The Avengers is a delightful, if deliberate, retro romp. There is one scene in particular that stands out in the film, a complete and absolute belly laugh moment that will long be remembered. The villain of the story, played by Sean Connery, has more money than he knows what to do with, so he decides to take control of the weather. To carry out this loony plan, he has gathered together the high rollers in atmospheric conditions to help him. Connery knows the identity of each person, but for reasons best known to him, he doesn't want them to know each other's identity. So they are all dressed in enormous pastel teddy bear suits. The teddys sit around an equally large conference table to conduct the business of their meeting--albeit mutely.

You'd swear these bears actually have facial expression as they ponder the situation outlined by the deranged Sean. It's a great scene, indeed, I'd recommend the movie on the strength of this scene alone.

The story is as trite and contrived as you'd expect for a glib remake of a 60s television spoofy spy show. Unfortunately the two key players are dreadfully straight-jacketed in their roles as John Steed and Dr. Mrs. Emma Peel. Ralph Fienes is the former, the proper English gentleman, and Uma Thurman is the latter, an exotic English rose with an impressive array of skills that seemingly never end. The daunting task for both actors to recreate the roles so brilliantly created by John MacNee and Diana Rigg overwhelms them, and their performances are plastic and stilted.

Not so for Sean Connery who is a ridiculous raving ratbag, but with flair. Equally enjoyable is Fiona Shaw as Father, the #2 in charge of the good guys who trades in her marbles to become #2 in charge of the bad guys. Shaw is an impressive and edgy actress, and she relaxes into her role of psycho wench quite nicely.

So there is a lot to recommend in "The Avengers." The overall product is enjoyable and a number of scenes and much of the dialogue is really first rate. The film is hampered by the two leads who individually have much to offer but don't seem to know what to do with themselves in these roles.


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