Get Smart

Directed By: Peter Segal
Rating: PG-13 (US) / PG Canada
Runtime: 1 hour 50 min

The "KAOS" theory applies in the 2008 adaptation of the 60’s television show Get Smart. The names of the characters are the same, though the setting is current, and the toys are much more technologically advanced.
CONTROL is a secret organization supplying numbered agents in various assignments around the globe. They are constantly battling KAOS and enemy organization whose diabolical schemes threaten US security. Integrated into the US defense strategy, CONTROL takes on a bit more authority in the film then it seemed to possess in the television show. Steve Carrell brings his famous sense of humour to the modern day Maxwell Smart, who is working for Control as a senior analyst and wants nothing more than to become a field agent. When CONTROL is infiltrated all of the current agents identities are compromised. Max is promoted out of necessity and assigned to partner with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), who has conveniently undergone plastic surgery. They are on a mad hunt to uncover a KAOS presence who has infiltrated CONTROL on a senior level.
The chemistry between 99 and Smart is charming and guides the viewer on a journey towards respect and acceptance, allowing Carrell to insert his deadpan style into Smart. As he strives to complete a mission that seems above him he also attempts to impress his partner, an agent much more experienced and capable than himself.
The throwbacks to the 60’s premise are well placed, and I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of comedy that hadn’t been given away by the trailers. It was a risk for this film to take these beloved characters and turn them into modern day identities, as the film establishes that although Control has existed since the 60’s, Agents 86 and 99 have never previously surfaced. Some of the character changes paid off more than others, and a few interesting choices were made. The addition of two new analysts, who make up for their lack of courage with their tech-savvy inventions, is a good secondary outlet for comedy and compliments Max’s rise to field agent status and the rivalry between analysts and agents. Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) is introduced as a hardline CONTROL agent who is out to win at all costs. Agent 99 bears almost no emotional resemblance to the Barbara Feldon’s portrayal, though Hathaway is able to provide a sympathetic character that works for the modern age woman. Carrell was absolutely the best choice to revisit Agent 86, though no one could ever live up to Don Adam’s hysterical ironclad grasp on Maxwell Smart. The film leans more toward the action spectrum, with comedy thrown in wherever it fits, a departure from the original series, which used action only as a tool to enhance its trademark slapstick style. That being said the film is designed to make you embrace the new characters while still enjoying the overall feel of the 60’s good-versus-evil worldview.
I would watch this movie again in a heartbeat, having enjoyed the show as a child. I am pleased with the adaptation, and would expect a sequel to surface in a few years time.