After the news from the movie version came out, I have been looking forward to it.
Before that, I also looked for the original and watched a few episodes. (There is a Chinese subtitled version online for the first season.) It really looks good! Even if the picture is stained with the color traces of the years and the sound track is distorted, from the current point of view, the modeling, props and so on are relatively simple, and the plot and performance are relatively thin.
However, it is indeed a happy drama. Agent No. 86, Maxwell Smart, although his surname is smart, is a bit dumb. He is often self-defeating, but extremely cute.
Although this is a drama about secret agents, the secret agent agency CONTROL, which represents justice, is against the KAOS organization, which represents evil. But in the process of watching the film, I didn't feel any horror conspiracy or life and death threats-86 and 99 were "in danger" every time, but we always knew that they would be put into danger.
Back to the movie version.
Max, played by Steven Carell, is indeed somewhat similar to the original, and is also a sneer. When I first read the news report, I thought, I am afraid that there is no more suitable person than Steven. And Anne Hathaway, who plays No. 99, is even more popular recently, a little bit purple. From the styling point of view, it can also match the sweet image of the original 99.
However, after reading it, I found that some feelings are missing.
The movie version of 86 and 99 are not as cute as the original. The style of the film is more realistic. For example, in action dramas, first of all, they are both sharpshooters, and secondly, they are very good at fighting, especially those in the fight on the 99th are very sturdy. Instead, I think the action drama should be directed by Jackie Chan. The key is not the strength, but the strength. Xiao (laughs) Guo, let the 86 win in a muddle and cleverly, this is in line with his style.
The screenwriter also set a background story for the two protagonists. Max was originally an obese clerk. He was allowed to go out after an exam. Due to the leak of all secret agents, the organization sent him to work temporarily; and 99 also went to work because she just had a plastic surgery and did not recognize the enemy (囧). As for why she had plastic surgery? Because when I was on the mission, I had emotional entanglements with my partner, and then the mission failed, and what happened... Anyway, I think this setting is very embarrassing.
The No. 86 Max Smart in the original work is actually a bit clumsy. Although it looks bright and capable, it's actually pretty naive. The mentality is very good, never afraid, never angry, never sad. "Smart" is actually an antonym-although not quite, it is precisely this that highlights the comic effect.
The Max in the movie version may be too smart. Although there are some jokes, it doesn't feel cute anymore. It's like playing humor, and the original is natural humor. Similarly, 99 is not as cute as the original, because 99 in the movie version is too capable, but it turns out that this character only needs to be a vase.
By the way, the role of Chief. I am afraid that the original image is a bit deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. In the movie version, I took pictures several times before I realized that this person was playing this role. It looks so kind. There is no toughness in the original work, and helplessness in the face of Max-that is another common scene that often makes us laugh.
Said the classic scene. I remember these three. One is the soundproof enclosure, which is undoubtedly improved in the movie, with higher technology, but the effect is the same, but I personally think it is still funny in the original. The other is the agent pill. Max was told that it would be fatal within a few seconds after taking it. Then he asked: "There is a question. How do I get the enemy to take it?"
There is also a classic line from Max. The movie version is like this:
"To be fair, I must tell you that this place is already surrounded by 130 elite sniper teams."
"I don't believe it."
"Then you believe twenty. A few Delta commandos?"
"No."
"What about Chuck Norris with the BB gun?"
...
A similar verbal line is the classic line of No. 86. The calculations used in the movie are just right. (I still think Steven Carell played this role too coldly.)
I don't appreciate some original plots. For example, Max used the "Swiss Army Knife" to shoot arrows in the airplane bathroom. The first arrow was okay. It was stupid enough to hit the shoe (foot), but he didn’t give up. He shot countless arrows, pierced the ears, and shot the front cheek. I just thought of one word-pain, where can I still smile? come out. For example, when Max and the fat girl danced, I didn't see too much inevitable connection with the plot, and there was nothing funny.
I think of a classic joke from the original. It is the magical props of the so-called agents, which is extremely ironic. I remember one of those times when Max was tracking his target, sitting on the classic red convertible, looking from a distance, remembering to report to his boss, this time he didn’t use the classic phone shoes, drew a cigarette, and pulled out of the car. The cigarette lighter on the phone-turned out to be a phone! After the report was over, I picked up the handset of the car phone-it turned out to be a cigarette lighter! ……
Those cute props are sometimes redundant, sometimes malfunctioning, and some are full of imagination, always unexpected, but they never seem to take it seriously. I still remember a pistol with a noisy pocket that can hardly pull the trigger, haha. But the props in the movie are not fun anymore. A supporting role in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and Hiro in "Heroes" are the scientific duo in this film, which is slightly immature. The equipment they have produced includes high-tech waste products such as electronic flies and artificial robots (at least not used properly in the film), and boring things such as the Swiss Army Knife that can shoot arrows and breathe fire. Where is the creativity?
In fact, the beginning of the film pays tribute to the original. The museum displays the equipment of the cold war agents, including the red roadster and the phone shoes that are simply the "endorsement products" of the series. Later, I even took advantage of it. Probably, the editors want to tell us that after all, the times are different, and the adaptation cannot be copied from the original. The agents must be capable, even if they are stupid, to be fully credible, and so on.
However, I still miss the original work even more. Sometimes what we want is not more credible stories-it's all rumors anyway, why not just happily talk about them?
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