Wonderful character development!

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is a comedy.... or so it tries. Let me start with saying, I personally have never seen the series from the 70s,80s, or whatever.I'm a big Steve Carrel fan and the rest of the cast are really fun actors (Hathaway, Crews, Johnson, etc.)I'm just going to say it. This movie sucks.If I watched the show, then maybe I could understand the comedic elements better. But as an average 26 year old movie goer, this was garbage. I recommend staying away from this trash.

Max Smart is an analyst for the US spy agency CONTROL. He yearns to become a field agent and after eight years has finally passed the test but has to face disappointment when told that he is too good an analyst to be made an agent. The situation soon changes when agents from Kaos, a foreign agency, attack and steal details of all active agents. That leaves just two people to go into the field and foil their plot; Smart and 'Agent 99', an agent whose details haven't been updated since her plastic surgery. Evidence suggests that agents of Kaos, under the leadership of 'Siegfried', have stolen a quantity of Uranium so Max and Agent 99 are sent to Russia to investigate. It won't be easy though; there is a mole in CONTROL and KAOS has some particularly tough agents.When I picked this up I was expecting something similar to 'Johnny English' with a fairly incompetent protagonist who ultimately prevails in spite of his stupidity. Actually it is quite different, there are some slapstick moments but for the most part he is skilled if somewhat naïve. The central story is solid and not inherently silly. There is a fine mix of comedy and action with neither being sacrificed at the expense of the other. Max Smart is a solid and likable protagonist, Steve Carell does an impressive job in the role. He is ably supported by Anne Hathaway, who is a lot of fun as Anent 99; Alan Arkin, who plays his short tempered boss and Dwayne Johnson, who plays 'super-agent' 23. Terence Stamp makes a good villain and Dalip Singh is a lot of fun as a henchman who is clearly inspired by Jaws from the James Bond films. The action scenes are exciting and wouldn't be out of place in a non-comedy action film aimed at the same demographic. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of the secret agent genre who want a good laugh; it is suitable for anybody old enough to enjoy Roger Moore era Bond films; which in many ways in resembles.

As people who read my reviews know I am a very harsh critic. I don't like even 10 minutes if boredom from my 2 hour movie experience.That being said this movie keeps moving at a pretty good pace, were it falls short for me is the stupidity of it on too many occasions. I realize I am watching a comedy, and Steven is typically funny in many a movie just not in this one. I expect stupidity in small doses, but not to the point of juvenile. This is were the movie loses me, it does have a very few minor chuckles but not enough for me to even want to hold this on my book shelf. I threw it away after I watched. The wife enjoyed it though. I would recommend it for a younger audience like say teenagers I guess. And this movie should have have not come back from the grave.

Having seen the original series when younger, I was doubtful about the prospects for a film adaptation of "Get Smart". But the film stars the perfect actor for the Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) role--Steve Carrell. And the writers were smart to diverge from the total goofiness that was Don Adams's main character trait. Instead, Max in the film is clueless but lovable and slightly more intelligent.Anne Hathaway is great as agent 99, a perfect blend of beauty, physicality and comic timing. The energy between agents 86 and 99 feels believable.This is a comedy with real laughs. A nice blend of physical humor, one liners, and clever punchlines keeps it fun.Some nice cameos, good production values and special effects make the film a joy to watch, with strong stunt work and credible props that make the film more than a lampoon. It's a spy story with a strong comic sense. I was pleasantly surprised. Though familiarity with the series might add depth to the viewer's experience, it is not needed for enjoyment of this film.