An Avengers movie starring Ralph Fiennes as John Steed and Uma Thurman as Emma Peel should’ve been great, you know. Alas, the wit, wisdom and weirdness of the British cult TV series did not translate to the big screen; The Avengers is a bloated mess, with Sean Connery embarrassing himself as the weather-controlling, scenery-chewing villain (in a teddy bear suit, at one point). Apparently, this is what happens when you bring in the director of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation to call the shots on what Warner Bros. was probably hoping was going to be the start of a big-budget franchise of sorts; Jeremiah S. Chechik certainly hasn’t worked much since. Still, Ralph and Uma seem to be enjoying themselves, and they both look great and have decent enough chemistry; meanwhile, Jim Broadbent has some funny moments as Mother, co-director of The Ministry. The Avengers isn’t all bad, but it’s certainly not half-good, either.
