GET SMART 12A

NEVER watched the original 1960s TV series, so I have no idea whether this film is a faithful remake or not.

But if it was basically a mild version of Austin Powers with a female lead who had legs that could make an archbishop sweat, then this is pretty close.

Steve Carell stars as Maxwell Smart, a nerdish analyst from US spy agency C.O.N.T.R.O.L. who dreams of Max has always dreamed of working in the field alongside his heroes, the chiselled Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson) and the sultry and mysterious Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway).

But his sterling work as an analyst, combing through hours and hours of radio chatter, means the Chief (Alan Arkin) is reluctant to give promote him the promotion he craves.

Meanwhile terror group K.A.O.S., led by Terence Stamp and Ken Davitian (fat naked Borat guy from Borat), are plotting to hold the world to ransom with a secret nuclear arsenal stashed under the streets of Moscow.

Then K.A.O.S. goes A.W.O.L. and attacks C.O.N.T.R.O.L. H.Q., so they send Max out on the Q.T. to sort it out, or some such stop K.A.O.S. before things get F.U.B.A.R. and everyone catches M.R.S.A., or some such B.*.*.*.*.*.*.S.

Which translates into a couple of hours of classic Hollywood summer fluff with a likeable leading man, a sexy sidekick, a pretty funny script, a few decent explosions—and absolutely diddly squat that will even come close to troubling your favourite films list.

There are some seriously funny moments, mind. Most of which happen in the offices of C.O.N.T.R.O.L., which is something like a cross between MI6 and Wernham Hogg.

And fittingly so. Because Carell -the man who plays the David Brent character in the US version of The Office-is right in his comfort zone with this role. Result is, Carell is right in his comfort zone and takes to this part like a duck to hoi sin sauce.

But he’s matched step for step by the seriously Anne Hathaway, who teaches us, amongst other things, the best way to get past a laser security grid is erotic dancing while wearing a killer super short bum-skimming ballgown that's just been torn off about five minimetres below arse-level frock.

All in all, Get Smart’s a perfectly decent summer action comedy - and since when did that become a proper genre, by the way? - but it's just totally unmemorable.

And if that sounds like it’s damning with faint praise—it is.

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