The Avengers is a 1998 action movie inspired by the British TV series
The Avengers. It starred Ralph Fiennes and
Uma Thurman, with
Sean Connery hamming it up as an evil Scotsman.
The film was a flop, and is widely regarded by fans of the series as a
travesty — although at least one reviewer has pointed out that the weird touches the movie gets hammered for are the same kind of thing the series did all the time; the difference is that the series had the period, style and panache to get away with it. It doesn't help that the film was re-edited shortly before release to bring the running time down, losing several important plot points in the process.
This film provides examples of:
- The Ace: Mrs. Peel is perfect at whatever she does, from science to chess to swordplay, making Steed's character seem somewhat redundant.
- Alice Allusion: Ministry agent Alice.
- Almost Kiss: Steed and Mrs. Peel, while he's helping her put on her boots.
- Are These Wires Important?: Steed rips the guts out of one of Sir August's robot insects.
- Attack Drone: Sir August's flying armed robot insects.
- Avoid The Dreaded G-Rating: Bailey said "Oh F*** " just before his death to raise the film's rating.
- The line was clearly dubbed in by someone who isn't Eddie Izzard, who plays Bailey. His lips don't move, and it sounds nothing like him.
- Badass Back: Mrs. Peel during her sword fight with Steed.
- Banister Slide: Mrs. Peel does a short one during her sword duel with Steed.
- Battle in the Rain: The final fight between Steed and Sir August.
- Bulletproof Vest: Steed's Trubshaw waistcoat.
- Caretaker Reversal: After Steed is attacked by Mrs. Peel's clone, the real Mrs. Peel takes him to her home to recover and nurses him back to health. Later on, after Mrs. Peel is captured and brainwashed by Sir August, Steed rescues her and takes her to his home to recover.
- Chekhov's Gun: The boots Steed gives to Mrs. Peel.
- Clear My Name: Mrs. Peel after her clone blows up the Prospero lab.
- Collapsing Lair: Sir August's underground island base.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check
- Damsel in Distress: Subverted when Mrs. Peel escapes from Sir August on her own.
- Day of the Week Name: Sir August and his family, named after months.
- Deus Ex Scuse Me: Steed and Mrs. Peel are at Wonderland Weather getting a tour from the receptionist. There's a noise (telephone ring?) elsewhere and the receptionist leaves, allowing Steed and Mrs. Peel to look around unnoticed.
- Diabolical Mastermind: Sir August
- Dirty Old Man: Sir August and Mrs. Peel (Sean Connery is 40 years older than Uma Thurman).
- Disney Villain Death: Bailey's demise.
- The Dragon: Mrs. Peel's clone and Bailey.
- Dressing as the Enemy: Mrs. Peel may have done this with her clone's Spy Catsuit.
- Elaborate Underground Base: Sir August's island base.
- Every Car Is a Pinto: Mrs. Peel's car after the flying robot insect attack.
- Everything's Worse with Bears: The bear costumes the recruited scientists wear.
- Evil Twin: Mrs. Peel's clone, created by Sir August.
- Fast Roping: Used by Bailey just prior to his fight with Mrs. Peel.
- The Film of the Series
- Flower Pot Drop: At the beginning of the film. Steed is almost hit by a flowerpot that drops down from a window above him.
- Forbidden Fruit: Steed warns Mrs. Peel not to take a macaroon when they have tea with Mother.
- Foreshadowing: The Wonderland Weather globes and Steed's "I'll stick to swordplay".
- Fun with Acronyms: BROLLY (British slang term for "umbrella").
- Fur and Loathing: Mrs. Peel's clone when she tries to kill Steed.
- Going In Circles: Mrs. Peel while trapped in Sir August's tesseract trap.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: The milkman, during Steed's test.
- Groin Attack: Mrs. Peel to Bailey during their fight in Sir August's base.
- Hey, It's That Guy!: de Wynter's main mook is played by Eddie Izzard.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Sir August, by his own fighting staff and a bolt of lightning from his Weather Control Machine.
- Hypnotize the Princess: Sir August tries this on Mrs. Peel.
- I Am He as You Are He: Mrs. Peel enters Sir August's base by posing as her Evil Twin clone.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: Sir August to a captured Mrs. Peel.
- Instant Sedation: Sir August to Mrs. Peel (drug-tipped dart) and Father to Mrs. Peel (aerosol gas).
- Karmic Death: Father and Mrs. Peel's clone.
- Knockout Gas: Father knocks Mrs. Peel out instantly with gas from an aerosol can.
- Large Ham: Sean Connery as Sir August de Wynter.
- Let's Split Up, Gang: Five times.
- Lightning Can Do Anything: Such as pulling Sir August high up into the air.
- Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: Lab destruction -> weather control extortion conspiracy.
- The Mole: Father
- Monumental Damage: Nelson's Column and Big Ben's clock tower.
- Mythology Gag
- Neck Snap: Mrs. Peel's clone, to a Prospero Project Lab staff member.
- Not Screened For Critics
- Odd Couple: Steed plays by the rules, Mrs. Peel doesn't.
- Ominous Pipe Organ: Sir August plays one in his mansion.
- Opposites Attract: See Odd Couple above.
- Parasol of Pain: Steed uses his umbrella as a weapon numerous times.
- Pungeon Master: Mrs. Peel.
- Remake Cameo: Patrick Macnee provided the voice of the invisible Colonel Jones.
- Secret Test: Steed's inviting Mrs. Peel to Boodles.
- Self-Destruct Mechanism: The Weather Control Machine after it's turned off.
- Share Phrase: "How real will it feel" and "I thought I was seeing double".
- Shout Out: Six to Alice in Wonderland, two to Blade Runner and William Shakespeare's plays and one each to North By Northwest, M.C. Escher, the songs Teddy Bears' Picnic
and The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond and the poem The Owl and the Pussycat. - Smart People Play Chess: Mrs. Peel during her game with Steed.
- Stalker Shrine: Sir August has one to Mrs. Peel (or her clone) in his mansion.
- Standard Hollywood Strafing Procedure: The flying robot insects, to Steed and Mrs. Peel.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Sir August after his fight with Steed in the hedge maze.
- Stock Phrases
- Storming The Castle: Steed and Mrs. Peel, to Sir August's base.
- Swiss Cheese Security: The meeting of the Council of Ministers.
- Sword Cane: In the final fight with Sir August, Steed reveals his sword umbrella.
- Tagline: "When evil reigns/rains, only one team can weather the storm." But can they weather a Hurricane of Puns?
- Tap on the Head: Bailey to Alice and Mrs. Peel's Evil Twin clone to Steed.
- Tracking Device: The "micro-tag" (radio homing signal) in Mrs. Peel's boots.
- Tranquillizer Dart: Sir August renders Mrs. Peel unconscious with a drug-tipped dart.
- Unflinching Faith In The Brakes: Alice, as Mrs. Peel's car approaches.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Steed and Mrs. Peel
- Unwinnable Training Simulation: When Steed is attacked at the beginning of the movie.
- The Voiceless:
- Bailey says two words just before he dies (see Avoid The Dreaded G-Rating above).
- According to Eddie Izzard, the script only gave him a few bland lines and generic threats, and he decided the character would work better saying nothing at all.
- Mrs. Peel's clone.
- Weather Control Machine
- We Can Rule Together: Sir August to Mrs. Peel after he captures her.
- Wire Dilemma: Mrs. Peel, while trying to turn off the Weather Control Machine.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Sir August and his scientists.
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