::I loved the show for how smart and understated it was, for the complex relationship between Steed and Mrs. Peel, and for the dark, off-kilter sense of humor. I found none of these qualities in the movie. ::

On the whole I agree with you. I thought the movie had it's moments...

1) When Emma says "Don't worry, it's just a game." refering to how she'd just kicked Steeds ass at chess and never looked at the board.

2) The fencing sequence that harkens back to the one in the show.

3) The verbal sparring around Steed's remark about it being his mission to kill Emma

4) The older woman, Alice, with the machine gun reminded me of Pongo's appearance from nowhere in "The House that Jack Built".

5) The use of "How Now Brown Cow" to activate the elevator

6) The scene where Steed zips up Emma's boots. (But then, I have a boot fetish, so YMMV.)

7) The tea spigot on the dashboard of "The Old Girl".

On the other hand, the colored teddy bear suits didn't really work for me. After the balloon scene, I think it sorta got overly complicated. And... I'm sorry... I *never* liked Mother. In fact, I don't even consider the Tara King episodes to be "The Avengers". It was a different show.

:: I'm not even all that fond of the color episodes of the show, when they deliberately dumbed it down for an American audience (although there are some standout episodes, like "The Hidden Tiger"). ::

I'm with you. I can barely stand to watch most of them. And as I said, the Tara King period just isn't "The Avengers" to me. The segment at the end of "The Forget Me Knot" where Tara tries to do Emma's part with Steed to the theme music is... just... painful to watch. Linda Thorsen was so uncoordinated compared to Diana Rigg. I guess you don't have to be coordinated when you're the niece of Peter Sellers.

And as far as "The New Avengers".... we just won't go there.

SG

To borrow a line from another classic tv show...

Just the facts, ma'am: PatricK Macnee is John Steed. Diana Rigg is Emma Peel. Any recasting was bound to be a bad idea.