Alicia I love this movie so much

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

alexanderdavies-99382 In spite of how "The Avengers" series is best known, the opening season was a completely different kettle of fish.The season from 1961 - mainly missing sadly - was more of a conventional police thriller. None of the programme's quirky humour was displayed, there was no female leading character and John Steed was technically the second lead behind Ian Hendry as Dr. David Keel. The general synopsis was usually as follows: Keel would be approached by Steed who would seek the good Drs help in the fight against the latest villains of the show. Dr. Keel was most reticent about becoming involved in Steeds assignments but invariably was.Only 3 episodes from 1961 exist and including the first 15 minutes of the opening episode.Judging by the existing 3, the more gritty and realistic style works very well. Ian Hendry and the only John Steed - Patrick Macnee - compliment each other. After Ian Hendry decided to focus on a film career, Patrick Macnee was made the show's leasing character. In addition, he would be the actor who would appear in more episodes than anyone else. The series seemed to struggle in finding it's form/style. The characters of Dr. Martin King and that of the pop star Venus Smith, aren't all that interesting but one or two episodes they are in are quite good.When Honor Blackman joined the series in 1962 for its second season, everything changed for the better. The series became ground-breaking in having a regular female character who was just as tough, brave, resilient and intelligent as John Steed.The second and third seasons feature some marvellous episodes - too many to list them here. The series was firmly established as a huge success with Britain and the two leading actors became very popular with the viewers.With Honor Blackman leaving in 1964 to appear in "Goldfinger" opposite Sean Connery, major changes were about to occur for "The Avengers" series.Having been shot on video and in whole takes as though filmed live, now the show would be filmed on film and eventually in colour. In particular though, the most popular female character of them all would help tremendously in pushing the series to its peak of popularity - Diana Rigg as Emma Peel.The on-screen chemistry between the characters of John Steed and Emma Peel was both natural and highly effective. The episodes were better than ever - several masterpieces are included and eventually, America became interested in securing the rights in broadcasting "The Avengers."It came as a bit of a shock when Diana Rigg announced she was leaving the series. She had made the Emma Peel character her own.For my money, the series declined in overall quality. The rather eccentric humour from the Emma Peel era worked for those episodes. Now with Linda Thorson was cast as Tara King, the stories became a bit too silly and I find many of the last season's episodes rather irksome.The other problem I find with the last episodes, is that Linda Thorson has neither the acting ability nor the kind of personality that Diana Rigg brought to "The Avengers." 1969 was the right time to bring the series to a close. It had lasted over 180 episodes since 1961 and has earnt its place in British television history.

jgali38-2 This rating is specifically for the shows that were made with Diana Riggs. She and only she was the only reason I watched this show. I was about 10 years old, when I first saw The Avengers and I never looked back. Until there was no more Diana Riggs. I was never able to watch the others because she was The Avengers in my opinion. The theme song or music was so powerful and unique. (I hope I don't break any rules here, but if you want to watch start and finish of this show you can watch it on YouTube.)If there was to be a remake I think that Megan Follows or Lauren Graham would do her justice. Even though they are not English.

gnb An absolute masterpiece in British television, The Avengers is a timeless, witty, fantastical series which is as, if not more, popular today than it was more than 40 years ago.This series has something for everybody - gangsters, diabolical masterminds, glamorous girls, car chases, fights and endless glasses of champagne.It is interesting to see how the series developed from its humble beginnings in 1961. Playing it straight in the early days it gradually became more and more way-out with wackier and wackier plots and characters. The Cathy Gale and Emma Peel eras are regarded by many to be the high point of the series although there are high spots in virtually every point in the show's history.Only one episode exists from Series 1 with the mysterious, shadowy Steed being a much more sinister character to Ian Hendry's open Doctor Keel. Then we have much verbal sparring and innuendo between Steed and the delicious Cathy Gale and her kinky boots. Film and eventually colour were introduced with the feline Emma Peel and her high kicks and the show closed the 60s in gaudy, cartoonish style with the naive Tara King and her snazzy Lotus Europa.This is British television at its best and a true legend in broadcasting. The 1970s version, The New Avengers, has it's own charm in a way but is best regarded as a totally separate entity as this original series was...well...original!

schappe1 Honor Blackman then left the show to play Pussy Galore, (what name!) in Goldfinger. The producers decided to retool it. They not only got a new actress but they made several other decisions that impacted the nature of the show. They wanted to market it to America so they shot it on film. This allowed for outdoor shooting and most of the scenes in the 1965-66 monochrome series take place out of doors. It also allowed for more frequent cuts. This increased the pace of the show dramatically and allowed stunt men to turn the fight scenes into choreographed works of art. And the music became much more a part of the show with Laurie Johnson's driving upbeat theme becoming one of TV's classics. After striking out with Elizabeth Shepard, a new actress, Diana Rigg, was hired from the Royal Shakespeare Company. I think she was a huge improvement over the dower, inexpressive Honor Blackman. Rigg had a light comic touch that was both charming and appropriate to the lighter stories that were being done. The headlines of the early 60's and the James Bond movies had brought on a public demand for shows that were about global threats and incorporated science fiction. Now, instead of halting the smuggling of perfume, the Avengers were going to save the world, or at least the British Empire. There was also the new infatuation with all things British on American Television. The show became a comic spoof of people's image of England, full of pompous aristocrats, old soldiers, butlers, nannies, etc. As MacNee has said, from this point the program was mostly a comedy, although it retained enough drama to it to tether it to earth, as in the classics `Too Many Christmas Trees' and `The House that Jack Built'. Towards the end, however an air of silliness crept into the program with shows like `The Girl From Auntie' and `Honey for the Prince', (both of which feature the gorgeous Rigg wearing less than she does in the more famous `A Touch of Brimstone'). Then came the color Rigg series of 1967-68, the first to be shown simultaneously on American TV, (and the first time I saw the show). Now there was an emphasis on `Swinging London' and Carnaby Street fashions. Rigg wore more clothes and more and more outrageous ones. There was a greater tendency to shoot indoors in sets that could be as outlandish as Rigg's clothes. There were fewer episodes that had real dramatic content to them. It was more and more a romp, although this series contains what I think is the best-ever Avengers episode, `Death's Door'. Then Rigg left and they brought in the lovely and charming Thorson. The show now became a total comedy, closer to `Get Smart' than `The Man from Uncle'. It was so lightweight it threatened to float away. And when the 1968-69 season was over, it did, to live on in re-runs that have never ended. They brought it back a decade later, as `The New Avengers', this time heavily influenced by the popularity of `Starsky and Hutch'. MacNee was now the mentor to a couple of younger operatives in a much more violent show. It was gone after a year.The final incarnation of what began as `Police Surgeon' was the horrible 1998 film version, which tried to turn the series into Star Wars, fully copying several scenes from that film series. It featured the charmless Ralph Fiennes as Steed, (why not Hugh Grant!?!). Uma Thurman should have made an excellent Ms. Peel but somehow she looked like a teenager. Sean Connery agreed to play the villain but must have wondered why he did so.The failure of the film presumably ends the saga, leaving us with the tapes and DVDs of the old series to remember it by. I think the 1965-66 season is the really classic period of the Avengers, especially about the first 20 episodes. The second Rigg series and the Thorson series are also very entertaining. The Blackman shows are really a different show, but good in their own way. Maybe someday we can see the Hendry shows. The revival attempts since the heyday were best forgotten.