The Avengers (film)

The Avengers is a 1998 film based on the British cult television series of the same name from the 1960s.

Cast

Ralph Fiennes is the not-so-dapper version of John Steed; Uma Thurman turned in a wooden performance as Emma Peel; and Sean Connery goes over the top as Sir August de Wynter, a mad scientist bent on controlling the world's weather and blackmailing various governments for sun or rain. Patrick Macnee, the John Steed of the original series, makes a pseudo-cameo as the voice of Invisible Jones.

Critical Response

The film was given almost universally bad reviews; the purists despised it for bungling up the original series (particularly the introduction of a romance between Steed and Peel - a taboo subject in the series), and the newcomers were utterly lost by all of the failed attempts to capture the mood of the original. In scene after scene, from the giant Teddy bears to the M. C. Escher room to Invisible Jones, the director tried to be pleasantly odd, only to have his work come across as insultingly stupid and utterly pointless. Further adding to the confusion, after terrible test screenings, the 150 minute film was slashed down to 89 minutes, sacrificing much coherency and continuity in the process. And to top things off, the director chosen to head this project was Jeremiah S. Chechik, who is best known not for action flicks or dramas, but comedies, namely Benny & Joon (1993) and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989).

According to the Internet Movie Database, this movie received a 3.4 out of a possible 10, with 9,399 people voting, putting it at #80 in the bottom 100 movies of all time.

Quotes

John Steed: After all, according to your file, you're a psychopathic personality with schizophrenic delusions, suffering from recurring amnesia based on traumatic repression leading to outbursts of antisocial and violent behavior. Knight to king seven. Check.

Emma Peel: Is that really what you think of me?

John Steed: Well...just my type, Mrs. Peel.