“Get Smart” is a respectable remake from a TV classic, with plenty of action and plenty of laughs.

Going into seeing this movie, I had concerns in comparison to the classic TV series that there’s an age difference between Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway… and that was explained, the difference in time between the CONTROL Agency set in the 1960’s in the TV version and the modern day CONTROL are also explained early on.
(Other than the original Maxwell Smart – Don Adams) Steve Carell seems born to play this role… serious or comedic at all the right times, bumbling in most scenes with real action hero moves in others.  

Anne Hathaway is a great compliment, Alan Arkin is great as the Chief, Terenace Stamp is great as the leader of CHAOS, Dawyne (”The Rock”) Johnson, Masi Oka (”Heroes”) and the entire supporting cast are solid.

The overall storyline is fairly predictable, but how they get from plotpoint to plotpoint with Carell’s goofiness is funny and less predictable.

This was a pleasant surprise, but die hard fans of the classic TV show may feel different.

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 Do you remember what it was like the first time you saw all those cool effects for the first time when seeing “The Matrix” (1999)? 

Okay, we’ll this isn’t totally like that, but pretty close as far as awesome action and effects that push the limits a little bit more… there’s no groundbreaking like “bulletime”, but there are some very cool visuals!!!
 This is easily one of the best action movies of 2008… the action is great, the stunts are cool, the storyline isn’t too complicated to follow and even the minor characters are well developed.

But – parents beware – it does have an “R” rating for a reason.

James McAvoy fits the role of Wesley perfectly, going from dorky to death defying… Angelina Jolie is cool as the female assasin that McAvoy first encounters… and Morgan Freeman is solid as the leader of the group with a complexity that he pulls off with ease.  The supporting cast is convincing as well.

‘Wanted” is very much like “The Matrix” as (more…)