in the UK due to copyright? This film is already on a slippery slope

[@jamesatkinsonja]

More so the TV series, but yes that was the reason

[@damianstellabott1952]

The dearth of background extras and the sort of retro-future were characteristic to the original show.

[@chrisparkes2179]

They were, but somehow the series got away with it. The movie just looked weird.

[@mrcritical6751]

Because on a TV show that’s excusable whilst a movie having a lack of background extras just looks off and weird

[@davidjames579]

@@mrcritical6751 No, that's Avengersland. Totally makes sense.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@mrcritical6751 Agreed.

[@theevildalek5425]

I would love to see Calvin review the 1967/1968 Doctor Who story, “Enemy of the World.” I know it’s not a movie but it’s a serial and when you watch all the Episodes together you basically get a low budgeted movie and many people (myself included) think it is one of the best Doctor Who stories ever made & it’s considered the Bond story of Doctor Who

[@jamestrexler6329]

Plus, twice the Troughton. What's not to love?

[@GermanLeftist]

@@jamestrexler6329 Personally, I have a lot of criticism of the serial but it's still a strong entry.

[@JeremiahEcks777]

Yes!

[@astrosleep9625]

This is a good shout actually...

[@harold5337]

Planet of the Spiders also is a strong contender for a bond film. There’s a car chase, a boat chase and themes of espionage and world domination, but with giant spiders

[@averagebritishguy7082]

There's actually a bit in one of the trailers that shows Uma Thurman shoving the snot nosed guy down a flight of stairs.

[@calvindyson]

AH! Thanks for explaining that, I knew there must have been something... Wonder why it was cut?

[@HOTD108_]

@@calvindyson More snot nose guy was considered too highbrow for this movie.

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

@Ivor Biggun Oh me too, it was fantastic, I was really excited.

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

@@davidsomerset They should have kept that, it looked like a great opening.

[@DafyddBrooks]

What are you talking about, who doesn't love the scene where EVIL Sean Connery is dressed up as a teddy bear :)

[@chrisheimva4857]

The only memorable scene in the movie and entirely because it's such a WTF moment.

[@berliner0]

Natural Born Film Critic I guess because nobody was meant to know who each other wore

[@DafyddBrooks]

@@berliner0 Balaclavas wouldnt do???

[@dngillikin]

Reading the scriptbook 20 years ago, I could often hear Macnee and Rigg's voices delivering Steed and Emma's lines with a playful twinkle that seemed beyond Fiennes and Thurman. Fiennes had more chemistry in 90 seconds with Keeley Hawes (who would've made a better Emma) than he did with Uma. Even in the sixties during the Fennell and Clemens years, Avengersland was an anachronistic portrayal of an exaggerated England that really never was. To me, the movie seemed to be channeling a Steed/Tara King style adventure instead of a Steed/Emma one.(Mother didn't exist as a character until Tara was invented.) As for the much-derided Teddy Bear conference, that is perhaps the one segment that wouldn't look too out of place in a 1968-69 Steed/Tara Avengers adventure.

[@anthony3557]

The look of the film is one of the few things that actually works: lots of very stylish costumes in often surreal environments. I believe the characters of Father and Mother date from the post-Emma Peel era, which is a bit nonsensical, but for what it’s worth, the original series frequently had such small casts that the settings often appeared sparsely populated. Unfortunately that doesn’t always work in the film, where much of the action takes place in the shadow of very recognisable parts of central London ...

[@normanby100]

Eileen Atkins role as the Nanny was obviously intended as a cameo for Diana Rigg and Honor Blackman but they obviously saw the script.

[@davidjames579]

You're right about the edit in the club scene, Calvin. In the trailer you can see that Emma Peel actually throws the porter down the stairs when he grabs her arm. The trailer also opens with the film's original opening, which is only talked about in the release version. Roger Lloyd Pack from Only Fools And Horses appears in that sequence. Connery's vintage Rolls Royce also had a snowplow on it, but that was cut.

[@greggt8989]

There is a campaign on Facebook for Warner Archive to release the full director's cut of the film. Sadly I don't think it will happen.

[@davidjames579]

The director Jeremy Chechik actually offered in recent years to do the re-edit, for FREE. But WB weren't interested. Never mind the Snyder Cut, release The Chechik Cut on HBO Max.

[@BenCol]

I think the weather plot is an attempt to adapt one of the show’s best episodes _A Surfeit of H2O_ - except with Sean Connery as the villain instead of Geoffrey Palmer.

[@robpullar4257]

I actually paid to watch this tripe in the cinema. I swear that no-one involved had ever actually seen the original Avengers. For one thing, they never drink bloody tea, but constantly quaff champagne! Steed was not some uptight prick, but roguish and humorous, and Emma Peel was very funny and not at all "icy". An utter clusterfuck.

[@Randy_Batswinger]

Exactly! Well said. I feel your pain, even after all these years! 😔

[@TheMess9898]

The Kingsmen really captured the vibe of the Avengers more than this film.

[@sesfilmsllc]

And that film also had Ralph Fiennes in it.

[@TheMess9898]

@@sesfilmsllc Not the original Kingsmen...that was Colin Firth. The third one, yes.

[@christianemden7637]

The avengers never took themselves seriously, while kingsman believed in their whole premise.

[@RoulinBrooks]

I agree. That idea really hit me at the Kingsman tailors when Colin Firth put his hand on the mirror and that activated the elevator. I thought "That's an Avengers sort of thing!"

[@neilmcdonald4113]

Yes and no:The violence is obviously way above the series (and then some)🎩

[@nslayton5]

I mean, Ralph Fiennes as Steed should have been perfection!

[@dalebaker9109]

Calvin. I hate this film so much, I actually destroyed the DVD, that my friend gave me to watch. He couldn’t stand it either. The whole cast, barely go through the motions, in the knowledge they will still, be paid. Your review is total legend as ever.

[@paulbrinicombe3665]

If you think this is bad wait until you see Val kilmer as the Saint, I agree good ideas but very badly executed

[@cheeseburger12]

I remember seeing it. And I don't remember hating it. And that's about all I remember about it.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Roger Moore says in his autobiography that he met Val Kilmer after the film was made and Kilmer said to him that he had read the books after making the film [surely the wrong way around?] and said they should have made the film more the like book/tv show and he had messed up.

[@andrewbevan4662]

In the original the age difference between Steed and Emma Peel was obvious and was played on ...In this film they seem virtually the same age

[@timothyw98]

RIP Dianna Rigg.

[@PaulBurgin]

Oh one other thing, is that the same rooftop garden where Lazenby, then Moore, were officially announced as James Bond?

[@Darren79]

As an Avengers fan I was utterly mortified when I came out of the cinema in 1999 - the film is just dead - things just happen and you're never once made to care. The best thing was I went home and immediately watched an episode I didn't like much and it suddenly came alive.:) They should never have gone with the dire script (there was an earlier draft I read which had far more action and made sense but was probably more expensive) but then the leads casting was massively skewed up. Fiennes has no personality which Steed should be full of and Thurman struggles so much with the accent she can barely act - and then they have absolutely no chemistry (the editor noticed during the making but it was too late to do anything). Nicole Kidman was supposed to be Peel but blame Stanley Kubrick for not being able to release her from Eyes Wide Shut - so they rushed for Thurman instead as they knew she'd look good on posters. The test screenings went really badly (in Mexico where they said it was too english) so they kept messing around with it. There was a version scored by Michael Kamen (I'd love to hear his score as he had fun with it apparently). The photography, the design, the costumes, the music - in isolation they're all very good but together they fail. The world they create is not fun or inviting which is what I expected from The Avengers. Re. the lack of people. In season 5 of the series, the producers felt that the characters were too ridiculous to look right with everyday life so they didn't bother with scenes with extras on the street. That works for the scale of a tv series but for a film that goes for a big scale canvas it doesn't work - why care about a world in danger where there is no one in danger. Tea - they drank more champagne and coffee in the actual show. I still want to see the full original version one day - Warners have said it doesn't exist - yeah whatever. I'm always fascinated by films that had messy productions.

[@BenCol]

As a massive fan of the original TV series, I haven’t ever plucked up the courage to watch this film from start to finish. But from what I have seen, it seems one of the problems is Ralph Fiennes. Now one of the reasons I love the TV series is simply watching Patrick MacNee and Diana Rigg together - they had superb chemistry, and could make a weak episode immensely watchable simply by acting in it. There’s a lot of warmth in their performances (aided no doubt by their real life friendship). And in this film, Fiennes and Thurman seem to play the roles with icy detachment, which just isn’t right for the parts. I’m not a purist opposed to anyone else playing Steed - I love Big Finish’s Avengers audios with Julian Wadham as Steed, because he manages to capture the warmth which makes Steed so likeable. But it seems, by casting Fiennes, they wanted a more youthful, dapper, dashing character, which just isn’t who Steed is. Steed’s meant to be the old traditional English gentleman to which Gale/Peel/King/Purdy is the youthful counterpoint, it doesn’t work if they’re both youthful - I think the film would’ve been better if Jim Broadbent had been Steed as opposed to Mother. But it seems the people making this film didn’t 100% understand what made The Avengers great. Yes the show could be daft and silly at times, but it was done with a playful air, a wink and a tongue in its cheek. This film seems to think being daft and silly is all The Avengers was, but plays it all straight, so it failed where the TV show succeeded. But, as I said, I haven’t watched it, so I can’t critique it much. All I can say is that I very much hope that this film hasn’t killed off the possibility of there being more Avengers in the future, because I would love to see an Avengers return. Hey, it worked for The Avengers’ sister show Doctor Who!

[@calvindyson]

It's probably not even worth checking out if you're a fan of the series... That's what I've heard anyway! I do need to seek out some of the better rated episodes of the series though to give it a go.

[@BenCol]

Calvin Dyson Yeah definitely, I think it’d be right up your street. The Diana Rigg years (Seasons 4 & 5) are definitely the peak, and it’s so episodic you can start anywhere (which is good since Season 1 no longer exists bar 3&1/3 episodes). Plus, since the show was made on film from Season 4 onwards, the Rigg years are available on Blu-Ray and look absolutely fantastic.

[@BenCol]

Calvin Dyson Maybe I’ll appreciate it on a ‘so bad it’s good’ level - after all, I’m a big fan of the Super Mario games and I do have a soft spot for the 1993 Mario film for that reason. So much so that I even have it on Blu-Ray. Funnily enough, both films star Fiona Shaw.

[@pokerface8242]

BenCol Your analysis is right on. Ralph Fiennes was too young to play Steed - none of the old world charm - and Uma Thurman exhibited none of Diana Rigg's playfulness or je nais se quois. As a great fan of the show, this movie was a major disappointment.

[@VortexBunche]

@@BenCol I grew up on The Avengers and saw this film purely out of morbid curiosity. I sincerely wish I hadn't wasted the time and ticket price. AVOID.

[@danthsmith]

Connery made incredibly bad choices towards the end of his career

[@jamieking4892]

Yeah sir Billi

[@SciyonGenysis]

He was offered roles in Jurassic Park ,LOTR and The Matrix,the latter 2 would have been an amazing send off for his retirement.

[@stephengordon8594]

Ugh. yes. "league of extraordinary gentlemen"

[@nathanthomas5133]

RedAppleProductions yeah but it’s easy to second guess. No one knew the Matrix was going to be as huge as it was - I remember sitting in the first press screening , it had zero buzz so it came out of nowhere & took everyone by surprise. Many thought LOTR would be a disaster & Jurassic park would have been a total mess if they had botched the dinosaur effects

[@TheQuietReader1920]

The Avengers is my absolute favourite film. Your criticisms are perfectly valid and I've made them myself many times, but, I really like this film because of its faults rather than in spite of them. Also, as far as I am concerned, any movie that ends with someone being abducted by lightning has to be at least doing something right! Another fantastic video sir!

[@davidjames579]

The idea that is the worst film of 1998 is ridiculous. Has nobody seen Godzilla or Lost In Space?

[@TheQuietReader1920]

@@davidjames579 haha, very true! Ugh Godzilla and Lost in Space are so painful!!

[@davidjames579]

@@TheQuietReader1920 At least The Avengers is interesting. And it has great visuals, and some cool ideas, and I like the way the actors bounce off each other. To compare it to The Room is sacrilege. The Room can't master any of those things.

[@TheQuietReader1920]

@@davidjames579 very true! It's a weird messy film but it's also very unique. I really cannot understand why people act like it's the worst thing ever!

[@davidjames579]

@@TheQuietReader1920 I can't remember Matthew, have we discussed the film before? I know I have talked about how undervalued the film is to someone on KZbin.

[@jimd385]

Warner Bros already knew this film was a disaster, they chucked $30 million at Mel Gibson and begged him to make Lethal Weapon 4 so that they would have at least one movie that would make money for the summer of 1998, despite the fact that LW4 had no finished script, and didn’t begin filming until January of 98, it was rushed into production and finished principal photography just two months before release.

[@Rocket1377]

I would love to see Uma Thurman in a Bond film. She would make a great villainess.

[@rsacchi100]

A good review. "The Avengers" television series, during the Mrs. Peel era, was an off beat spy show. Steed and Mrs. Peel were in the business of stopping oddball villains. A large part of the series success was the chemistry between Steed and Mrs. Peel. Their personal relationship was ambiguous. The television restrictions of the era worked to the series advantage. Taking the chemistry away and putting the setting in a different time is two strikes against the movie.

[@BradHominem]

I recommend Billion Dollar Brain with Michael Caine. It's a fun spy movie with a couple of Bond connections.

[@waziotter]

I quite liked it. Totally bonkers, makes no sense whatsoever, but a lot of fun.

[@MrStath1986]

I remember almost choking on a chocolate pretzel at the teddy-bear scenes in the middle of a packed cinema.

[@edgarbeat275]

So sorry but that comment made me chuckle.

[@edgarbeat275]

Given the option choke or continuing watching. Hmmmm. Oh boy those teddy's suck any creditably left away.

[@WH250398]

Probably the worst movie I've ever seen has to be Meet The Spartans. The movie didn't just fail to make me laugh, it disgusted me with its grossout "humor".

[@expendableindigo9639]

Yep, Friedberg and Selzer are some of the biggest hacks in Hollywood, they're bad in a way that's hardly even fun to make fun of. Scary Movie 1 is the only one that I see people genuinely liking and I still get past how loud and dumb it is.

[@derworfnet]

Only movie I started with the intention of finishing it but *couldn't.* And I sat through many movies.

[@FraserJWhieldon]

I swear there was a scene where Peel judo flipped that attendant down the stairs...

[@SurlyInsomniac]

It was in the trailer.

[@brettmajors69karaoke]

Went to see this for Connery, walked out with my gf.

[@deliusmyth5063]

Hugh Bonneville would make a good Steed, I think.

[@jamesbuc6116]

Now go watch The Saint on Netflix and realise "I'd rather be watching Avengers"

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I think if they did a directors cut it would probably be a Highlander 2 situation-it would still be pretty awful but at least it's more coherent [though that's assuming the script made sense in the first place]. I don't think magically a good film is going to emerge. This came out a year after Batman and Robin and that probably didn't help matters either given this had probably finished filming when that came out.

[@ANobodyatall]

I watched this at the cinema, when it came out. Me and my mates thought the teddy bear bit was hilarious. We were the only ones laughing.

[@micshork]

Because if this film Marvel had some difficulty localizing their Avengers films in the UK

[@davidjames579]

To this day I really enjoy it. It's not a forgotten masterpiece, but there are a hellva lot worse or just boringly mediocre films. Given the spy setting, and accoutrements, I much rather watch this over other well received films. It's entertaining, it's pretty. What else do you need? The behind-the-scenes adds even more interest. I agree that the film was butchered in the edit, and I would love to see a full length version. The reputation is has built up is grossly undeserved.

[@MatthewHarkin]

Oh my god that bit with Sean Connery at the start made me choke on my drink. WHY HAVEN'T I SEEN THIS FILM!? I genuinely have a feeling it's right up my street...

[@twilliamspro]

gareth Mallory's Backstory right here. Film Ends Ralph Finnes Sits up in a cold sweat having fallen asleep as his desk in MI6 HQ.

[@mickesmanymovies]

I saw The Avengers back in -99, and I remember thinking it was silly and confusing, and I remember losing interest halfway through it - but did of course finish it. But I realise now, watching your review, that I don't remember even ten percent of it!! And wether intended or not on your part (probably not), your scathing review kind of make me want to see it again. 😁

[@por1821]

The movie felt & portrayed a world that was very empty. I agree it felt like non-British trying to recreate a particular 1960s type of British humour - they didn't understand it and produced nothing that any audience (modern or ancient) would think is the slightest bit entertaining.

[@thethinkingcatakaneonormie3527]

Supposedly there's still a longer cut of this movie but this probably will never see light of day as it adds more scenes but doesn't actually improve the overall plot, really the oddest thing was the involvement of Eddie Izzard who says nothing a guy with a great voice and has less lines then Groot.

[@billkoenig1552]

There were also a lot of character actors in The Avengers who'd appear in Bond films. Among them: Philip Locke (Vargas in Thunderball) and Julian Glover (who was all over British TV in the era). Also, Alan Hume, who photographed three Bond films in the 1980s, photographed some of the black and white Avengers episodes with Diana Rigg.

[@b.chaline4394]

Christopher Lee and John Hollis (Blofeld in the For your eyes only pre-credit scene) also guest-starred in a couple of episodes, if I remember correctly

[@adonian]

the classic 60's show was so cool, this movie was ...

[@MrAlsachti]

Apparently, they shot scenes in empty streets to try to capture the atmosphere of the old TV show. The TV show had a limited budget and could not afford a lot of extras. Indeed I remember several episodes where it was used as a plot device: streets mysteriously deserted, an empty military base...

[@edgarbeat275]

Exactly totally got that also

[@jamesatkinsonja]

It made sense for the TV show but this is a movie that can afford extras...

[@leftcoaster67]

Elizabeth Hurley would have been a better Emma Peel (She pretty much played the same character in Austin Powers).

[@nickdorenkamp959]

Well at least a decade later Ralph Finnes would go on to play M in the bond movies

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

Such shame, it had such great actors, such a great look, even a cameo (of sorts) from McNee. Hard to put your finger on where it went wrong.

[@squemps1]

Basically if Uma Thurman has red hair, the films a dud!

[@JoeChillton]

Shame cause she rocks it.

[@danthsmith]

The original was absolutely brilliant, increasingly surreal, awesome guest stars, fantastic leads. Check it out

[@SeekerLancer]

I remember seeing an ad for this in a comic book and then promptly forgetting about it and never thinking about it again until this moment.

[@yvonnerogers6429]

Y’all, please go watch the seasons of the television series with Diana Rigg in them. They’re amazing. Emma Peel is such an awesome character, and I hate how this movie probably discourages people from watching the show and discovering that. Thanks for the video, Calvin. Your channel has made getting through 2020 easier, and I’m really grateful. Merry Christmas. 🎄

[@behindthestunts]

I love the fact that I don't understand it. It means I don't have to try anymore. I can just let it wash over me. To be fair, its not a million miles from a number of the episodes of the TV series, style wise. The Avengers theme re-boot is a belter and one Grace Jones sings the end title single called Storm...very Bond-ish.

[@kuribayashi84]

Some admittedly stylish bits of production design aside (as in, a few of the sets look rather nice) the only thing about this flick I honestly *liked* is its Score, written by the talented Joel McNeely, truly a composer who had really bad luck with the films he was assigned to work on. And yes, it was indeed cut down from 115 Minutes to 89. I read that the Novelisation contains all the material cut from the film.

[@Doctor180185]

This is probably already mentioned, but apparently the choppy cut in the gentleman's club is due to there being a deleted scene in which Thurman kicks the guy's arse in order to get in 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@nooctip]

The empty streets were an omage to the series. Which due o budget constraints was a bit famous for having an empty world. As for th movie the main problem was they tried too hard to be quirky. In the series a weather machine, robot bees, group of criminals who disguise themselves as teddy bears, and villian who is so obsessed with Emma he clones her would be seperate episodes. The movie just crams them in with no rhyme or reason and hopes you'll think their cool.

[@ben8447]

I watched this on the opening night at the cinema. The Daily Mail had done a huge shit on it in their review which they even dedicated the whole of their page 3 for. So I went there with very low expectations and...i enjoyed it. It was wacky like the wackier of the Avengers TV episodes but I do know that a hell of a lot was cut out of what was the final edit. Anyway, I enjoyed it for what it was.

[@neilnotniel01]

The makers of this at least TRIED to make a good film. You should watch Val Kilmer in The Saint. THAT is appalling, and definitely the worst film I've ever seen!

[@phillipgreen6516]

I have a weird love hate relationship with this film it's definitely a oddity Would still like to see a directors cut /restoration of all the cut out bits You never know there might be a hidden gem within Thumbs up from south Wales

[@PaulBurgin]

I agree, it is one of the most badly organised and sloppily contrived films I have seen, and the worst of it is it could have been so much better. Theoretically it should have been excellent. Based on a popular surreal series, Ralph Fiennes as the hero, Sean Connery as the villain, and you feel some crucial scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Fiennes and Thurman lack the warmth between Steed and Peel who ought to have the sort of relationship that you get they are close platonic friends but there is a certain spark between them that you wonder if they ever slept together! I understand this was one of the things that led to Sean Connery quitting. He had reservations about doing this and got suckered into doing it. He then turned down The Lord of the Rings, not understanding it, yet was a success, and then went for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen which was a deserved flop, which led to Connery questioning his judgement.

[@mr.F.Castle]

Plot twist Ralph Fiennes is actually Voldemort in disguise.

[@jorgezarco9269]

Patrick Macnee was a warm, charismatic, debonair John Steed. Ralph Fiennes was a grumpy, introverted John Steed. "Don't Look Behind You" was a good episode of the 1960's TV show. Macnee played Count Iblis on Battlestar Galactica(1978-1979).

[@andrewpragasam]

I vividly recall sitting in a near empty cinema in 1998, slack-jawed in disbelief at this movie. Such a criminal waste of a great cast. The original Avengers show is wonderful and thoroughly recommended. An additional Bond connection born by this lousy film is that Grace Jones performs the end credits song. Btw: the director was only hired because he was the producer's son-in-law.

[@samkresil6011]

5:07 John Steed: I don't know, it never bothered me. Infact, I don't think ANYTHING in this film bothered me. I just have my own natural liking to it.

[@BlueSkyBS]

Steed required a character-actor to play him. Macnee wasn't what you'd call a conventional leading man in the tv series (indeed, he wasn't the leading man in the beginning) but this british quirkiness of an unconventional lead was what made the role iconic in the 60s. Fiennes is a conventional leading man. You get what you cast for.

[@calvindyson]

Quite agree! I think the cast in the supporting roles do well entirely because of the quirky factor. Broadbent, Shaw etc all look to be having a much better grasp on what kind of film they’re in than the leads, Fiennes in particular

[@ther0n1nnamed47]

Being a kid super into comics back when this came out. I was excited when I heard of this movie, and confused... I was like where is Iron man and captain America? But I figured it out quick it was based on a TV show, the same day I first seen the trailer, I also seen a documentary on the making of the movie. And that was the first time I heard of the show the avengers.

[@neilvarma]

Imagine having this cast and getting this movie 😱

[@angelcastaneda529]

Huh, M and Bond are in this movie? Who knew?

[@TheBeird]

Hmm, I remember the issue of Empire that had Uma on the cover in that cat suit . . . There was a feature on Blues Brothers 2000 inside! 🤮

[@HOTD108_]

What?

[@TheBeird]

Linkara · 12 Years Ago If there’s a film possibly worse and a greater waste of time than The Avengers (1998), it’s Blues Brothers 2000

[@TheBeird]

@Ivor Biggun I think it had a Les Miserable and a Deep Impact trailer on it? Among many others. Shame my memory can't be used for anything useful

[@TheBeird]

@Ivor Biggun Buggeration, what a memory. Wasn't there a Les Miserable trailer as well?

[@TheBeird]

@Ivor Biggun Maybe in our next lives we'll have brains for science or some shit. Until then . . . movie trivia it is :(

[@retro2103]

Seriously though. I highly recommend anyone watch the Avengers from the 60s. It's very, very charming television. If you can handle a bit of cheese that is.

[@portland-182]

"Charisma Vacuum" Ralph Fiennes is very entertaining and charismatic in 'Grand Budapest Hotel' - which suggests piss poor scripting, terrible casting, and dreadful direction, plus possible studio interference, means that it is awful. However despite all that, it is very accurate to some of the 60's TV episodes.

[@dwibs93]

The ineptitude of this film is amazing. It's the greyest film I've ever seen, and yet suddenly BAM multicoloured teddy bears! Also, I've never seen a city in a film as deserted as London here.

[@dwibs93]

@Ivor Biggun Key word being "less" not none. And wasn't London in the 60s a boom period?

[@GusMcGuire]

As an Avengers fan, I have this movie on DVD and there are so many things I want to like about it - the teddy bears, the E-Type Jag and the radio controlled wasps, Eileen Atkins elderly aunt with a machine gun, the immensely silly weather plot.... - but tonally, it's all over the place. The Avengers TV series was a fun, silly romp. The movie version is always trying to be sinister and there's that Godawful love interest that comes out of nowhere (Steel kissing Emma just feels ....wrong. It was like watching a sex crime). It was such a mess. Fiennes (as mentioned in this video) is a charisma-free zone and the chemistry between him and Thurman feels like that of a couple about to get divorced but still trying to keep up appearances for the neighbours. Thurman looks like an unwilling clothes horse. Diana Rigg pulled it off masterfully because her Emma Peel gave the impression she was simply that stylish. Thurman looks like she hates everything she's wearing but is contractually obliged to put it on. Rigg's Peel investigated with a calm resolve, giving the impression of being in control even when she didn't know what was happening. Thurman's face says it all - her Emma Peel is completely out of her depth. The only character with any onscreen presence is Connery and it's saying so much when the movie villain is completely outshining the two supposed heroes.

[@samkresil6011]

8:17 Because he didn't. Having turned down Hannibal Lector and Simon Gruber in Die Hard 3, he never had the desire to play a villain, that is until THIS film of course.

[@johnv7317]

And people say The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was bad. Well The Avengers (1998) can hold its beer.

[@NerdonFilm]

Hey, welcome to Letterboxd! I need to see this movie. I remember watching the HBO Behind the Scenes documentary on it when I was a kid, and I thought it looked great back then.

[@thomaskirkness-little5809]

The Avengers was an excellent show but I can't see it ever being modernised without being ruined.

[@alankohn6709]

I have actually watched the avengers series and focusing on the John Steed Emma Peel Era the stories ran the gamut from classic bond style spy capers to Sci Fi stories with murderous androids and telepaths all combined with a touch of psychedelic sixties vibe. John Steed was the classic gentleman adventure. Cultured, Sophisticated and well educated but still approachable who'd be as comfortable having a few pints down the local as tea with the queen Patrick Macnee captured this character. Mrs Emma Peel Smart, Sophisticated, beautiful, SEXY (5 minutes of Diana Rigg reading a newspaper while sipping tea and I need some alone time) and Steeds equal when it came to dealing with the bad guys The perfect English lady adventure. The chemistry between Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg was perfect and that sexual tension between them fogged the screen in that perfectly upper class way they flirted with each other but were still perfectly propper he always called her Mrs Peel she always called him Steed.

[@mt1qua]

I always thought he called her Mrs Peel, but having watched the Emma Peel series again, he does call her Emma sometimes

[@tikidino]

Mrs. Peel & Steed’s relationship was a key element in the original series. It was off the wall, tongue in cheek and at times just plain goofy. This was deliberate, this movie was completely awful!!!

[@FreeNintendo21]

Wow, Calvin! Your reaction at the beginning of the video sums up the entire movie,

[@sgtfrozty]

8:25 "Please, never zoom on any grey hair in that area again. I'm trying to eat my popcorn."

[@blueseanomad7435]

I remember seeing this when it came out (I worked in a theatre so I saw lots of crap from that era)...I tried to erase it from my memory. More terrible editing: 0:28, that reverb... 2:42, Ah, that generic late 90s font. (Tomorrow Never Dies has a variation of it) 11:56 (and the entire film really), it is shot very flat; characters in front of a boring background, center screen.