The Movie

[Sam]

I read the novel a thousand times which changed my mind about the film. Featuring important 'key moments' that were cut, I consider now that it is a good film (not the current version but the 1st project which was planned).
Those who thought the 'destruction of the Prospero research laboratory' had to be removed were wrong.

I believe that's what helped me with the film. I read the book previous to seeing the movie and so I knew what was going on the whole time despite the missing parts. My uncle who saw the film with me, was totally lost.

[Ginandtonic]

I was quite disappointed by The Avengers movie back in the '90s and haven't bought it on DVD. However, I'd definitely buy it if an extended edition was released. In fact, I'm quite tempted to buy in anyway, as I see some traders on Amazon are selling it for less than £2, including postage! Has anyone watched it recently and thought it had improved with age?

I'm going to draw fire here *prepares to duck into foetal position*
The movie is okay... providing... you see it for what is it on its own, as a quirky british spy action adventure.

I saw the series before I saw the film, when I heard it was coming out I was looking forward to it... but then it went quiet, no one knew when it was being released, and upon vitising the cinema in my home town, I learnt that it had been out for a week and then pulled. Back in 1998 I was bitterly disappointed... as soon as it was available to rent I saw it about a year or so later... I was horrified... 'what the hell have they done' sprang to mind, and after much forwarding an reversing, gave up on hunting for scenes from the trailer that were apparently missing.

Skip forward to last year, and development/research into the show, for The Avengers Return, I decided to give it another go...

My reaction was less extreme, but still one of disappointment. It's a better film than I originally remembered, and had some wonderful ideas, but painfully it missed the whole point of the show, and even butchered some dialogue pinched from series 4, if the casting had been better and the chemistry developed with better dialogue then this may have had a fighting chance. The film never had a chance against the series, and so they must have tried to carve out their own niche but seemingly managed to fail to do that as well, yes it did have its own paticular vision but it had people tuning out in their droves, so that didn't work either.

When researching into how to revisit The Avengers, the film did become more of a guide of what not to do... but... but, it did have a few gems in it that are normally overlooked, but only because there are so few. The musical score though from much controversy itself, isn't bad, even though I missed the sounds of Laurie Johnson. I know some people hate them, but the killer robotic wasps, were quirky and terrifying in a fashion. Mother, love him or hate him, I didn't mind the character here, I still think the character has been underused in any medium, something we're looking to develop further. Like I said there are only a few gems... and a few lesser ones after those but still little nods here and there that make you think of the series but given that they didn't work with any of the original crew, you can't help feel some of those nods are there by coincidence and not by design. The teddybears, a company called BROLLY, nice nods, but after that it feels like they are meddling too much with the nuts and bolts, (Dr Peel????) and when they do that you have to let go of this being attached in some way to the series or it will break your heart. There a number of fixes that could have been made to make this a half way decent movie adaptation of the series, but after the failed Mexican screen tests, WB had already washed their hands of it.

So to sum up it's okay upon revisiting, but only if you watch it without thinking about the series. But on it's own, its an enjoyable romp, but like with a number of films these days, you'll watch it in the cinema, but it doesn't have you wanting the DVD when you leave... enjoyable but forgettable.

Matt

[MRotten]

No matter how you look at it, the movie stinks to high heaven. Unfortunately, it's a load of rubbish.

[Lando]

I was quite disappointed by The Avengers movie back in the '90s and haven't bought it on DVD. However, I'd definitely buy it if an extended edition was released. In fact, I'm quite tempted to buy in anyway, as I see some traders on Amazon are selling it for less than £2, including postage! Has anyone watched it recently and thought it had improved with age?

I'm going to draw fire here *prepares to duck into foetal position*
The movie is okay... providing... you see it for what is it on its own, as a quirky british spy action adventure.

I saw the series before I saw the film, when I heard it was coming out I was looking forward to it... but then it went quiet, no one knew when it was being released, and upon vitising the cinema in my home town, I learnt that it had been out for a week and then pulled. Back in 1998 I was bitterly disappointed... as soon as it was available to rent I saw it about a year or so later... I was horrified... 'what the hell have they done' sprang to mind, and after much forwarding an reversing, gave up on hunting for scenes from the trailer that were apparently missing.

Skip forward to last year, and development/research into the show, for The Avengers Return, I decided to give it another go...

My reaction was less extreme, but still one of disappointment. It's a better film than I originally remembered, and had some wonderful ideas, but painfully it missed the whole point of the show, and even butchered some dialogue pinched from series 4, if the casting had been better and the chemistry developed with better dialogue then this may have had a fighting chance. The film never had a chance against the series, and so they must have tried to carve out their own niche but seemingly managed to fail to do that as well, yes it did have its own paticular vision but it had people tuning out in their droves, so that didn't work either.

When researching into how to revisit The Avengers, the film did become more of a guide of what not to do... but... but, it did have a few gems in it that are normally overlooked, but only because there are so few. The musical score though from much controversy itself, isn't bad, even though I missed the sounds of Laurie Johnson. I know some people hate them, but the killer robotic wasps, were quirky and terrifying in a fashion. Mother, love him or hate him, I didn't mind the character here, I still think the character has been underused in any medium, something we're looking to develop further. Like I said there are only a few gems... and a few lesser ones after those but still little nods here and there that make you think of the series but given that they didn't work with any of the original crew, you can't help feel some of those nods are there by coincidence and not by design. The teddybears, a company called BROLLY, nice nods, but after that it feels like they are meddling too much with the nuts and bolts, (Dr Peel????) and when they do that you have to let go of this being attached in some way to the series or it will break your heart. There a number of fixes that could have been made to make this a half way decent movie adaptation of the series, but after the failed Mexican screen tests, WB had already washed their hands of it.

So to sum up it's okay upon revisiting, but only if you watch it without thinking about the series. But on it's own, its an enjoyable romp, but like with a number of films these days, you'll watch it in the cinema, but it doesn't have you wanting the DVD when you leave... enjoyable but forgettable.

Matt

I still really enjoy watching the film. I watched it again a few weeks ago. I would really like to see the full cut of the film too.

[MRotten]

Its a shame that a recent dvd release with special features hasn't been done.

The real shame is that it was made in the first place! It might have worked if Brian Clemens had been involved, or if one of the original Avengers directors had directed it, but as it had none of these or any other suitably talented people to guide the project, it was doomed to be a tangled mess, and it was. The movie was 'The Avengers' in name only.

[Mona]

Time Magazine rates "The Avengers" film #17 out of 20 on the list of all time summer blockbuster failures.

The only two things I liked about the film were Invisible Jones (of course!) and the fight scenes, which I think Fiennes--(the most boring, monotonous actor in the world to me)--did well.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packa ... 34,00.html

Mona

[Dandy Forsdyke]

The Avengers Movie got a mention on my favourite quiz programme, Pointless. The question was to name an obscure Sean Connery film.

Among the pointless answers was The Avengers. Or as one of the hosts called it "the terrible remake of that film".

[Frankymole]

The Avengers Movie got a mention on my favourite quiz programme, Pointless. The question was to name an obscure Sean Connery film.

Among the pointless answers was The Avengers. Or as one of the hosts called it "the terrible remake of that film".

Of what film?

[Dandy Forsdyke]

Slip of the finger ... obvioushly.

[Alan]

I'm selling a number of rare Avengers movie photos on ebay, for those interested:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/alansteed116/ ... 4340.l2562