THE NUDE BOMB (1980)
Article 4475 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 3-15-2014
Directed by Clive Donner
Featuring Don Adams, Andrea Howard, Sylvia Kristel
Country: USA
What it is: “Get Smart” revival

Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, is called on to prevent KAOS from blackmailing the world with its new weapon, a bomb that can destroy every shred of clothing in the world.

Let’s see, Chief has been replaced, there’s no Control, 99 is missing, there’s no Hymie, Siegfried, or Starker, the wonderful original theme music is used nowhere, and there’s no reprise of Smart walking through the endless doors. So that leaves only Don Adams and Robert Karvelas (as Larrabee) as the strong links to the original series, and, truth be told, this movie made me realize just how much I missed all the others. Sure, Don Adams still has his old catchphrases on hand and he uses them well, but he can’t carry the movie all on his own, especially with a weak story and a smirkingly exploitative premise like this one. The only other actors that seem to tap into the comic sense of the story are Bill Dana and Joey Forman (who takes on the role of Agent 13). The movie is at its worst when it’s trying to be more adult or relying on some terrible action sequences. I have a great fondness for the original series; I have little for this movie.