The Avengers (1998)

Two British agents (John Steed and Emma Peel) team up to stop Sir August De Wynter from destroying the world with a weather changing machine.

Director:

Jeremiah S. Chechik

Writers:

Sydney Newman (television series The Avengers), Don MacPherson

Stars:

Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery

1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Fiennes	...	John Steed
Uma Thurman	...	Emma Peel
Sean Connery	...	Sir August de Wynter
Patrick Macnee	...	Invisible Jones (voice)
Jim Broadbent	...	Mother
Fiona Shaw	...	Father
Eddie Izzard	...	Bailey
Eileen Atkins	...	Alice
John Wood	...	Trubshaw
Carmen Ejogo	...	Brenda
Keeley Hawes	...	Tamara
Shaun Ryder	...	Donavan
Nicholas Woodeson	...	Dr. Darling
Michael Godley	...	Butler
Richard Lumsden	...	Boodle's Porter

Storyline

British Ministry agent John Steed, under direction from "Mother", investigates a diabolical plot by arch-villain Sir August de Wynter to rule the world with his weather control machine. Steed investigates the beautiful Doctor Mrs. Emma Peel, the only suspect, but simultaneously falls for her and joins forces with her to combat Sir August.

---

Plot Keywords:

british | weather | team up | secret agent | chess | 

---

Taglines:

Extraordinary crimes against the people and the state must be avenged

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Emma Peel: mrspeel.com (Warner Bros.) John Steed: mrsteed.com (Warner Bros.)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los vengadores

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£937,166 (UK) (14 August 1998)

Gross:

$23,322,832 (USA) (2 October 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Jerry Weintraub Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As well as Mrs Peel, scriptwriter Don MacPherson intentionally drew on elements of Cathy Gale, her predecessor on the original series, for his updating.

---

Goofs

When Emma Peel plays the piano, none of the dampers inside the piano moves up and down. Even though we discover it's a player piano, the dampers would still move every time a key is depressed. The only time the keys are in sync with the sound is in the final closeup as the Chopin piece ends.

---

Quotes

Emma Peel: [confronted with wiring panel] Was it red or black? Here goes, eeny, meeny, miney...

---

Connections

Featured in The Nostalgia Critic: Simon Sez (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"SOLVE MY PROBLEMS TODAY"
Written by Chris Holmes, Brian Liesegang
Produced by Marius De Vries, Ashtar Command
Performed by Ashtar Command
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording, Geffen Records

User Reviews

Much better than expected

In spite of all the negative reviews and the low rating, I have immensely enjoyed this new version of 'The Avengers'. No, it does not replace Patrick MacNee nor Diana Rigg. But it's not supposed to, so that does not count. Yet what positively surprised me is that the film does have the flavour of the original Avengers, that it is full of understatements, and that the acting is in the - difficult - vein of what I'd call 'grotesque underacting'. Uma Thurman delivers a worthy Emma Peel with more than enough man appeal to keep me starry-eyed to the screen for 90 minutes. Mr. Fiennes combines distinction, humour and resolution in a way that is worthy of Mr. John Steed. The plot is original, yet partly predictable - but aren't all of the original 'Avengers' episodes predictable by modern audiences? Isn't a Mozart symphony predictable? Add to this the cinematography that is just delicious, and you have a real audience treat, even for those who consider themselves long-time Avengers fans like me.