Ten years after the 'Get Smart!' sitcom ended, Don Adams was back as 'Maxwell Smart' a.k.a. Agent 86 of Control ( renamed P.I.T.S. ), this time on the big screen in 'The Nude Bomb'. Masked KAOS villain Sauvage ( Vittorio Gassman ) has a weapon that destroys all fabric, and plans to turn everyone in the world naked unless his demands are met. His secret headquarters is inside a hollowed-out mountain, accessible only through a giant zip. Smart is given a new team of agents to work with, one of which is the stunning Agent 36 ( Pamela Hensley, best remembered as 'Princess Ardala' from 'Buck Rogers In The 25th Century' ). Another is vanishing expert Agent 22 ( Princess Diana lookalike-Andrea Howard ).
Ed Platt ( 'The Chief' ) had passed away, so Dana Elcar replaced him. Barbara Feldon declined to return as '99'. Apart from Adams, only Robert Karvelas was in the original ( as 'Larrabee' ).
Bill Dana, Arne Sultan and Leonard Stern's script pokes fun at the the then recent Bond films 'Moonraker' ( most notably the sky diving opening ) and 'The Spy Who Loved Me' with its Jaws-like henchman whose artificial hand comes fitted with deadly gadgets. Sylvia Kristel ( of 'Emmanuelle' ) is given prominent billing, despite only being on screen for a few minutes. She is cast as Agent 34, whom Max encounters in Innsbruck. It is hard to recognise her with her clothes on.
While it is good to have a 'Get Smart!' movie with Don Adams in the lead, Max seems strangely out of place in the disco era ( giving him profanities to say and having him leer at women was also a mistake ). The absences of '99', 'Hymie' the robot, and KAOS villain 'Siegfried' proved a handicap. Adams does not have the same chemistry with Howard as he had with Feldon. The script provides plenty of excuses for physical comedy, but is not really all that funny. The chase through the Universal Studios Tour looks like product placement.
The other annoying thing is that the 'nude bomb' idea is not fully developed. It would have been amusing to see the U.S. President suddenly rendered stark naked in the middle of a major speech, for instance, but never happens ( how could they have avoided having Pamela Hensley in the buff? It would have turned this movie into a smash to rival 'Star Wars' ).
There are some funny moments scattered about. When Max and 22 arrive at the villain's headquarters, the giant zip is pulled down, and he tells her to look away as "there's no telling what may come out of that thing!". When a clone of The Chief flees from Max's apartment, he gives chase using his desk ( yes, I said, desk! ). The incredible finale has Max and Sauvage battle it out with the aid of an instant cloning machine!
Directed by Clive Donner, also responsible for the films 'What's New Pussycat?' and 'Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush'. 'Bomb' was not a hit and later played on television as 'The Return Of Maxwell Smart'. As spy spoofs go, it is much better than 'Johnny English' and the ultra-crude 'Austin Powers' series, despite not being generally liked by fans of the show. In 1989, a made-for-television movie - 'Get Smart Again!' - reunited Adams with Feldon and was much funnier.
Ed Platt ( 'The Chief' ) had passed away, so Dana Elcar replaced him. Barbara Feldon declined to return as '99'. Apart from Adams, only Robert Karvelas was in the original ( as 'Larrabee' ).
Bill Dana, Arne Sultan and Leonard Stern's script pokes fun at the the then recent Bond films 'Moonraker' ( most notably the sky diving opening ) and 'The Spy Who Loved Me' with its Jaws-like henchman whose artificial hand comes fitted with deadly gadgets. Sylvia Kristel ( of 'Emmanuelle' ) is given prominent billing, despite only being on screen for a few minutes. She is cast as Agent 34, whom Max encounters in Innsbruck. It is hard to recognise her with her clothes on.
While it is good to have a 'Get Smart!' movie with Don Adams in the lead, Max seems strangely out of place in the disco era ( giving him profanities to say and having him leer at women was also a mistake ). The absences of '99', 'Hymie' the robot, and KAOS villain 'Siegfried' proved a handicap. Adams does not have the same chemistry with Howard as he had with Feldon. The script provides plenty of excuses for physical comedy, but is not really all that funny. The chase through the Universal Studios Tour looks like product placement.
The other annoying thing is that the 'nude bomb' idea is not fully developed. It would have been amusing to see the U.S. President suddenly rendered stark naked in the middle of a major speech, for instance, but never happens ( how could they have avoided having Pamela Hensley in the buff? It would have turned this movie into a smash to rival 'Star Wars' ).
There are some funny moments scattered about. When Max and 22 arrive at the villain's headquarters, the giant zip is pulled down, and he tells her to look away as "there's no telling what may come out of that thing!". When a clone of The Chief flees from Max's apartment, he gives chase using his desk ( yes, I said, desk! ). The incredible finale has Max and Sauvage battle it out with the aid of an instant cloning machine!
Directed by Clive Donner, also responsible for the films 'What's New Pussycat?' and 'Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush'. 'Bomb' was not a hit and later played on television as 'The Return Of Maxwell Smart'. As spy spoofs go, it is much better than 'Johnny English' and the ultra-crude 'Austin Powers' series, despite not being generally liked by fans of the show. In 1989, a made-for-television movie - 'Get Smart Again!' - reunited Adams with Feldon and was much funnier.