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An early review for the movie "Get Smart".

Contains spoilers.

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The film is not due out to hit theaters till June 2008.

Here is what 'Agent Double-O Soul' had to tell us about the film.

Hello friends at Latino Review.com, I've been a fan of your site for quite some time. I'm associated with the big conglomerate that runs the studio releasing "Get Smart" and was dismayed to hear that you guys are hardly given your due respect. You do have your fans in the industry like myself, but many are too chicken to throw you a bone or whatever they call it nowadays. After reading how you were not invited to see the "Dark Knight" preview in IMAX along with top journalists I figured that you could use a little information about this huge summer movie. I'm not Latino, but several of my friends are including my brother-in-law and I think its a shame that you're still not considered a top source of information in the media. Warner Bros. could use an outlet like yours for good publicity, after all their films haven't been all that great really. The creatures in "I Am Legend" only looked phony because the effects budget went to Will Smith's salary, no one was in a rush to see "August Rush" and "Michael Clayton" was nominated for Oscars because Clooney didn't bat his eyes when he acted for a change.

Let me tell you about "Get Smart". I used to watch re-runs when I was a kid, but I'm not really a die-hard fan of the show. As for the movie...it's good, I mean really good. Steve Carell's comedy can wear a bit thin after a while just like his predecessor Jim Carrey, but this is the perfect vehicle for him. Just looking at him reminds me of Don Adams and his iconic character Agent 86 aka Maxwell Smart and though that may not seem like a good thing, Carell carries the man's spirit and eventually makes the role his own.

Though we were informed that the print we would be seeing was a rough-cut with maybe the occasional scratches or sound drop-outs that accompany editing, this baby is done. And I mean done, done. The opening titles are in place, the visual f/x are top-notch and it even has a credit crawl at the end. I mean although it's opening in June, this baby could come out tomorrow.

Carell's Maxwell Smart isn't an agent at the secret government agency known as CONTROL, but an analyst hoping to make his mark and be promoted. When the picture began I had the feeling we'd never hear the classic "Get Smart" theme. Smart is carrying a stack of files and entering a government lobby while a group tour is in progress viewing all the classic gadgets from the series on display, including the shoe phone and that red Sunbeam convertible. As far as the world knows, CONTROL has been inactive for decades, but as soon as Carrell passes through a secret entrance with a familiar series of massive steel doors, that familiar theme kicks in and a smile grew on my face. I noticed the music was by composer Trevor Rabin and although he mostly works on all things Bruckeheimer, he's fashioned some exciting action filled and comedic tunes.

Smart isn't regarded too well within the agency. Two of his colleagues played Terry Crewes and David Koechner not only pick on Smart like High School bullies but call him "Maxi-pad" and never see him becoming an agent. But he also has two friends in his corner who work in the tech department, one of which is played by Masi Oka, Hiro from "Heroes". Smart finds his own hero in Agent 23, Dwayne Johnson who has officially dropped "The Rock" as his middle name. "23" may be the top agent with the killer body and good looks, but he respects Smart and treats him like a little brother, occasionally sticking up for him against those two bullies. Though he yearns to be an agent, the Chief, played by Alan Arkin has a fondness for Smart as well and sees analytical work "becoming an art form". The real work may be done behind a desk, but after losing a hundred pounds former "fatty" Smart wants to get out in the field.

Smart finally gets his chance when he returns from his lunch hour one afternoon to find CONTROL has been attacked. With agents sprawled across the work floor, the facility is a wreck due to infiltration by the evil organization known as CHAOS. Detailed files have been raided and the secret identifies of agents throughout the world now compromised. With many agents now reported murdered, the Chief has no choice but to promote Smart to a full agent and send him on an assignment in Russia to locate an arms dealer associated with CHAOS. His new partner will be an Agent known as "99" who just so happens to be the jogger he collided with on his lunch hour and looks a helluva lot like Anne Hathaway.

Hathaway is no Barbara Feldon, but she's more of a 21st Century woman and sees Smart as a liability that will slow her down. He's never been tested in the field and that inexperience could get her killed. Smart on the other hand believes he's more than capable to complete his assignment but nevertheless lands them in situations that could get them killed. Among those situations are a hilarious bit in an airplane lavatory where Smart shoots himself with several arrows throughout his body using a crossbow hidden in a Swiss army knife and winds up ejecting himself from the plane, a skydive fight against behemoth bad guy Dalip Singh from "The Longest Yard" (who looks like he ate Hulk Hogan and Triple-H) and another hilarious bit involving a series of laser beams and how to slip through them while a rat crawls in your pants. Then there's a moment where Smart attempts to subdue some guards with a blow-dart, only to knock himself unconscious by blowing the wrong end.

What's good about "Get Smart" is that while its high on comedy, there's a real story with a serious plotline and serious villains. One of the top baddies is played by General Zod himself, Terrance Stamp who although can be downright sinister, has a few comedic lines of his own as when he tells dumb associate Ken Davitian from "Borat", "You're the only human being I know that snores while he's awake." Stamp isn't the only familiar face in the cast, I was surprised to see Bill Murray as Agent 13, whose lonely post at a secret entrance is inside of a tree, James Caan doing a funny spoof on George Bush as the President and "Seinfeld" fans will be pleased to see just who is playing android "Hymie the Robot".

Whoever the writers are for this film, they've not only studied the series but brought it up to date. There are little nods to certain elements the fans may be familiar with (the "Cone of Silence" goes hi-tech) and its also well cast and works as an action movie. Carell's Maxwell Smart, isn't played like an idiot. He's actually a bright analyst who retains information he's collected and is pretty handy with a gun. There's some exciting action set pieces and though this isn't an R-rated movie, the gun play is often similar to a James Bond adventure. Hathaway is not only stunning, (apparently "99" had plastic surgery to alter her identity--yeah right) but once she and Carrell learn to work together, their chemistry and intelligence make them a well-fitted pair. I was surprised that not only was the picture funny, but exciting like a summer action movie and I don't normally like these type of films.

The supporting cast expertly handle the comedic bits as well. Crewes and Koechner's school-yard behavior seems to land them in hot water, especially when "The Rock" staples a memo to one's forehead for jamming the copier. "We don't staple peoples heads," The Chief tells him, "that's CIA crap." Johnson is familiar with comedy (though the Game Plan was a disaster), but who would think that a giant like Singh who basically grunted throughout "The Longest Yard" could share a tender and hilarious scene with Carrell as he's trying to kill him? I laughed the hardest when Smart, jealous that "99" is dancing with the Russian arms dealer at a ball, asks an overweight woman to join him because he too was once obese. Not only do they dance well together (with hilarious results) but Smart struggles with a blood-red face from lifting this nice woman over his head.

I heard the director who has teamed with Adam Sandler several times is supposed to bring "Shazaam" to the big screen next. Making that story in the vein of this film won't work, so I suggest he stick with the franchise that will definitely be born after this film is a big hit come June. "GET SMARTER"? I never thought I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to that.


Credit: LatinoReview